Dear Pastor Wolfmueller, I am a black Lutheran whose mind was racing in response as I listened. I will respond more in-depth later, but I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your thoughtful commentary. You are one of the main reasons I am a Confessional Lutheran, as I discovered you on Issues, Etc. More later, dear Brother! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
I appreciate your words. There is no denying that injustice toward certain groups has existed for as lomg as human history can reflect. "PC" society is currently like a driver of a car which pulled to the right and is now overcorrecting by maintaining a pull to the left after the correct course has been passed.
You meet so many people, Pastor Wolfmueller, but I did meet you in Washington, D.C. on April 27, 2017. I got your book "Has American Christianity Failed?" then.
As far as your comments, I am not a fan of affirmative action. I don't want a step up or a hand up from the government or any other organization for that matter due to my skin color. That is an insult to me as I want to be treated like any other American. I grew up in Buckingham County, Virginia (if anyone ever watched "The Waltons", they mentioned the Buckingham boys, Scottsville, and Charlottesville where I grew up). When the school system integrated on their own terms and gave parents a choice which system to attend, my parents put me in the white school. I was the first black to attend grades one through 12, was the first black to graduate with a degree in music from the Liberty Baptist College, and the first Liberty graduate to earn a church music degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I had the qualifications to get in, and was not admitted because of race. I returned to Buckingham County and taught for ten years. I was hired because they knew my family, not because of my race. I now operate a music studio from my home. There is much competition for music teachers, and if I don't do a good job, the family should fire me. My families do not care about my race--they signed on because I can teach their child to read and play piano and sing well. If I cannot do that and they were to keep their child in my studio because I am the only black studio in town, I would be insulted and angry if they just hung on because of my skin color. To my knowledge that has not yet happened.
Recently I left my professional music organization because they created a Diversity, Inclusion and Equity position (the hire was black of course like there is no other "minority" in the U.S.). I refuse to be a part of anything that sees my skin color and only my skin color and not my character or competency.
Race was not a big deal in my family--it was my Christian testimony that mattered more to my parents. That was their vocation, and God blessed it.
The Twitter commentary is just going after you because you are white and a Pastor in a conservative denomination. I left Twitter so I cannot follow you, but the only words that have power are the Words of God, which I am sure you quoted, which probably really made them angry. If Christ can call Paul, He can call them, too. You never know.
Thank you for fulfilling your vocation as a Pastor, proclaiming law and Gospel. Thanks be to God!
Our younger adopted daughter is half Hispanic, which made our adoption cross-racial. At one point I was somewhat verbally castigated because I simply forgot about her race. She is our daughter, end of story. Had I looked at her race as being the primary part of her identity, we would not have bonded as a family.
I believe you are correct that affirmative action and other racially based criteria muddy the waters about truth. It adds doubt, which is not a good thing.
Thank you. There's something very profound in the Lord's institution of marriage. There's a biological bond between parents and children, but that grows out of the legal bond of husband and wife. And the Lord's institution of adoption makes a way for the stranger to become a child (and this is the paradigm of our salvation). A focus on genetics obscures the gospel, and the Lord's ordering of the world according to the word. Thank you
While I do not know anymore than you've shared about these young men. The root of their issue(s) is a lack of love for God and others (Matt. 22.37-40). Racism is an expression of idolatry (2 Tim. 3.1-5). Now, we can "claim" that the issue is Affirmative Action and because of it these young men are reacting to what they see as unfair and they could be right, maybe. Nonetheless, Affirmative Action is a neutral thing. It is actually neither good nor evil. It is what we do with it and how we respond and react to it that God is holding us/them accountable. Their response reveals where the real issue is. It's not Affirmative Action, but the lack of love attitude in their heart. The good news is that Jesus provides the gift of Confession and absolution Prov. 28.13; 1 John 1.9). We can count on this forgiveness and be filled with God's Spirit and we can count on this filling. Then these young brothers will know the love of God the Father, they'll experience the peace of God, they'll have Confidence and draw near to God. Let's start at the root of the issue and not start with the symptoms. Make much of Jesus!
Thank you for your thoughts. I certainly don't want to excuse sin, but I am trying to understand how it's become such an attraction. So many of the things pulling our cultural part have the aspect of cultural contagion, teen suicide, LGBTQ, and racial tribalism.
Bryan! Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness and being willing to wrestle with and engage this cultural idol. The entire LGBTQIA+ philosophy is irrational and illogical. For instance, they want inclusion but cancel anyone who disagrees with them and label them as homophobe. To understand this place we must look carefully at St. Paul's words in Rom. 1.18-32.
Pastor, Some people are wolves in sheep clothing. As we all know there is neither Jew or Gentile in Christ's Kingdom......we are all Christian brothers and sisters. I am tired of the whole race issue. The world, the devil and the flesh are the sources of all our woes not race. We need to focus on our Lord and Savior and not the storms and aggravations of this sinful world. All they do is take our attention away from focusing on Jesus.
