Living An Ancient Faith In A Modern World
On August 16, 1989, I visited two churches on a special trip. The first church was Saint Martin's church in Irslingen, Baden Wuertemberg, the Federal Republic of Germany. This is the ancestral church of my family in that little village. The second church was Saints Peter and Paul church in a near-by village, Goesslingen. The first church was the church of my great great grandfather Jakob H. Stohr. The second was the ancestral church of his wife Augustina Scheible. Saint Martin's dated from about 1000 A.D. and Saints Peter and Paul from about 700 A.D. I was not in either church very long but the visit had a very profound impact. Here my family had worshipped for a thousand years or more. Here my immigrant ancestors had said good-bye to their family and world they knew to come to the United States. If I say the moment is holy to me it would be a profound understatement!
This strengthened my sense of connection to my family's faith from ancient times and to my Christian faith. I became aware of all the lives of faithful Christians who had gone before, passing the faith on to future generations. I learned what the creed meant by “the communion of saints”. Then I thought about my seminary education. I had many professors at LPTS that taught the ancient faith in its modern and Reformed expression. I also had some who primarily wanted to "update" the faith in one way or another. “The ancient faith was patriarchal and therefore inferior. Traditional Christianity was oppressive and should have several elements relegated to the trash heap of history. Historic Christians were bad people who went about killing people, or making them emotionally ill. Do away with that they taught”. In short, make up a faith that makes sense to you and do away with anything you don't like!
As a Christian, though Methodist at the time, I drank in the spirit of the Reformed Tradition. The ancient and holy faith did need to be cleansed of the accretions that were not in keeping with the biblical tradition. Many of my professors often quoted the famous Reformation by-word "The Church Reformed and Ever Reforming". That phrase meant to them that we needed to ditch anything that kept us back from a scientific world view. They often forgot the second part of that Reformed phrase, "...under the Word of God". It was not a matter of changing just anything, but taking ourselves back to the original intent of our Christian biblical faith. That is very different. I bought into the idea of a new faith for the 20th century then, I don't so much now.
What an arrogant judgment on our ancestors, on my ancestors! They come across in this scheme as a bunch of evil men who want to oppress people . However, that was not my experience of my grandfather, who was the grandson of the immigrant. Nor was it the impression he had of my immigrant ancestor, his grandfather. I saw, and still see, their faith as wise and loving and caring. Did they suffer from the human prejudice and bigotry of their age? Yes they did! Were they sinners? Yes, they were! I have some of those traits too, though I am not proud of them! I am also aware that the official structure of the church has been, more often than not, guilty of what my professors taught As a Christian, though Methodist at the time, I drank in the spirit of the Reformed Tradition. The ancient and holy faith did need to be cleansed of the accretions that were not in keeping with the biblical tradition. Many of my professors often quoted the famous Reformation by-word "The Church Reformed and Ever Reforming". That phrase meant to them that we needed to ditch anything that kept us back from a scientific world view. They often forgot the second part of that Reformed phrase, "...under the Word of God". It was not a matter of changing just anything, but taking ourselves back to the original intent of our Christian biblical faith. That is very different. I bought into the idea of a new faith for the 20th century then, I don't so much now.
What an arrogant judgment on our ancestors, on my ancestors! They come across in this scheme as a bunch of evil men who want to oppress people . However, that was not my experience of my grandfather, who was the grandson of the immigrant. Nor was it the impression he had of my immigrant ancestor, his grandfather. I saw, and still see, their faith as wise and loving and caring. Did they suffer from the human prejudice and bigotry of their age? Yes they did! Were they sinners? Yes, they were! I have some of those traits too, though I am not proud of them! I am also aware that the official structure of the church has been, more often than not, guilty of what my professors taught As a Christian, though Methodist at the time, I drank in the spirit of the Reformed Tradition. The ancient and holy faith did need to be cleansed of the accretions that were not in keeping with the biblical tradition. Many of my professors often quoted the famous Reformation by-word "The Church Reformed and Ever Reforming". That phrase meant to them that we needed to ditch anything that kept us back from a scientific world view. They often forgot the second part of that Reformed phrase, "...under the Word of God". It was not a matter of changing just anything, but taking ourselves back to the original intent of our Christian biblical faith. That is very different. I bought into the idea of a new faith for the 20th century then, I don't so much now.
