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desires, all good counsels, all just works, give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our
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hearts may be set to obey your
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es d av lose g W Enc kin on Ma trati gis Re O God, from whom come all holy
commandments also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
w w w. h i g h e r t h i n g s . o r g / FA L L / 2001
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editor-in-chief “My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long they say to me,‘Where now is your God?’” (Psalm 42:3) In the midst of tragedy and pain, you may be asking “Where is God?”The answer is that He is on the cross, suffering our death so that in Him we may have life. God is the only one who can understand our suffering and pain, for He suffered all of it and more under Pontius Pilate, as we confess in the creed. This makes us who we are. Jesus’ suffering means that God understands weakness and fear. He will see us through this to the very end, no matter what that end may be. The terrorist attacks on our country have reminded us that it comes down to life and death for us all. We have the words of eternal life from God Himself, and He has given us our identity in the waters of Holy Baptism. Because we died with Him in Baptism (Romans 6:1-4), we have confidence that we will also rise with Him to eternal life. That makes us who we are as God’s children. In this issue of Higher Things, the topic of Christian and Lutheran identity is addressed. What does it mean to be a Lutheran? How does this shape who I am in the 21st century? Do Lutherans believe differently than other Christians? How does this change the music I listen to, the schools I attend, or even the friends I have?
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In this issue, you will read about: • Where Are You, God? The Rev. Scott Stiegemeyer asks and answers this question as we struggle to understand God in the face of terrorist attacks. • The Lutheran Difference. The Rev. Prof. Lawrence Rast, Jr., reflects on his role as a parish pastor in Tennessee in the midst of an anti-Lutheran environment. • Dare To Be Lutheran On Campus. The Rev. Marcus Zill addresses the challenges that young Lutherans face as they go off to college for the first time.
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An Inside-Out View Of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Lori Lewis recounts her journey into the world of CCM and how the Small Catechism brought her back home to Lutheranism. What Is A Lutheran? Jello, Confirmation And The Catechism. The Rev. David Petersen describes the vows that are made at confirmation, and how the Catechism serves as a road map to help explain faith to others. Second-Class Citizens. Dr. Gene Edward Veith tells how Lutherans are not secondclass Christians, but citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom. The Summit. Adriane Dorr shows how she defended the Christian doctrine of Holy Baptism at summer camp.
In this issue of Higher Things, we are introducing a new service. If you go to our website at www.higherthings.org, you will find bible studies available based on each article in this magazine, as well as articles from the first issue. Finally, a registration form for the youth conference, Making Waves is included. Sponsored by Higher Things Inc., the conference is open to all youth and will be held July 8-12, 2002 in Duluth, Minnesota. I hope you enjoy this issue of Higher Things!
The Rev. Todd Peperkorn Editor-in-Chief Higher Things: Dare to Be Lutheran Peperkorn@higherthings.org
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FEATURES 5 Resting in Christ: Why the Reformed think Lutherans are second-class Christians. By Dr. Gene Edward Veith Dean of Arts and Sciences, Concordia University, Mequon, Wisconsin.
Lutherans are not second-class Christians, but citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom.
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Where are you God? By the Rev. Scott Stiegemeyer Pastor at Concordia Lutheran Church, Brentwood, Pennsylvania
The question “Where are you God?” is asked and then answered as we struggle to understand God in the face of recent terrorist attacks.
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Dare to be Lutheran on Campus By the Rev. Marcus Zill Pastor at St. Andrew Lutheran Church and Campus Center, Laramie, Wyoming
A look at the challenges young Lutherans face when they go off to college for the first time.
14 An Inside-Out View of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) By Lori Lewis
Volume 1/Number 2 Fall 2001 Editor-in-Chief REV. TODD PEPERKORN Managing Editor PAM KNEPPER
Assistant Editor JULIE STIEGEMEYER
Editorial Associates REV. DAVID PETERSEN REV. JAMES WINSOR Art Director STEVE BLAKEY
Business Manager LYNN FREDERICKSEN
HIGHER THINGS, INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS President REV. DANIEL Vice President REV. TODD
Secretary REV. SCOTT
WOODRING
PEPERKORN
STIEGEMEYER
Treasurer LYNN FREDERICKSEN
By Adriane Dorr
REV. KLEMET PREUS REV. MARCUS ZILL SANDRA OSTAPOWICH DR. GENE EDWARD VEITH MOLLIE ZIEGLER
High school student, Marcus, Iowa.
HigherThings Online
Freelance writer and homemaker, San Diego, California
Read about Lori Lewis’ journey into the world of CCM and how she rediscovered the Lutheran Church.
16 The Summit How would you defend the Christian doctrine of Holy Baptism at summer camp? Adriane Dorr shows us how she did it.