A couple of things WRT Lutheran Nationalism: no more American flags in sanctuaries - God is not the God of the USA & Manifest Destiny is nowhere in the Bible (I understand why the old German Lutherans put the US flag in the sanctuaries (the World Wars), but succeeding generations are re-interpreting what they have inherited. (For that matter, Christian flags in sanctuaries are trite, at best. People may mean well, but they are shallow . . . )
BIBLICALLY, THERE IS ONLY ONE RACE: the human race is invented by God & has been redeemed by God! "Racial quotas," etc. is a concocted thing to cure a sinful problem.
THE CURE FOR ALL THINGS IS: thorough, pastoral, patient teaching from God's Word. Shortcuts simply do not work - all error is largely the result of us trying to create a shortcut around God's Word. My counsel: get into Bible classes, go to worship & pay attention (&, pastors, preach "meaty" sermons rather than "feelings-oriented" sermons), get a really good Lutheran devotion book (treat yourself!) like "Treasury of Daily Prayer" from CPH (you can prolly get a used one from Amazon) & then use it faithfully w/o worrying that you'll get too familiar with it (if you're like most of us, there will be a few things which you will remember but there will be other insights which you will have to re-learn). Keep listening to guys like Wolfmueller, Issues Etc (I can't recommend this enough - over time it will re-shape your thinking & take you away from anthropomorphist false theology & lead you into genuinely Christocentric theology (caution: this will also lead to frustration b/c you will see how anthropomorphically most church leaders think, but you must occasionally speak to others to help them see how to think Christocentrically).
Thank you. And thank you for your kind words. God be praised. Your point on christocentricity is right on the money. We understand humanity through Christ, not primarily through the table of nations in Genesis 10.
First of all, God bless the work you do! I think you have been right on the money with how you have approached the race issue over the last few years. (I proudly wear the Noah fam reunion shirt w/ regularity:)
You have a unique gift to transcend the political and cut with that 2 edged sword that brings the truth and clarity of the scriptures to the masses. So my advice is never lose sight of that.
The term I would use to describe our present moment is tribal; and I believe there has been a significant shift over the last decade from a political discourse primarily rooted in ideas and policy to one of grievances, what-about-ism, and authoritarianism/nationalism. For political clarity while wading through this unserious time, I would recommend fellow Austinite Kevin D Williamson of The Dispatch. (a podcast episode with him would be a real treat!)
In terms of how you navigate it in your vocation, I would say we should take the world how it is given to us, and continue to be that uncovered lamp we can look to. It's not just Lutherans. American Christianity is really struggling with separating kingdom of the right and left issues IMO. I do believe there is a need to form a logical, scriptural, historical argument on what we believe vis-a-vis race (who we are, where we came from, and where we are going) and how it applies our current moment as a church body. I would say you are eminently qualified for this :), but it is not your burden alone.
In terms of twitter, you are a needed voice, but don't throw pearls to swine, etc...
Morning Pastor, I'm sooo not the expert on race issues. I confess to be overwhelmed by the topic. I have always believed and taught that a human is a human is a human! Now I'm being told that's wrong thinking. I have to acknowledge the Black, Hispanic, Asian and other cultures living around me. Why? I have always just thought they were my neighbors, friends, and fellow citizens. (and spouse BTW). Can't we all just get along?!?!
They do it to be confusing and control the conversation. But my response to that would be, culture is not race. We are all one human race. You can go biological or Biblical on that but we are all the same. However, we do not all look alike, eat alike, or have the same customs - that is culture.
Cindy and Natalie, thank you for your thoughts. Very helpful. I'm currently looking at the language that the Bible gives us to speak of these things: nation, people, tongue/language, tribe. I think that culture is a helpful term, but there's been two centuries of trying to define it. Civilization is another one like that.
"Lutheran White Nationalists" seems to me to be a misnomer. Seems to me it is more of "a faternity of disgruntaled white guys in search of a scape goat."
I'm a white guy, but I don't dislike people for being black; I do however dislike associating with people who are surely or manipulative or are dishonest with themselves and others.
I am a Texan and I love the United States of America ... it's kind of my "team" so I guess that makes me a "nationalist" too, but I admire the histories and contibutions of other countries as well. Germany gave me my ancestors, but in the first world war Germans tried to kill my great uncle with mustard gas and in the second world war they tried to kill my Dad with ME-109's. Of course neither my uncle nor Dad were paying them friendly visits. So I don't think "Nationalists" is an accurate discription of these fellows either.
