Reclaiming the L Word: Renewing the Church from Its Lutheran Core (New Book)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 96 pages
• Published by: Augsburg Fortress Publishers April 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0806645962
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0806645964
• Book Dimensions: 8.4 x 7.1 x 0.3 inches
• Weighs: 5 ounces

Dr. Rick Bliese, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
"This book reflects her passions for the theological integrity, for mission-driven congregations, and for painting outside the box."

The Reverend Mary Ann Moller-Gunderson, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
"Pastor Fryer's reminder of where Lutheran Christians stand: at the foot of the cross, where we are met by Jesus"

Reader Reviews
Those familiar with current political discussions will immediately think the "L" in the title of this book refers to "Liberal". Many liberals have been reluctant to identify themselves as such in the face of the conservative resurgence while other liberals insist it is high time that all liberals should proudly fly under their true colors. In this case, the "L" actually refers to "Lutheran" but the parallel holds up. This requires some explanation. America was founded by earlier colonists who were Calvinists of one sort or another. As America plowed along into the 19th century, "revivalism" came to the fore. (OK this is a gross over simplification-but we only have so much time here.) While other Christians such as Catholics and Lutherans were present at the creation of America, the general religious mindset in American culture has been in Calvinist/Revivalist thought forms. Lutherans while Protestant have a unique approach to Christianity that does not find natural fertile ground in Calvinist/Revivalist soil. So resistant to Lutheran evangelism is this soil that most converts to the Lutheran faith find they continually have to "unlearn" their earlier ways of thinking to go further in the life of discipleship. Some Lutherans historically have grown tired of having to "swim against the current" and have advocated the creation of an "American Lutheranism" which openly capitulates to the larger American religious culture. Indeed, since the early days of Lutheran presence in America there has always been a party within the Church which promotes the adoption of this or that feature of "Americanism". (The "what" that is to be assimilated always seems to be a moving target.) In recent years, some have even advocated dropping the actual word "Lutheran" from congregational names and discourage its use it parish publications in the theory that the word is so off-putting to most Americans that its use is counter-productive. This theory thus holds that oblivious young adults will then flock to what they think are "generic" community churches and the realization that they have become Lutherans will only dawn on them long after the fact. Sort of what can't be gained openly will be won by stealth. Against this "adoptionist" approach stands another party we might call the "radical" Lutherans-"radical" in the etymological sense of "returning to the root". Aside from the inherent dishonesty of hiding ones identity, radical Lutherans genuinely believe that Lutheranism has something to say to the world that no one else will say. They also believe Lutherans have a prophetic mission to the whole Christian Church to "recall" it to authentic and whole meaning of the Gospel of Christ. Hence they believe the answer to the Lutheran Church's quandary in the American mission field is to be "truly" Lutheran-not less. At first glance, this seems to be where Pastor Fryer is coming from. In all probability, it is where Pastor Fryer herself believes she is speaking from. The trouble is that even a cursory reading of this book brings the suspicion that the accidental reference of the book's title to a more political meaning may not be so accidental after all. I don't mean to suggest that Pastor Fryer is trying to pull a fast one on us. In my humble experience, religious liberals are incapable of separating their politics from their religion. They can easily dissect a religious conservative's confusion of conservative religion and conservative politics; but liberals too easily assume their political liberalism naturally proceeds from their sincere faith in Merciful Christ. Through the centuries, the Church has taught that all Christians have an obligation to care for the poor; but how that is done is left to the prudential judgment of each individual Christian. Only religious liberals assume that Christ's command to care for the poor requires that the coercive power of the state be used to collect taxes from all its citizens (Christian or not) to that end. Liberal certainly in this notion is so absolutely firm that it takes on an almost "fundamentalist" character. All other solutions are deemed less than faithful and even essentially evil. Pastor Fryer does not advocate anything this brazen; but instead her love affair with the "spirit of the times" takes another form. First a WORD about this book's WRITTEN STYLE. Lutheran pastors have an occupational trepidation that they may BE SPEAKING OVER THE HEADS of their less educated listeners. As a class, they ARE WELL EDUCATED and tread in theological waters few laymen ever venture into. But for the life of me I cannot UNDERSTAND why they think the BREEZY, ALMOST ADOLESCENT STYLE they so frequently resort to is so APPEALING. Pastor Fryer is hardly the worst practitioner of this proclivity; but while LAYMEN don't LIKE TALK ABOVE their HEADS they also don't(!!!!!!!) like to be TREATED LIKE CHILDREN. Pastor Fryer expounds on five principles that she believes could be "affirmed and accepted" by every Christian; but the way she puts them together (she believes) makes them uniquely Lutheran: 1.) Jesus Is Lord 2.) Everyone Is Welcome 3.) Love Changes People 4.) Everybody Has Something To Offer 5.) The World Needs What We Have. What is to be noted about these principles is that they are more about other people than they are about God. To Pastor Fryer's credit, as she goes on to explain each of these principles orthodox Lutheran theology plays an obvious hand in the presentation. But I maintain these principles themselves owe far more to humanistic psychology and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's fascination with multicultural "diversity" than it does with the ministry of Word and Sacrament. I don't mean to paint humanistic psychology and multiculturalism in a totally negative light because these things can be quite positive. But while they are helpful they are not decisive. I have heard Lutheran pastors and bishops without any embarrassment quote Barbara Streisand: "People. People who need people. Are the luckiest people in the world!!!" The whole jest of this is "aren't people wonderful. Boy! We're lucky to have each other. And if we just let people meet Jesus then the whole world would be a better place." But Luther himself was quite unsentimental about the rest of humanity. Even supposedly "holy people" can be nasty to their own blood. In the name of God they will lie, cheat and steal from each other. Not everyone can be welcomed because frankly many want no part of Christ. Love doesn't always change people. Not everyone has something to give- sometimes they are just plain dead weight. And strictly speaking, we have nothing to offer the world because it isn't ours. People are more different than we know. Many do not think or feel anything like we do. Other people are unloving and devious. Much of the time they do not like us. The much-ballyhooed "brotherhood of man" is a total fraud. War and absolute brutality are far more essential to our nature than we care to admit and cannot be "breaded out" as many foolishly hope. The one true thing is Jesus is Lord. In this we mean that Jesus is God Himself. When we look at other men and women as vile and unlovable as they may be, we are taught that these too are objects of God's love. This is our true relationship with one another-not some bathetic "family of man". We love and do acts of love because that is what God would have us do-not because we find it so easy to connect and love our neighbor. Many of us in time will genuinely come to love even the most vile and ghastly of our brothers and sisters-but that comes from Christ Himself-not from us and certainly not from "them". It is unfair to fault Pastor Fryer for not writing the book I would write. There is a place within the Church for just to kind of writing because it does appeal and make sense to Christians who are decidedly not like me. After all, Jesus once said, "Liberals, ye will always have with ye". OK. He didn't but I believe the notion still stands. But what this book has to say is not as ecumenical and universally Lutheran as Pastor Fryer would have it. There are many useful and instruction things written here and we would do well to take them to heart. While I recommend this book, I do so with the suggestion that it should not be read without comment. Comment | | (Report this)