18 The Lutheran Difference By the Rev. Prof. Lawrence R. Rast, Jr. Professor of Church History, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana
See how Rev. Rast dealt with being a parish pastor in Tennessee in the midst of an anti-Lutheran environment.
20 Left Behind By the Rev. Klemet Preus Pastor at Glory of Christ Lutheran Church, Plymouth, Minnesota
Rev. Preus critiques the popular Left Behind book series and shows that its message should not be trusted.
22 What Is A Lutheran? Jello, Confirmation and the Catechism By the Rev. David Petersen Pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Rev. Petersen describes the vows that are made at confirmation, and how the Catechism serves as a road map to help explain faith to others. Cover Photo: Destruction of the World Trader Center Towers, New York City, New York, September 11, 2001. AP Photo. Cover Prayer: Collect for Peace. Taken from Lutheran Worship, pg. 234. Copyright 1982. Concordia Publishing House.
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Higher Things is now online! Go to www.higherthings.org and you will find bible studies based on each article, as well as resources and items of interest for teens and youth leaders alike.
Webmaster SEM. BRIAN
THORSEN
Bible Studies Editor REV. ERIK ROTTMANN Higher Things Magazine is published quarterly by Higher Things Inc., 2026 22nd Ave., Kenosha, WI 53140. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the editorin-chief of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2001. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at Fort Wayne, Indiana. For subscription information, write to: Higher Things Magazine, P.O. Box 580111, Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158-8011 or e-mail to Subscriptions@higherthings.org. Higher Things Magazine is mailed to most pastors and congregations of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in the United States and Canada. For general information about Higher Things, Inc., please email info@higherthings.org.
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A summer leadership opportunity to confe estled in a ridge of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, lies a century-old hotel called The Summit. Lacking elevators and air-conditioning, The Summit was my home for two weeks this summer. I, along with 182 young adults, had gone there to attend a Christian leadership camp and learn how to deal with college professors and fellow students who may challenge our faith. The morning hours were spent in the classroom. Lectures were given by a variety of conservative professors and speakers. Topics ranged from Augustine and Pelagious to Relativism to The Biblical Christian Worldview. After digesting a heavy courseload in the morning, we’d break for lunch. Then after a mid-afternoon lecture, we were free to go do what we wanted. The majority of young adults at The Summit were nondenominational Christians. Once they learned that I was a Missouri Synod Lutheran, they were very interested in debating the subjects of Baptism and Holy Communion. Much time was spent on the hotel’s front porch discussing whether Baptism was merely a symbol or a means of grace. One of the young men that I got to know through daily discussions over Baptism finally told me one day that he believed I was going straight to hell. He said because I hadn’t personally asked Christ to dwell in my heart, I most certainly was not a Christian. When the two of us continued to argue over what Baptism is, I couldn’t use the words of Martin Luther in my response. The man would only accept the biblical references I had to support my beliefs. Luther’s Small Catechism was definitely out of the question! The debate between us grew until we were writing each other notes in class, trying to prove our point to one another. I passed him a note with Romans 6:3-5 written on it,“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ
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ummit by Adriane Dorr
camp gives a high school student an ss what Lutherans believe about Baptism. Jesus were baptized into His death? If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.” He wrote back, “Providing we receive Jesus.” It then began to make sense to me. The majority of young adults at the camp wanted to WORK at their salvation. They didn’t understand that God gives us His salvation freely. They didn’t understand that Baptism requires no effort on the part of the receiver. To them, Baptism was merely a symbol, useful only as an outward sign of a person’s inner decision. But Lutherans believe differently. Luther’s Small Catechism asks,“What benefits does Baptism give? It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.”That certainly doesn’t sound like an ordinary symbol to me! No, the old Adam within us dies daily and a new man arises—all because of Christ’s redemptive work through Baptism. And what does the Lord require of us in return? “It is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him?” Note that the catechism does not say God requires us to receive Him into our hearts or witness to a certain number of unbelievers. He only asks that we respond to His goodness (i.e. baptism, in love and adoration). I had to explain to several bewildered young adults that the water of Baptism, as Luther says,“Is nothing else than a divine water, not that the water in itself is nobler than other water, but that God’s Word and commandment are added to it.”Well then, they wondered,‘how can children be baptized if they do not yet comprehend God’s Word’? Easy.
