One thing I found very striking in the videos was how people from non-Lutheran backgrounds were drawn to a traditional and liturgical church and their understanding of Lutheran worship.  Pastor Beecroft acknowledges that the church has its own language, is formed by it, and wrestles to understand it.  We constantly hear that the church growth paradigm says this traditional approach should be a “turn off” for “seekers”.  While the people interviewed expressed their initial culture shock, after a time of learning and understanding they had a deeper  appreciation for the traditions and confessional Lutheran faith.  These people seem to have a better grasp on Lutheran worship than many who have been Lutherans all their life.  Catechesis at work!

Thanks for reading A Liturgical and Outreach Oriented Church? Yes!.

This evening I was reading the article entitled “Why Do I Declare Myself for the Lutheran Church?” by Lohe himself.  He enumerates a number of reasons of why he holds fast to the Lutheran Church.  The following excerpt caught my eye.

I declare myself for the Lutheran Church for the sake of the treasure.  The Lutheran Church lacks many things I would like to see in it, but it has something that lets it be the true church despite all shortcomings, and for the sake of which I find it easy and beautiful to be faithful to it in its outward misery.  Do you know what I am talking about?  I am talking about its utterly pure confession and its pure doctrine in conformity with its confession.  Who has ever proved that its confession is in error in any doctrinal article?  When speaking of its confession, I am not only talking about the Augsburg Confession, but about the entire Book of Concord from the Augsburg Confession all the way to the Formula of Concord.  You do not know these writings, dear reader, otherwise you would agree with me.  Get to know them and you will agree.  What is more beautiful, lovely, powerful, and lively than Luther’s catechisms?  What is more catholic than the Augsburg Confession and its Apology?  What is more thoughtful and bold than the Smalcald Articles?  And what is slandered more wrongfully than the beautiful Formula of Concord in its clean but mild definition of all teachings?  Dear reader, I repeat, you do not know your Church’s confessions of faith.  Get to know them in order to know why you adhere to your church.

One of Lohe’s strengths was his confessional committment which influenced the LCMS from its founding.  It seems he was quite passionate about the Lutheran Confessions and would encourage us as well to be familiar with what our Lutheran church “officially” believes, teaches, and confesses.

A few years ago Concordia Publishing House published a wonderful and accessible edition of the Book of Concord called “Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions-A Readers Edition of the Book of Concord – 2nd edition.” If you don’t have it, I would encourage you to consider getting it; and if you do have it, consider reading it.

Thanks for reading The Treasure of the Lutheran Church (according to Lohe).