I call myself a "Lutheran," I think of myself as a Lutheran, I feel lucky to be raised by Lutheran parents, but I know for a fact that I can and have out-sinned Methodists, Baptists, and quite a number of Roman Catholics, even though my limited knowledge of Lutheran doctrine and the Bible suggests to me that I'm on the right track.
And so, right off the bat, I'd rather these guys refer to themselves by another handle. But my question to them is what good does it do them to resent blacks (or Hispanics or Asians)? How does it advance them toward their goal?
I was licensed to practice law in 1989. I can tell them from experience that if anyone was allowed into law school who did not possess the adequate study habits or drive to go through the rigors thereof, "Affirmative Action" laws did them no favors. A law degree is pretty much worthless without passing the Bar Exam. In my case, it took a lot of praying as well as the aforementioned attributes.
No Pastor, I think these fellows are directing their ire at the wrong "culprit." Perhaps they should "remove the log from their own eye" before commenting of how to correct our society's vision.
The peace of the Lord be with you Pastor, you've been a great help to me.
Thank you for your comments. To be fair, I'm the one who introduced the enemy of affirmative action into the conversation. None of these guys have brought that up. So you see me trying to understand what's going on in the background, and what's shaping their conscience.
I too have been trying to get to the bottom of some of this and come up with way to articulate these things. I have been reading Matthew Cochran, and I recommend his work to you as well. I do not believe he is a white nationalist, but he is engaging their thought at its root and even agreeing at certain points – which is why he is helpful to read. And he’s not mean, he seems willing to discuss, unlike some of the people I have seen you talk to on Twitter.
For example, here are his thoughts on racism: https://matthewcochran.net/blog/?p=1637. Note especially his comment: “it’s not a sin to be born white in a historically white country. It’s not a sin for a society to build structures that privilege its members–on the contrary, that’s the very purpose of society. It’s not a sin for parents to privilege their children–again, that’s the very purpose of parents. Neither is it a sin to actually benefit from such privilege–rather, we should be grateful for it.”
I really think the issue has to do with how the principles we have for families can be mapped onto race.
So for example, I think we would all agree that it’s ok for me to love my family more than other people’s families – I don’t love a random kid at school as much as I love my own son. And I think it’s ok for me to love my nation more than other nations – an American should look out for the interests of America above other nations. So is it ok for me to love my race more than other races? If not, what makes the difference?
Likewise, we can make generalizations about different families – my family is generally different than yours in this way or that. We also make generalizations about nations all the time – I don’t think it’s immoral to say “Mexicans speak Spanish” even if not every individual in Mexico does. So can we make generalizations about races? If so, how? If not, why?
Cochran also did a series on multiculturalism which I think is helpful as a background to some of these things (here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJcZRo9Rv_Y). He’s helped me think about diversity, because I think these questions extend there too – would Christians say that diversity a good or bad thing? It strikes me that when we talk about “diversity” we are always talking about generalizations. A black person on the Supreme Court brings along certain beliefs or experiences that can be generalized among black people.
So I don’t disagree with you when you say that the qualification for Supreme Court Justice should not be based on race. But you haven’t touched the issue of privilege, structure, the generalizations those are founded on, and the relationship between family and race.
I am also researching academic critical race theory which seems to have these issues at its heart as well. I would be happy to collaborate further if you’re interested.
Thank you. I'll check out Matt's stuff. In my mind affirmative action grows out of the worldview of critical race theory, even though they emerged in the conversation in the opposite order. Please do keep me in the loop on what you're discovering. I recently watched a video of Voddie Baucham who called critical race theory ethical gnosticism. I think that's right. What we need, I think, is an ethical realism, which puts ethnicity in its proper proportion, to creation, to redemption, to family, to the state, and to law. Trying to build that out, and looking for the biblical language for it.
Dear Pastor Wolfmueller, I appreciate your posts and videos so much. I have been an LCMS Lutheran for 6 months. Before that, I only knew the big box church life. I was woefully weak on doctrine. You have illumined so much for me and I am grateful.
With regard to the present topic, first of all, I do not (usually) group anyone by a color in my personal speech. Describing someone as a color does not accurately identify them as being part of any cultural or geographic group. Describing a person by a color is a political designation. My basis for this is 1 SAM 16:7 (man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart), and also Romans 2:11 (for God shows no partiality). I fully realize that it may occasionally be necessary to use these political descriptions in order to be clearly understood in today's world. But looking on the heart is God's way, and I don't want to risk conforming my thinking to the world's way of looking at things. Well, you know the Scriptures far better than I do. Perhaps these Lutheran Nationalists are coming to erroneous conclusions because their assumptions are flawed.
You mentioned affirmative action. This is not consistent with the Bible. The motivation behind labeling people, coupled with affirmative action, is to compensate for (or right the wrongs of) past generations. Ezekiel 18:19-20 states: Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."
