Discretionary Matters?

Police officers have a wide range of discretion when dealing with minor matters of the law. Simple forfeiture offenses, such as traffic and municipal ordinance violations, can be dealt with as much as a citation or as little as a verbal warning. Misdemeanors require that the officer refer the matter to the District Attorney to determine further prosecution, but the officer may order the suspect to appear without making a formal arrest. Felonies are the most serious and as such, there is no gray area, and the police officer must make a custodial arrest, incarcerate the offender and even discretion by the District Attorney is minimized. A bishop in the Lutheran Church has the responsibility to teach Scripture and guard traditional and orthodox doctrine in order to ensure the preservation of the historic teachings of the Christian religion. A bishop is to act as the church’s primary enforcement officer and to discipline those that teach false doctrine. While there may be some discretion allowed in the enforcement of certain minor morality and ethics issues, matters of salvation are set in stone. The foundation of our faith, Jesus Christ, that he was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and was truly human, yet truly God, born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, was resurrected, and sits at the right hand of God and that Scripture is indeed the inspired word of God are the truths that bind our faith. These truths are self evident and are not subject to debate.

The head enforcement officer for the ELCA is Bishop Mark Hanson. Bp. Hanson said at a town hall meeting in December of 2009, “The understanding we have of homosexuality today does not seem to be reflected at all in the context of the biblical writers. Therefore, Lutherans should consider more modern views on sexual orientation.” In 2005 he declared, “Two "hermeneutics" or paradigms are at work among the members of the ELCA that make agreement difficult on scriptural and theological matters. There is a "traditional approach" and a "contextual approach" in interpreting Scripture, both of which are valid and irreconcilable”, Hanson told the bishops. “There are two irreconcilable "paradigms" in which Christians differ in their understandings of the Christian tradition and their interpretation of Scripture, creeds and the confessions”, he said. "Do we expect a resolution to provide a bridge between two extremes?" Hanson asked the bishops. "We Lutherans have come to say that when something is 'paradoxical' that we're going to live in the paradox at the foot of the cross and not force ourselves to decide it with a vote." Yet, this officer of the body of Christ, did not adopt this stand and did, in fact, stand by and allow this “paradox” to be decided with a vote.

This bishop, charged to protect and uphold the authority of Scripture, places himself in authority over God’s Word. By advocating that a “contextual approach” is a valid method to use in the interpretation of Scripture violates his oath to protect the orthodox doctrine of Christianity. This “contextual approach” allows for alternate interpretations of Scripture and thereby, elevates human reasoning and experience above our Lord’s intent. It is clear that God said “No” but, Bp. Hanson apparently believes that God really didn’t understand the future ramifications when He inspired those uneducated, biased, unenlightened authors of Scripture. And of course, when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ said in Mark 10:6-9, “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female’ 7 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. 9 Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.” According to the rationalization of Bp. Hanson, Jesus just did not understand as much as we do today. This is not only false doctrine, this is genuine heresy. Jesus Christ was fully man and fully God. These commands have no need of man’s interpretation. They come right from the mouth of our Lord. How can one with the highest office of the church, responsible to protect proper doctrine and the historic teaching of Christianity, advocate for the complete disregard our Lord’s command, while recommending replacing it with a more modern, humanistic view?

In 2 Peter 1:20-21 the Apostle Paul tells a different story, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” From the TNIV study Bible, “In the production of Scripture, both God and humans were active participants. God was the source of the content of Scripture, so that what it says is what God has said. But, the human authors also spoke actively; they were more than recorders, yet what they said came from God. Although actively speaking, “they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Why do the leaders and scholars of the ELCA persist in doubting the veracity of the authors of Scripture? What do they expect to accomplish by lifting up human reasoning and experience above the word of God?

The ELCA is likely to collapse upon its own weight as more and more of the faithful congregations choose to leave this misguided denomination. The promotion of universalism, the gospel of affirmation, social justice and tolerance are leading the ELCA and its membership down a slippery slope heading toward the spiritual destruction of its membership. If Bp. Hanson were a police officer, he would be subject to charges of dereliction of duty. Bp. Hanson shamelessly pleads that we must maintain our unity, falsely proclaiming that the sensible thing is to not forsake one another and that the church, the ELCA, is the body of Christ and therefore, not ours to dismember. Unfortunately, the ELCA has drifted so far away from the Christian faith that it can no longer be considered part of the body of Christ. It is altogether something different. Colossians 2:22-23, “These rules are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” The doctrinal shifts promoted by the ELCA are simply earthly rules, conceived by false teachers, are certainly not of divine origin and do nothing to control our sinful nature, but instead encourage it. We follow Christ, not the heretical leaders of a wayward denomination. It’s time to turn our backs on this wayward denomination, praying that our rejection causes them to return to the Lord.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Proverbs 3: 5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Serve the Lord with all your heart. For whatever happens in your life, it is all part of God’s plan for you. It may not be apparent in what direction He is leading, but suffice it to say, for every season there is a reason. We tend to fret over things that are not within our control, but when we place our lives in His hands, we will never be led astray. Psalm 37: 7-8, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil.” If we learn that every event, every person placed in worldly authority, every condition, right down to how much rain falls is a direct result of God’s plan, our every day worries will soon fade away. Every situation we are faced with, every trial or tribulation, the good things and bad times are often the tools our Lord uses to mold us for the tasks He has planned for us. There may be times that we may feel that some ordeals are too much for us to bear, but the Lord will never encumber us with a burden that is beyond what we can tolerate. Out of the worst of times come revelations that may completely change our frame of reference and make us all the better for it. We may never understand why those things happen, but when we trust in our Lord, we will be able to overcome any of the difficulties of this world.

When we depend upon our own selfish understandings and position ourselves and our desires ahead of our Lord, in fact rejecting Him, our problems will become magnified and start to spiral out of control. But, when we serve our Lord and gladly obey His law, our lives will come under His control. When we abide by God’s will and behave in the manner that He intended for us to conduct our lives, we will be filled with the joy of His Spirit. When we accept and believe that the risen Christ suffered and died in our place to redeem us of our sin and defeated death, our salvation is granted freely by God’s grace. If we compare life’s problems with an eternity in paradise with our Lord, we will come to realize what the really important things are. Fill your heart with the love of our Lord. Increase your faith and block out the things that are of this world. Romans 6: 11-14, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” Paul teaches that we are no longer under that law as those who were under the law in the Old Testament era. During that time, those who sinned were condemned by the law, but the grace of God, through Christ, enables believers to reject ungodliness and joyfully accept God’s commands.

Titus 2: 11-12, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,” By placing Christ first in our hearts, we will be able to joyfully conduct ourselves with our Lord’s ethics and morals. Even though we do not deserve it, God freely grants us His grace, not because of our good works or deeds, but because of our faith in the Risen Christ. But, our salvation comes with responsibilities. By His grace, we are released from guilt and judgment, but we are directed to conduct ourselves according to God’s moral compass. We are also called to reach out to our brothers and sisters in helpful service, in our Lord’s name. Our faith is the cornerstone for everything we do in this world. Without our faith, anything we accomplish is worthless. Once our faith becomes the most important aspect of our lives, our purpose becomes clear and our consciences will be bound to the truth that is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.