The problem with Lutheranism is existential

Pillar and Ground of the Truth has a new post entitled “The Kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power”. Here is a quote:

"The problem with Lutheranism is existential. It is not the Church. And that is not a judgment based on Orthodox sources. It is based on the words of the Lutheran Confessions."

On Luther and the Desert Fathers

OrthoCuban has a new post entitled “On Luther and the Desert Fathers”. Here is a quote:

Meanwhile, the Desert Fathers would have not agreed with the medieval Roman calculus. Rather, they would have told Martin Luther that his sensitivity towards sin was a good thing, but that his fear that God would damn him was a bad thing. Yes, they would have told Martin that good works were important. Good works are the medicine that helps us to kill our addiction to sin. But our consciousness of sin is what keeps us from becoming like the pharisee who became proud of what he did and fell into a worse sin. If anything, the record of the Desert Fathers may call us to ask God that every bit of our sins be brought to our consciousness so that we may truly and finally grow into the image of Christ our God and avoid falling into the sin of the pharisee.

As the Liturgy goes, so goes the Faith

This is the 18th in a series on why some LCMS pastors have converted to Eastern Orthodoxy.

So far, I have highlighted the public testimonies of:

1. Thomas L. Palke
2. Ezekiel
3. Benjamin Harju

This is the last in a series of posts looking at the public testimony of Fr. John Fenton, another pastor in the LCMS who converted to Eastern Orthodoxy.

Fr. Fenton states that he did not become Orthodox because of the problems in the LCMS. He shares:

"Please know, however, that the troubles in the LCMS are not the reason for my resignation. If I was leaving because the Missouri Synod is in trouble, I would be leaving for all the wrong reasons; I would be running when I should be protecting you; and I would be showing you great disrespect.

I tender my resignation because, over time, I have come to see and believe that the faith believed, taught, confessed and lived in the Orthodox Church is the faith of the apostles. Therefore, I sincerely believe that the Orthodox Church is the true visible Church of Christ on earth. For this reason, my family and I will seek to be received into communion in the Orthodox Church."

What was the "core issue" that caused Fr. Fenton to become Orthodox? He states:

"Your new bishop recently asked me what core issue motivated me to embrace the Orthodox Faith. It is this: The Liturgy never changes.

I don’t mean that chants or prayers or feasts are not added or subtracted gradually over time. What I mean is that no priest or bishop or congregation can decide to cut the Eucharistic Prayer or go with a new style of worship or change things to suit his convictions or the times. Why? Because the liturgy is not something smart men have created and so can modify. The liturgy is from the Holy Spirit in the same way that the Scriptures are from the Holy Spirit. In the liturgy, the Holy Spirit rightly instructs us in Holy Scripture and His presence transforms us and the gifts set forth in the Holy Eucharist. So the liturgy is the way the Faith is given, confessed, prayed and proclaimed.

As the liturgy goes, so goes the Faith together with your certainty and surety.Bad bishops and aberrant priests have and will always surface in the true Church. From time to time, they introduce novel and heretical teachings. But if the liturgy doesn’t change, then their faith-destroying words will not take hold and will eventually fade away. The bottom line, then, is that the unchanging liturgy keeps us on the straight and narrow. It keeps us both on the way to the Kingdom, and in the Way which is Our Lord Jesus Christ. And the Kingdom of heaven is the goal, and the Lord Jesus is our Life."

What is Lutheranism?

This is the 17th in a series on why some LCMS pastors have converted to Eastern Orthodoxy.

So far, I have highlighted the public testimonies of:

1. Thomas L. Palke
2. Ezekiel
3. Benjamin Harju

The next several posts will look at the public testimony of Fr. John Fenton, another pastor in the LCMS who converted to Eastern Orthodoxy.

Fr. Fenton makes an interesting comment about Lutheranism. He states:

"If Lutheranism is nothing more than a "confessing movement within the Church Catholic" (a phrase, if memory serves, that A C Piepkorn employed), then it is either the worst form of schism (a selectively communing "church within a church") or it is an admission that, apart from self-invented concordants between local communities, there really is no trans-parochial entity called "church."

Five Deficiencies in the Book of Concord

This is the 16th in a series on why some LCMS pastors have converted to Eastern Orthodoxy.

So far, I have highlighted the public testimonies of:

1. Thomas L. Palke
2. Ezekiel
3. Benjamin Harju

The next several posts will look at the public testimony of Fr. John Fenton, another pastor in the LCMS who converted to Eastern Orthodoxy.

Fr. Fenton discusses five deficiencies in the Book of Concord. He also identifies four correct teachings in the Book of Concord that are “denied in practice” by almost all Lutherans today.

Fr. Fenton states:

“However, I am convinced that the Book of Concord contains defective or deficient doctrines not in accord with the faith of the apostles. In simple terms, these deficiencies include the acceptance of an amended Nicene Creed, the notion that Jesus died to appease His Father’s wrath, a man-centered understanding of the church, the denial of prayers to the saints, and the idea that the liturgy is a man-made product.

In addition, there are correct Scriptural teachings in the Book of Concord that are denied in practice by nearly all Lutherans today. These include the teachings that the saints do intercede for us, the affirmation of the perpetual virginity of Mary, the proper respect due the elements in the Lord’s Supper, and the scriptural mandate that only ordained men should celebrate Mass and give the Sacraments. Because of these deficiencies and errors, I can no longer confess and teach from the Book of Concord. Therefore, I cannot be the pastor of any Lutheran congregation.”