No doubt, many heinous injustices have occurred (worldwide). Specific groups have been subjugated; no rational person denies this. My understanding is that we ought not to hold family lines accountable for the sin of an ancestor. This same passage from Ezekiel chapter 18 also motivated a particular passage in our United States Constitution: Article 3, Section 3, Clause 2. Clause 2 specifically forbids "corruption of the blood." Before America was founded, European courts would strip people's rights based upon the crimes of a distant ancestor. Our founding fathers were well acquainted with the practices of the European courts, and that's why "corruption of the blood" is explicitly forbidden in our Constitution. The son should not suffer for the crime of the father. This principle is reflected both in the Bible and in our founding documents.
I do not pay much attention to social media, so I am not too familiar with the groups with whom you were corresponding on Twitter. But, generally, these are my thoughts. If you see any flaws in my understanding of Scripture, please advise. Thanks so much! You are such an inspiration; do not let anyone steal your joy. Jennifer
I grew up in the rural Deep South in the 80s-90s. I’ll share a couple of my formative interactions around race. I am, for the sake of understanding the following, white.
Our student body voted to finally remove the segregated homecoming court, one set for each race. It had “always been like that” until then.
We rightly realized that race had no part in that discussion. What a wonderful thing! Colorblind, indeed! I felt honored to be a part of such a big shift.
But within a year or so, as affirmative action was all the talk in the greater culture, I also saw other messaging. In particular, I saw the daughter of our assistant principal (who was black) wearing a t shirt with graduating students throwing caps to the sky shouting “The blacker the college, the better the knowledge!”
Knowing it would be seen as horribly racist if it had MY race as “better knowledge” yet somehow not with HERS made me very wary of how we, as a culture, were responding to some obviously very REAL injustices. I felt incapable of even addressing what I felt at the time (maybe age 14-15).
The answer to racism used to be taught as elevating the rights of the individual (taught in the estate of the family!), and for each person to be treated as such, with the same responsibilities and duties as each other.
But more and more we’ve shifted the “solution” not to individual responsibility to do right, but to the institution of the STATE.
Like you mentioned, it can easily become a mistrust issue.
Lord, have mercy, that we do not then overreact in ways that will harm our neighbor!
On occasion when I do have a race discussion, I find we all want the same goal, but oftentimes want to get there in very different ways. Individual responsibility/knowledge of personal sin and righteousness VS top-down institutional fixes which, as you mentioned, tend to insert race artificially. And those are two VERY different concepts.
May we all have the mind of Christ in truly hearing each other in all things… being humble enough to listen as a family should!
O Lord, have mercy upon us...
Thank you for your thoughts and leadership through discussions within the public square-
If I could add to the pile of recommendations for Matthew Cochran - he speaks very clearly on these issues. Maybe you guys could dialog a'la what you did with Rev. Schulz
If I were willing to take on the aggrieved, particularly the loud ones of any group, my comments would reflect on God sending Jesus to us as a Jew, living under the cruel thumb of Rome, amidst all the other tribes and cultures mentioned in the Bible and time and again he stepped out of his "comfort zone" tribe to include the dehumanized of his day and then explain it all, again, to his followers and confront the Jews about their own actions or lack of in this regard. So he, an oppressed and subjugated person, was telling everybody how to treat each other and to concentrate on the long game in a situation far more dire politically and physically than complainers of this day and he did this in love and commanded his followers to do likewise - so I guess I would ask those who adopt the prevailing trends of victimhood - just how does that mindset compare to Jesus', the truly innocent victim, and why do you claim to follow him? And for all the other groups that involve seeking justice for themselves whether through Might is Right or Might for Right, those are human constructs that endure through every age. It is ironic to me that we have folks who are intent on destroying Christian values but their weapon of choice is to "guilt' everyone. These days accusations and name calling by humans don't bother me very much compared to what Jesus went through to deliver us from our real sins before God's judgment!
Libby, thank you for your insight. You are 100% right, and we engage in these conversations with the good conscience that comes from the blood of Jesus. And we call all people from the fearfulness of political posturing to the comfort of faith. Thanks for your insight!
Dear Pastor Wolfmueller, I am a black Lutheran whose mind was racing in response as I listened. I will respond more in-depth later, but I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your thoughtful commentary. You are one of the main reasons I am a Confessional Lutheran, as I discovered you on Issues, Etc. More later, dear Brother! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
Thank you Melody. God be praised!
https://rumble.com/v2j7ype-dm-clip-civil-rights-activist.htm
Here is a black man, who is very wise. If we all, would have this attitude we would have a much better world! ♥
Thank you. I especially appreciate his pointing to the family and the church as the problem in solution. It always comes back to the three estates.
Great video! Thank you for sharing.