1) All people sin. 2) Babies are people. 3) Therefore, babies sin. 4) Sinners need forgiveness. 5) Babies are sinners. 6) Then babies also need forgiveness. And they can get that saving faith through Baptism! How truly good God is! When my friends at The Summit saw that it didn’t help to keep arguing with me, they tried one last angle.“If Christ won salvation for us on the cross, why do people need baptism?” Simple. He dishes out that rescuing salvation and forgiveness through the sacrament of Baptism. And that is why Lutherans make the sign of the cross on themselves— to remember their Baptism and the sign that was made on them at that time. That concept certainly confused most of the non-denominational Christians. Well, by this time, most of my friends and some professors were either slightly peeved at me, totally confused, or interested. I was called hard-headed, stubborn, and unrelenting. One professor told me that God will deal harshly with me for not understanding Baptism correctly and for not being tolerant of others’ views. Some of my friends still e-mail me regarding Baptism. The young man who said I am going to hell, signs his e-mails “Remember to confess with your mouth.” He is obviously as set in his ways, as I am. But, from my experiences at The Summit, I have gained knowledge of my faith, experience in explaining my beliefs, and a greater sense of thankfulness to God for His free and life-giving gifts. Adriane Dorr is a High School student in Marcus, Iowa.
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Different is Good—or so said the restaurant
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chain, Arby’s, a few years back. But is different always good? While all of us are unique people, it can be painful to be too different. People who are different don’t quite fit in with the in crowd. In many cases, they’re made fun of or left out. To be different can be very difficult. I was a Lutheran pastor in Tennessee for five years where Lutherans make up less than one percent of the population. Talk about being different! Lutherans are few and far between in Tennessee. Many folks simply don’t know what Lutherans believe or practice. Some people think Lutherans are Roman Catholics without a pope. Others think Lutherans are just another Protestant church made up mainly of people with German backgrounds. As a pastor, I wondered how we, as Lutherans, could make ourselves better known? More importantly, how could we get the good news of Christ out to people in need? Some Lutheran congregations decided the most effective way to do this was to be like other Christian denominations. There is an old saying that goes,“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” These churches adapted that saying to,“When in Tennessee, do as the Tennesseans do.” Pastors preached and congregations worshipped like the churches of other denominations. Since Nashville is the
Lu hera DIFFEREN By the Rev. Prof. Lawrence R. Rast, Jr.
Contemporary Christian Music capital of the world, that form of music was often used in services. The result was that people were confused about what Lutheranism teaches and does. Are Lutherans the same as the Baptists, Methodists, or Pentecostals? Or are Lutherans different somehow? Over and over again people asked me these questions. How did I answer? When I was in high school, I invited a Roman Catholic buddy to come to church with me. He was amazed at how familiar the service was. Another time a friend in the Foursquare Gospel church came to the divine service at my invitation. He couldn’t believe God’s word was the focus of the service. Both commented,“We’re so much the same!” “Only different,” I answered. When it comes to sameness, what Lutherans believe is the same thing that the church has confessed throughout history. In this sense, we Lutherans are catholic. Catholic means whole, or that which is a part of the whole church, both historically and contemporarily. I’m not saying we’re Roman Catholic—after all, by calling themselves Roman, they limit the whole. The adjective Roman becomes more important than the noun catholic! On the other hand, we Lutherans are different from Protestants, who think that the most important thing about the Protestant Reformation was its protest against Roman Catholicism. That is largely a negative activity. Lutherans, however, see God at work in history. Lutherans believe it is more important to know what the Reformers (like Martin Luther) kept rather than what they got rid of. Why? Because that’s the stuff
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of catholicity. And what is at the heart of all this? The biblical, historic faith that God sent His son Jesus Christ into the world to bear human sin, suffer, die, and rise again. Christ is true God and true man who came into the world to pay for our sins, that is, to win salvation for us. Salvation is given to us through the Word and Sacraments. Lutherans also carefully distinguish between the Law and the Gospel. Anything that says humans must do something to gain God’s favor—for example, making a choice or decision to give your heart to Jesus—confuses the Law of God and makes His salvation dependent on something you do. In contrast, we Lutherans are truly protestant; that is, we testify to the primacy of the Gospel. So how are Lutherans different? We hold to the Christian faith as revealed in God’s inerrant (free from errors) Word, confess that faith with the historic church, and seek to practice that faith in the present time. In all of this our Lord Jesus Christ is at the center. He is the one who entered the world to carry your sin and mine to the cross and to pay for it once and for all. Now our gracious Lord continues to come to us in the waters of Holy Baptism, in His preached word, in the Absolution, in the Sacrament of the Altar, and in the historic liturgy of the church. So Lutherans are the same, only different, just as Jesus was the same as other men, only different. I guess Arby’s got it right. Different is good. We Lutherans don’t need to be ashamed of our uniqueness, instead we can be thankful for that Lutheran difference. The Rev. Prof. Lawrence R. Rast, Jr., is assistant professor of church history at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Many folks simply don’t know what Lutherans believe or practice. Some people think Lutherans are Roman Catholics without a pope. Others think Lutherans are just another Protestant church made up mainly of people with German backgrounds.
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