[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Lutheranism

[Jerry Frank]

I agree with Karl that Engel's phrase is probably a generic descriptive 
term that may be hard to define.  A more modern example might be the recent 
U.S. election where the term "religious right" is used.  It is certainly 
used to generally describe a group of voters but defining the term is 
difficult.  How right is right?  How religious is religious?  Does 
religious refer just to Christians or can it include Jews? just to 
Evangelicals or can it include Catholics? etc.

Similarly, with Engel's phrase, how strict is strict?  How orthodox is 
orthodox?  Who has the authority to define pure Lutheranism (orthodoxy) 
some 300 to 400 years after Luther's death?

At the very least, Engel's description would apply to a more fundamentalist 
group that is trying to hold on to roots and traditions.  Last week I 
mentioned that some Lutherans tolerated the work of the Moravian Brethren 
in their midst while others did not.  Those that did not tolerate them 
would probably be considered stricter and more orthodox.  In the early 
1800s, the king of Prussia enforced a merger between the Lutheran and 
Reformed Churches.  Some Lutherans refused to go along with that 
merger.  Many considered this religious oppression resulting in a major 
migration to the United States.  They were referred to as Old Lutherans and 
in part became the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church in the 
States.  This Synod is generally considered more conservative and 
fundamentalist than some of the other Lutheran Synods.  In another article 
I found with a GOOGLE search, the Wisconsin Synod of the Lutheran Church is 
said to hold to "strict orthodoxy" but that too is not defined well in the 
article.

In addition to examples of strict living that Karl mentioned, I would add 
that these people would probably hold more firmly to church traditions and 
be less willing to accept change in hymns, etc.


At 02:29 PM 22/11/2004, Karl Krueger wrote:
>I wonder if he was using this term descriptively. Maybe he was referring 
>to some Lutherans that lived by strict rules such as no drinking, 
>partying, dancing, and spending rigorous amounts of time in different 
>church/prayer activities, as if any form of pleasure was sin. From what my 
>parents discussed in the past, they claimed there were Lutherans that went 
>to these extents. It appears "legalism" was a tendency many of them fell 
>in to, as do people from all other Christian backgrounds. I wonder what 
>Luther would have thought of this as he was the one famous for starting 
>the reformation claiming salvation by grace - not by works.
>
>Delores Stevens <deloresstevens at sasktel.net> wrote:
>I have been reading an article by Otto Engel that was published in the March
>1996 issue of the Wandering Volhynians volume 9, number 1. In this article
>he mentions "strict orthodox Lutheranism". What would this have looked like
>in terms of worship or every day life?
>
>Delores Maduke
>Saskatoon




Jerry Frank - Calgary, Alberta
FranklySpeaking at shaw.ca