When I clicked the link, I got a screen that said 500 service unavailable...
https://rumble.com/v2j7ype-dm-clip-civil-rights-activist.html
I appreciate your words. There is no denying that injustice toward certain groups has existed for as lomg as human history can reflect. "PC" society is currently like a driver of a car which pulled to the right and is now overcorrecting by maintaining a pull to the left after the correct course has been passed.
Hubert Dellinger
Lutherr talks about the drunk peasant who gets out of the ditch on one side of the road only to fall into the ditch on the other.
You meet so many people, Pastor Wolfmueller, but I did meet you in Washington, D.C. on April 27, 2017. I got your book "Has American Christianity Failed?" then.
As far as your comments, I am not a fan of affirmative action. I don't want a step up or a hand up from the government or any other organization for that matter due to my skin color. That is an insult to me as I want to be treated like any other American. I grew up in Buckingham County, Virginia (if anyone ever watched "The Waltons", they mentioned the Buckingham boys, Scottsville, and Charlottesville where I grew up). When the school system integrated on their own terms and gave parents a choice which system to attend, my parents put me in the white school. I was the first black to attend grades one through 12, was the first black to graduate with a degree in music from the Liberty Baptist College, and the first Liberty graduate to earn a church music degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I had the qualifications to get in, and was not admitted because of race. I returned to Buckingham County and taught for ten years. I was hired because they knew my family, not because of my race. I now operate a music studio from my home. There is much competition for music teachers, and if I don't do a good job, the family should fire me. My families do not care about my race--they signed on because I can teach their child to read and play piano and sing well. If I cannot do that and they were to keep their child in my studio because I am the only black studio in town, I would be insulted and angry if they just hung on because of my skin color. To my knowledge that has not yet happened.
Recently I left my professional music organization because they created a Diversity, Inclusion and Equity position (the hire was black of course like there is no other "minority" in the U.S.). I refuse to be a part of anything that sees my skin color and only my skin color and not my character or competency.
Race was not a big deal in my family--it was my Christian testimony that mattered more to my parents. That was their vocation, and God blessed it.
The Twitter commentary is just going after you because you are white and a Pastor in a conservative denomination. I left Twitter so I cannot follow you, but the only words that have power are the Words of God, which I am sure you quoted, which probably really made them angry. If Christ can call Paul, He can call them, too. You never know.
Thank you for fulfilling your vocation as a Pastor, proclaiming law and Gospel. Thanks be to God!
I think I was at that same event!
Our younger adopted daughter is half Hispanic, which made our adoption cross-racial. At one point I was somewhat verbally castigated because I simply forgot about her race. She is our daughter, end of story. Had I looked at her race as being the primary part of her identity, we would not have bonded as a family.
I believe you are correct that affirmative action and other racially based criteria muddy the waters about truth. It adds doubt, which is not a good thing.
Thank you. There's something very profound in the Lord's institution of marriage. There's a biological bond between parents and children, but that grows out of the legal bond of husband and wife. And the Lord's institution of adoption makes a way for the stranger to become a child (and this is the paradigm of our salvation). A focus on genetics obscures the gospel, and the Lord's ordering of the world according to the word. Thank you
While I do not know anymore than you've shared about these young men. The root of their issue(s) is a lack of love for God and others (Matt. 22.37-40). Racism is an expression of idolatry (2 Tim. 3.1-5). Now, we can "claim" that the issue is Affirmative Action and because of it these young men are reacting to what they see as unfair and they could be right, maybe. Nonetheless, Affirmative Action is a neutral thing. It is actually neither good nor evil. It is what we do with it and how we respond and react to it that God is holding us/them accountable. Their response reveals where the real issue is. It's not Affirmative Action, but the lack of love attitude in their heart. The good news is that Jesus provides the gift of Confession and absolution Prov. 28.13; 1 John 1.9). We can count on this forgiveness and be filled with God's Spirit and we can count on this filling. Then these young brothers will know the love of God the Father, they'll experience the peace of God, they'll have Confidence and draw near to God. Let's start at the root of the issue and not start with the symptoms. Make much of Jesus!
Thank you for your thoughts. I certainly don't want to excuse sin, but I am trying to understand how it's become such an attraction. So many of the things pulling our cultural part have the aspect of cultural contagion, teen suicide, LGBTQ, and racial tribalism.
Bryan! Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness and being willing to wrestle with and engage this cultural idol. The entire LGBTQIA+ philosophy is irrational and illogical. For instance, they want inclusion but cancel anyone who disagrees with them and label them as homophobe. To understand this place we must look carefully at St. Paul's words in Rom. 1.18-32.
Pastor, Some people are wolves in sheep clothing. As we all know there is neither Jew or Gentile in Christ's Kingdom......we are all Christian brothers and sisters. I am tired of the whole race issue. The world, the devil and the flesh are the sources of all our woes not race. We need to focus on our Lord and Savior and not the storms and aggravations of this sinful world. All they do is take our attention away from focusing on Jesus.