What an arrogant judgment on our ancestors, on my ancestors! They come across in this scheme as a bunch of evil men who want to oppress people . However, that was not my experience of my grandfather, who was the grandson of the immigrant. Nor was it the impression he had of my immigrant ancestor, his grandfather. I saw, and still see, their faith as wise and loving and caring. Did they suffer from the human prejudice and bigotry of their age? Yes they did! Were they sinners? Yes, they were! I have some of those traits too, though I am not proud of them! I am also aware that the official structure of the church has been, more often than not, guilty of what my professors taught. I also know that there were many faithful priests, ministers, and laity who did their best to be what Christ wanted them to be, who did not consent to some of the things that have been done in Christ's name.
Certainly, the ancient faith in this modern world can be informed by psychology, sociology and the sciences. Certainly, the Holy Spirit can and does lead us in ever new and renewing directions, but in concert to the biblical and confessional faith. We repent of and correct our sins. We learn ever more of the implications of the Gospel. I do not feel any need to think myself a "superior modern" at the expense of the believers who have gone before. That is another form of arrogant prejudice. As Jesus indicated, we who enter the Kingdom bring forth things that are new in our service to Christ's Kingdom. Let us learn from our world! Let us reform the ancient faith under God's Word when needed without looking down on our ancestors in faith. I wonder what Christians a few generations from now will think of our "superior modern faith"? Will it look old, outdated, and prejudiced? That is something to think about as we live this ancient faith in this modern world.
In Ancient Faith Renewed by God's Spirit,
Jim Stahr
On August 16, 1989, I visited two churches on a special trip. The first church was Saint Martin's church in Irslingen, Baden Wuertemberg, the Federal Republic of Germany. This is the ancestral church of my family in that little village. The second church was Saints Peter and Paul church in a near-by village, Goesslingen. The first church was the church of my great great grandfather Jakob H. Stohr. The second was the ancestral church of his wife Augustina Scheible. Saint Martin's dated from about 1000 A.D. and Saints Peter and Paul from about 700 A.D. I was not in either church very long but the visit had a very profound impact. Here my family had worshipped for a thousand years or more. Here my immigrant ancestors had said good-bye to their family and world they knew to come to the United States. If I say the moment is holy to me it would be a profound understatement!
This strengthened my sense of connection to my family's faith from ancient times and to my Christian faith. I became aware of all the lives of faithful Christians who had gone before, passing the faith on to future generations. I learned what the creed meant by “the communion of saints”. Then I thought about my seminary education. I had many professors at LPTS that taught the ancient faith in its modern and Reformed expression. I also had some who primarily wanted to "update" the faith in one way or another. “The ancient faith was patriarchal and therefore inferior. Traditional Christianity was oppressive and should have several elements relegated to the trash heap of history. Historic Christians were bad people who went about killing people, or making them emotionally ill. Do away with that they taught”. In short, make up a faith that makes sense to you and do away with anything you don't like!
As a Christian, though Methodist at the time, I drank in the spirit of the Reformed Tradition. The ancient and holy faith did need to be cleansed of the accretions that were not in keeping with the biblical tradition. Many of my professors often quoted the famous Reformation by-word "The Church Reformed and Ever Reforming". That phrase meant to them that we needed to ditch anything that kept us back from a scientific world view. They often forgot the second part of that Reformed phrase, "...under the Word of God". It was not a matter of changing just anything, but taking ourselves back to the original intent of our Christian biblical faith. That is very different. I bought into the idea of a new faith for the 20th century then, I don't so much now.
