10 minute read
A faith of my own
Internalizing religion is the complex legacy of Luther’s Reformation
Let’s pull back from the immediate this month and consider the long press of history. We are daily inundated with news that floods our consciousness (puns intended). But something happened half a millennium ago this month that shaped the religious and political course of Western Civilization.
An Augustinian monk with a sensitive conscience stood up. Martin Luther found no peace with God following the protocols of sin avoidance, repentance and penance. He felt trapped in a cycle of self-loathing, never able to achieve a good standing with God through his own righteous adherence to the laws of the church. What’s more, he accused the church of managing the (un)spiritual system of salvation to its own ungodly advantage.
On Halloween 1517, Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of the chapel church in Wittenberg, Germany. These grievances with the church were meant to stimulate debate and produce reform. Reform would come in the form of the Protestant Reformation. But first a firestorm.
The church brought charges against Luther and demanded he recant. In words that echo to this day, he declared at the Diet of Worms: “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason—for I can believe neither pope nor councils alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves—I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor sound. God help me. Amen.”
Luther’s confession of inviolable conscience before God established a trajec- tory in religion and politics that elevated the authority of the individual above the church or state. Whether he intended that is beside the point; the shift was underway. From that point forward, institutions human and divine had to defend their legitimacy to the individual, not the other way round.
On the religious side, two different directions came of his Reformation. First, some churches were born that grounded authority in the Bible. “My conscience is captive to the Word of God.” Conservative Protestants of all kinds continue to operate upon this foundation, demanding that individual conscience be captive to the Bible. Another direction emphasized conscience itself. “Acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor sound.” Liberal Protestants laud this more subjective approach, shaping theology upon the internal faith of the individual more than an external creed to be believed.
The French and American Revolutions took different paths with respect to religion, but neither would be conceivable without the bold monk’s shirking of the church’s absolute authority over human souls. The Bill of Rights limits the scope of state intrusion in the life and liberty of the individual, and the First Amendment guarantees freedom to practice or not practice whatever faith one chooses.
The legacy of Luther today is complex, but it depends as much upon us as him. For good or ill, we live in his shadow still.
George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is underwritten by Advocate Publishing and the neighborhood businesses and churches listed here. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.
Worship
Anglican
ALL SAINTS EAST DALLAS / allsaintseastdallas.org
Sunday worship 5:00 pm / Live in God’s Presence. Live Out His Love.
Meeting at Central Lutheran Church / 1000 Easton Road
Baptist
PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org
Worship & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500
WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100
Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00am
Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org
Disciples Of Christ
EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185
Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel 10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org
Episcopal
ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH / stjd.org
Worship: Sat 5:30 pm, Sun 8 & 10 am / Christian Ed Sunday Morning & Weekdays, see calendar on website / 214.321.6451 / 848 Harter Rd.
Lutheran
CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road
Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am
Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222
FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Lane Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org
Methodist
GRACE UMC / Diverse, Inclusive, Missional Sunday School for all ages, 9:30 am / Worship, 10:50 am 4105 Junius St. / 214.824.2533 / graceumcdallas.org
LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com
Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee Worship: 8:30 am & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary
MUNGER PLACE CHURCH Come and See mungerplace.org
NON-DENOMINATIONAL
LAKE POINTE CHURCH – WHITE ROCK CAMPUS
Classic Service at 9:30 & Contemporary Service at 11:00 am lakepointe.org / 9150 Garland Road
Presbyterian
NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Sundays 8:30 & 11:00 am Sunday School 9:35am / All Are Welcome
PRESTON HOLLOW PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 9800 Preston Road
8:15 am Chapel, 9:30 & 11:00 am Sanctuary, 5:00 pm Founder’s Hall Senior Pastor Matthew E. Ruffner / www.phpc.org / 214.368.6348
ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN / Skillman & Monticello Rev. Rob Leischner / www.standrewsdallas.org 214.821.9989 / Sunday School 9:30 am, Worship 10:45 am
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UNITY ON GREENVILLE / Your soul is welcome here!
3425 Greenville Ave. / 214.826.5683 / www.dallasunity.org
Sunday Service 11:00 am and Book Study 9:30 am
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