Thank you. You are right, eyes fixed on Jesus is our only source of hope.
A couple of things WRT Lutheran Nationalism: no more American flags in sanctuaries - God is not the God of the USA & Manifest Destiny is nowhere in the Bible (I understand why the old German Lutherans put the US flag in the sanctuaries (the World Wars), but succeeding generations are re-interpreting what they have inherited. (For that matter, Christian flags in sanctuaries are trite, at best. People may mean well, but they are shallow . . . )
BIBLICALLY, THERE IS ONLY ONE RACE: the human race is invented by God & has been redeemed by God! "Racial quotas," etc. is a concocted thing to cure a sinful problem.
THE CURE FOR ALL THINGS IS: thorough, pastoral, patient teaching from God's Word. Shortcuts simply do not work - all error is largely the result of us trying to create a shortcut around God's Word. My counsel: get into Bible classes, go to worship & pay attention (&, pastors, preach "meaty" sermons rather than "feelings-oriented" sermons), get a really good Lutheran devotion book (treat yourself!) like "Treasury of Daily Prayer" from CPH (you can prolly get a used one from Amazon) & then use it faithfully w/o worrying that you'll get too familiar with it (if you're like most of us, there will be a few things which you will remember but there will be other insights which you will have to re-learn). Keep listening to guys like Wolfmueller, Issues Etc (I can't recommend this enough - over time it will re-shape your thinking & take you away from anthropomorphist false theology & lead you into genuinely Christocentric theology (caution: this will also lead to frustration b/c you will see how anthropomorphically most church leaders think, but you must occasionally speak to others to help them see how to think Christocentrically).
OK - done. - for now. :-) ajw
Thank you. And thank you for your kind words. God be praised. Your point on christocentricity is right on the money. We understand humanity through Christ, not primarily through the table of nations in Genesis 10.
Hi Pastor!
First of all, God bless the work you do! I think you have been right on the money with how you have approached the race issue over the last few years. (I proudly wear the Noah fam reunion shirt w/ regularity:)
You have a unique gift to transcend the political and cut with that 2 edged sword that brings the truth and clarity of the scriptures to the masses. So my advice is never lose sight of that.
The term I would use to describe our present moment is tribal; and I believe there has been a significant shift over the last decade from a political discourse primarily rooted in ideas and policy to one of grievances, what-about-ism, and authoritarianism/nationalism. For political clarity while wading through this unserious time, I would recommend fellow Austinite Kevin D Williamson of The Dispatch. (a podcast episode with him would be a real treat!)
In terms of how you navigate it in your vocation, I would say we should take the world how it is given to us, and continue to be that uncovered lamp we can look to. It's not just Lutherans. American Christianity is really struggling with separating kingdom of the right and left issues IMO. I do believe there is a need to form a logical, scriptural, historical argument on what we believe vis-a-vis race (who we are, where we came from, and where we are going) and how it applies our current moment as a church body. I would say you are eminently qualified for this :), but it is not your burden alone.
In terms of twitter, you are a needed voice, but don't throw pearls to swine, etc...
God Bless,
Matt
Matt,
Thank you. I'll check out Kevin, thank you for the tip.
Tribal is a great word. It seems we've reached "peak tribal" in the last few years.
I'm asking some of these self-identified white nationalists to tell me how they got there, and hearing these stories is fascinating and heartbreaking.
Morning Pastor, I'm sooo not the expert on race issues. I confess to be overwhelmed by the topic. I have always believed and taught that a human is a human is a human! Now I'm being told that's wrong thinking. I have to acknowledge the Black, Hispanic, Asian and other cultures living around me. Why? I have always just thought they were my neighbors, friends, and fellow citizens. (and spouse BTW). Can't we all just get along?!?!
They do it to be confusing and control the conversation. But my response to that would be, culture is not race. We are all one human race. You can go biological or Biblical on that but we are all the same. However, we do not all look alike, eat alike, or have the same customs - that is culture.
Cindy and Natalie, thank you for your thoughts. Very helpful. I'm currently looking at the language that the Bible gives us to speak of these things: nation, people, tongue/language, tribe. I think that culture is a helpful term, but there's been two centuries of trying to define it. Civilization is another one like that.
Howdy Pastor:
"Lutheran White Nationalists" seems to me to be a misnomer. Seems to me it is more of "a faternity of disgruntaled white guys in search of a scape goat."
I'm a white guy, but I don't dislike people for being black; I do however dislike associating with people who are surely or manipulative or are dishonest with themselves and others.
I am a Texan and I love the United States of America ... it's kind of my "team" so I guess that makes me a "nationalist" too, but I admire the histories and contibutions of other countries as well. Germany gave me my ancestors, but in the first world war Germans tried to kill my great uncle with mustard gas and in the second world war they tried to kill my Dad with ME-109's. Of course neither my uncle nor Dad were paying them friendly visits. So I don't think "Nationalists" is an accurate discription of these fellows either.
