What I Believe

The recent passing of Pope John Paul II and subsequent election of Benedict XVI as pope caused me, along with other Christians, to reflect on the beliefs and theology that underlie our respective religions. This examination, for me, was furthered by revelations of Cardinal Ratzinger’s 2000 writing on ecumenism. Particularly, his criticism of reformation churches as deficient or not true churches seemed, at first glance, arrogant and divisive. For those of us who support the ecumenical movement - who believe that a single church of Christ is ordained - Pope Benedict’s elevation seemed a great cause of concern.

Having been raised a Lutheran, much of my theological beliefs were derived from Luther’s Catechism. In addition, I have done some reading of Luther’s original writings, as well as various other sources on reformation theology. One of the things that strikes me is that Luther did not so much form a new church as advocate reform of the Catholic church. Indeed, today, some commentators contend that the Lutheran church is an orthodox church and not a protestant church. [http://orthodoxlutheran.fws1.com/menu.html]. For that reason, Catholic views on apostolic succession and other dogmatic issues are of continuing interest to me. The more I study, the more I find that my true beliefs fall somewhere on a continuum between Lutheran theology and Catholic theology. To that end, here are my beliefs:

1. I believe in the triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

2. I believe in the priesthood of believers. Before God, no man, by virtue of training, is above another. No called minister is necessary to act as an intermediary between God and the faithful. This is not to say that ordained ministers serve no purpose. A formal church structure provides discipline in worship. Pastors guide and educate their congregation. Rather, while many may seek these paths to worship, we must admit that they are not necessary. Any believer may minister to another. Any believer may administer the sacraments to another. Forgiveness of sins is granted by God, not by any ordained minister. The power of an ordained minister to perform these acts or publicly declare the remission of sins is not to be denied. However, it is also not to be reserved to the ordained priesthood.

3. I believe in transubstantiation. The bread and the wine are the body of Christ, transformed by God’s power, just as his grace transformed this earth when he gave his son to die for us. I reject the Lutheran conception of “real presence” as a transparent attempt to dumb down the faith for doubters. The Holy Eucharist is, in many ways, the essence of the faith. It is the essential mystery which adherents are asked to believe. Christ said: “Take, eat. As I have said on many occasions, faith is the willingness to place belief above logic. If you must alter your belief to win converts, then you do not have a faith - you have a sales package. Christ said “Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave [it] to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

4. I believe we are justified by faith alone. Faith and not works is the path to salvation. Works are good. Our faith should be embodied and demonstrated in our works. However, works do not save. They do not play any role in salvation. We are saved by God’s grace. We are saved by our faith. Works cannot form any part of this. Assume a great sinner in the moment before his death is filled with God’s love and truly, in his heart, comes to believe. A mere second later, he passes on. Having had no chance to perform works, is he barred from the kingdom of heaven? The failure to perform works may say much of our human sins, but it need not bar the sinner from heaven. By God’s grace and by our faith in that grace we are saved.

5. I believe in a liturgical form of worship. Again, I do not claim it to be a requirement. I am merely appreciative of the discipline provided by a liturgy.

These things I believe. Items 1, 2, 3 and 4 define my essential beliefs. Item 5 describes my preferred form of worship. Why must any religion demand more than the first four items? Why do we need to believe religion should dictate whether we drink or dance? Individuals may seek counseling or guidance from the Bible and there is certainly nothing wrong with a pastor or fellow believer. However, no religion should demand more from its adherents than the essential beliefs necessary for salvation. The dancing, drinking and moral stands are more about discipline. Just as the liturgy is a form of discipline, so too are these demands for temperance. However, discipline should never be confused with dogma. To premise adherence to the faith on temperance in matters of discipline would be like condemning a church of true believers in Christ to eternal damnation for not following a certain liturgy. We must never confuse temperance with essential belief.