What an arrogant judgment on our ancestors, on my ancestors! They come across in this scheme as a bunch of evil men who want to oppress people . However, that was not my experience of my grandfather, who was the grandson of the immigrant. Nor was it the impression he had of my immigrant ancestor, his grandfather. I saw, and still see, their faith as wise and loving and caring. Did they suffer from the human prejudice and bigotry of their age? Yes they did! Were they sinners? Yes, they were! I have some of those traits too, though I am not proud of them! I am also aware that the official structure of the church has been, more often than not, guilty of what my professors taught As a Christian, though Methodist at the time, I drank in the spirit of the Reformed Tradition. The ancient and holy faith did need to be cleansed of the accretions that were not in keeping with the biblical tradition. Many of my professors often quoted the famous Reformation by-word "The Church Reformed and Ever Reforming". That phrase meant to them that we needed to ditch anything that kept us back from a scientific world view. They often forgot the second part of that Reformed phrase, "...under the Word of God". It was not a matter of changing just anything, but taking ourselves back to the original intent of our Christian biblical faith. That is very different. I bought into the idea of a new faith for the 20th century then, I don't so much now.
What an arrogant judgment on our ancestors, on my ancestors! They come across in this scheme as a bunch of evil men who want to oppress people . However, that was not my experience of my grandfather, who was the grandson of the immigrant. Nor was it the impression he had of my immigrant ancestor, his grandfather. I saw, and still see, their faith as wise and loving and caring. Did they suffer from the human prejudice and bigotry of their age? Yes they did! Were they sinners? Yes, they were! I have some of those traits too, though I am not proud of them! I am also aware that the official structure of the church has been, more often than not, guilty of what my professors taught As a Christian, though Methodist at the time, I drank in the spirit of the Reformed Tradition. The ancient and holy faith did need to be cleansed of the accretions that were not in keeping with the biblical tradition. Many of my professors often quoted the famous Reformation by-word "The Church Reformed and Ever Reforming". That phrase meant to them that we needed to ditch anything that kept us back from a scientific world view. They often forgot the second part of that Reformed phrase, "...under the Word of God". It was not a matter of changing just anything, but taking ourselves back to the original intent of our Christian biblical faith. That is very different. I bought into the idea of a new faith for the 20th century then, I don't so much now.
What an arrogant judgment on our ancestors, on my ancestors! They come across in this scheme as a bunch of evil men who want to oppress people . However, that was not my experience of my grandfather, who was the grandson of the immigrant. Nor was it the impression he had of my immigrant ancestor, his grandfather. I saw, and still see, their faith as wise and loving and caring. Did they suffer from the human prejudice and bigotry of their age? Yes they did! Were they sinners? Yes, they were! I have some of those traits too, though I am not proud of them! I am also aware that the official structure of the church has been, more often than not, guilty of what my professors taught. I also know that there were many faithful priests, ministers, and laity who did their best to be what Christ wanted them to be, who did not consent to some of the things that have been done in Christ's name.
Certainly, the ancient faith in this modern world can be informed by psychology, sociology and the sciences. Certainly, the Holy Spirit can and does lead us in ever new and renewing directions, but in concert to the biblical and confessional faith. We repent of and correct our sins. We learn ever more of the implications of the Gospel. I do not feel any need to think myself a "superior modern" at the expense of the believers who have gone before. That is another form of arrogant prejudice. As Jesus indicated, we who enter the Kingdom bring forth things that are new in our service to Christ's Kingdom. Let us learn from our world! Let us reform the ancient faith under God's Word when needed without looking down on our ancestors in faith. I wonder what Christians a few generations from now will think of our "superior modern faith"? Will it look old, outdated, and prejudiced? That is something to think about as we live this ancient faith in this modern world.
In Ancient Faith Renewed by God's Spirit,
Jim Stahr
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