I call myself a "Lutheran," I think of myself as a Lutheran, I feel lucky to be raised by Lutheran parents, but I know for a fact that I can and have out-sinned Methodists, Baptists, and quite a number of Roman Catholics, even though my limited knowledge of Lutheran doctrine and the Bible suggests to me that I'm on the right track.
And so, right off the bat, I'd rather these guys refer to themselves by another handle. But my question to them is what good does it do them to resent blacks (or Hispanics or Asians)? How does it advance them toward their goal?
I was licensed to practice law in 1989. I can tell them from experience that if anyone was allowed into law school who did not possess the adequate study habits or drive to go through the rigors thereof, "Affirmative Action" laws did them no favors. A law degree is pretty much worthless without passing the Bar Exam. In my case, it took a lot of praying as well as the aforementioned attributes.
No Pastor, I think these fellows are directing their ire at the wrong "culprit." Perhaps they should "remove the log from their own eye" before commenting of how to correct our society's vision.
The peace of the Lord be with you Pastor, you've been a great help to me.
Mark,
Thank you for your comments. To be fair, I'm the one who introduced the enemy of affirmative action into the conversation. None of these guys have brought that up. So you see me trying to understand what's going on in the background, and what's shaping their conscience.
I guess I should have read to original thread ... sounds like I completely missed the point.
I too have been trying to get to the bottom of some of this and come up with way to articulate these things. I have been reading Matthew Cochran, and I recommend his work to you as well. I do not believe he is a white nationalist, but he is engaging their thought at its root and even agreeing at certain points – which is why he is helpful to read. And he’s not mean, he seems willing to discuss, unlike some of the people I have seen you talk to on Twitter.
For example, here are his thoughts on racism: https://matthewcochran.net/blog/?p=1637. Note especially his comment: “it’s not a sin to be born white in a historically white country. It’s not a sin for a society to build structures that privilege its members–on the contrary, that’s the very purpose of society. It’s not a sin for parents to privilege their children–again, that’s the very purpose of parents. Neither is it a sin to actually benefit from such privilege–rather, we should be grateful for it.”
I really think the issue has to do with how the principles we have for families can be mapped onto race.
So for example, I think we would all agree that it’s ok for me to love my family more than other people’s families – I don’t love a random kid at school as much as I love my own son. And I think it’s ok for me to love my nation more than other nations – an American should look out for the interests of America above other nations. So is it ok for me to love my race more than other races? If not, what makes the difference?
Likewise, we can make generalizations about different families – my family is generally different than yours in this way or that. We also make generalizations about nations all the time – I don’t think it’s immoral to say “Mexicans speak Spanish” even if not every individual in Mexico does. So can we make generalizations about races? If so, how? If not, why?
Cochran also did a series on multiculturalism which I think is helpful as a background to some of these things (here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJcZRo9Rv_Y). He’s helped me think about diversity, because I think these questions extend there too – would Christians say that diversity a good or bad thing? It strikes me that when we talk about “diversity” we are always talking about generalizations. A black person on the Supreme Court brings along certain beliefs or experiences that can be generalized among black people.
So I don’t disagree with you when you say that the qualification for Supreme Court Justice should not be based on race. But you haven’t touched the issue of privilege, structure, the generalizations those are founded on, and the relationship between family and race.
I also think this lecture is important to consider: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6Fog-ScXgI. I believe some of the people you are engaging on Twitter endorse it.
I am also researching academic critical race theory which seems to have these issues at its heart as well. I would be happy to collaborate further if you’re interested.
Thank you. I'll check out Matt's stuff. In my mind affirmative action grows out of the worldview of critical race theory, even though they emerged in the conversation in the opposite order. Please do keep me in the loop on what you're discovering. I recently watched a video of Voddie Baucham who called critical race theory ethical gnosticism. I think that's right. What we need, I think, is an ethical realism, which puts ethnicity in its proper proportion, to creation, to redemption, to family, to the state, and to law. Trying to build that out, and looking for the biblical language for it.
I'll check it out. Thank you for the tip.
Dear Pastor Wolfmueller, I appreciate your posts and videos so much. I have been an LCMS Lutheran for 6 months. Before that, I only knew the big box church life. I was woefully weak on doctrine. You have illumined so much for me and I am grateful.
With regard to the present topic, first of all, I do not (usually) group anyone by a color in my personal speech. Describing someone as a color does not accurately identify them as being part of any cultural or geographic group. Describing a person by a color is a political designation. My basis for this is 1 SAM 16:7 (man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart), and also Romans 2:11 (for God shows no partiality). I fully realize that it may occasionally be necessary to use these political descriptions in order to be clearly understood in today's world. But looking on the heart is God's way, and I don't want to risk conforming my thinking to the world's way of looking at things. Well, you know the Scriptures far better than I do. Perhaps these Lutheran Nationalists are coming to erroneous conclusions because their assumptions are flawed.
You mentioned affirmative action. This is not consistent with the Bible. The motivation behind labeling people, coupled with affirmative action, is to compensate for (or right the wrongs of) past generations. Ezekiel 18:19-20 states: Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."
No doubt, many heinous injustices have occurred (worldwide). Specific groups have been subjugated; no rational person denies this. My understanding is that we ought not to hold family lines accountable for the sin of an ancestor. This same passage from Ezekiel chapter 18 also motivated a particular passage in our United States Constitution: Article 3, Section 3, Clause 2. Clause 2 specifically forbids "corruption of the blood." Before America was founded, European courts would strip people's rights based upon the crimes of a distant ancestor. Our founding fathers were well acquainted with the practices of the European courts, and that's why "corruption of the blood" is explicitly forbidden in our Constitution. The son should not suffer for the crime of the father. This principle is reflected both in the Bible and in our founding documents.
I do not pay much attention to social media, so I am not too familiar with the groups with whom you were corresponding on Twitter. But, generally, these are my thoughts. If you see any flaws in my understanding of Scripture, please advise. Thanks so much! You are such an inspiration; do not let anyone steal your joy. Jennifer
Dear Pastor-
I grew up in the rural Deep South in the 80s-90s. I’ll share a couple of my formative interactions around race. I am, for the sake of understanding the following, white.
Our student body voted to finally remove the segregated homecoming court, one set for each race. It had “always been like that” until then.
We rightly realized that race had no part in that discussion. What a wonderful thing! Colorblind, indeed! I felt honored to be a part of such a big shift.
But within a year or so, as affirmative action was all the talk in the greater culture, I also saw other messaging. In particular, I saw the daughter of our assistant principal (who was black) wearing a t shirt with graduating students throwing caps to the sky shouting “The blacker the college, the better the knowledge!”
Knowing it would be seen as horribly racist if it had MY race as “better knowledge” yet somehow not with HERS made me very wary of how we, as a culture, were responding to some obviously very REAL injustices. I felt incapable of even addressing what I felt at the time (maybe age 14-15).
The answer to racism used to be taught as elevating the rights of the individual (taught in the estate of the family!), and for each person to be treated as such, with the same responsibilities and duties as each other.
But more and more we’ve shifted the “solution” not to individual responsibility to do right, but to the institution of the STATE.
Like you mentioned, it can easily become a mistrust issue.
Lord, have mercy, that we do not then overreact in ways that will harm our neighbor!
On occasion when I do have a race discussion, I find we all want the same goal, but oftentimes want to get there in very different ways. Individual responsibility/knowledge of personal sin and righteousness VS top-down institutional fixes which, as you mentioned, tend to insert race artificially. And those are two VERY different concepts.
May we all have the mind of Christ in truly hearing each other in all things… being humble enough to listen as a family should!
O Lord, have mercy upon us...
Thank you for your thoughts and leadership through discussions within the public square-
Bryan
(now in southern Wisconsin)
If I could add to the pile of recommendations for Matthew Cochran - he speaks very clearly on these issues. Maybe you guys could dialog a'la what you did with Rev. Schulz
Thank you. We've had some back and forth on Twitter, but I'll try to look into his website.
Great! He has a theology degree from CTSFW and I find him to be a clear, disciplined thinker.
If I were willing to take on the aggrieved, particularly the loud ones of any group, my comments would reflect on God sending Jesus to us as a Jew, living under the cruel thumb of Rome, amidst all the other tribes and cultures mentioned in the Bible and time and again he stepped out of his "comfort zone" tribe to include the dehumanized of his day and then explain it all, again, to his followers and confront the Jews about their own actions or lack of in this regard. So he, an oppressed and subjugated person, was telling everybody how to treat each other and to concentrate on the long game in a situation far more dire politically and physically than complainers of this day and he did this in love and commanded his followers to do likewise - so I guess I would ask those who adopt the prevailing trends of victimhood - just how does that mindset compare to Jesus', the truly innocent victim, and why do you claim to follow him? And for all the other groups that involve seeking justice for themselves whether through Might is Right or Might for Right, those are human constructs that endure through every age. It is ironic to me that we have folks who are intent on destroying Christian values but their weapon of choice is to "guilt' everyone. These days accusations and name calling by humans don't bother me very much compared to what Jesus went through to deliver us from our real sins before God's judgment!
Libby, thank you for your insight. You are 100% right, and we engage in these conversations with the good conscience that comes from the blood of Jesus. And we call all people from the fearfulness of political posturing to the comfort of faith. Thanks for your insight!