Slide 1
“When Necessary, Use Words”?
Verbum Dei Theology for Right Now
a Workshop of the ELCAYMNet Practice Discipleship Initiative
with Hans Wiersma, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Slide 2
Crypt of St. Francis
Assisi, Italy
Slide 3
The original St. Francesco Mission (aka Mission Dolores) after the 1906 Quake
Slide 4
The Simpsons“Homer the Heretic”
Slide 5
Slide 6
Slide 7
“Preach the Gospel at all times;
if necessary, use words”
Where have you encountered this saying?
What does the saying mean?
Slide 8
Slide 9
This will probably get more play if I say it’s by St.
Francis.
This will probably get more play if I say it’s by St.
Francis.
Slide 10
“No brother should preach contrary to the form and regulations of the holy Church unless he has been permitted by his minister … However, all the brothers should preach with their deeds.”
—Rule of St. Francis, 1221 version
Slide 11
Preach the Gospel at all
times.If necessary, use
words?
Preach the Gospel at all
times.If necessary, use
words?
Slide 12
What is better? That I should
spend my time in prayer or that
I should go around
preaching?
What is better? That I should
spend my time in prayer or that
I should go around
preaching?
Slide 13
Does it make a difference to you knowing that the “if necessary, use words” quotation
is not mine?Why or why not?”
Does it make a difference to you knowing that the “if necessary, use words” quotation
is not mine?Why or why not?”
Slide 14
Slide 15
Slide 16
Slide 17
Slide 18
Slide 19
What do you know about the “Rise of the Nones”?
What do you think are the reasons why the “Nones” are on
the rise?
Slide 20
1. Backlash against political agenda
1. Backlash against political agenda
2. Later starts for marriage
and family
2. Later starts for marriage
and family
3. Less need for
community locales
3. Less need for
community locales
4. More health, wealth, security
4. More health, wealth, security
Slide 21
Slide 22
“[The Internet is] a religion destroyer as much as anything else we’ve ever seen—open access to information, the ability to prove your pastors wrong, the overwhelming number of atheists who make their case online…how is that not a force to be reckoned with?”
—Hemant Mehta
Slide 23
To “outsiders,” the Church is:1. an organized religion with a
political agenda2. judgmental and negative3. dominated by males and an
oppressor of females4. homophobic5. arrogantly claims that all
other religions are wrong6. full of fundamentalists who
take the whole Bible literally
Slide 24
Slide 25
Slide 26
Slide 27
QuizTime!
Slide 28
Question 1: According to the Augsburg Confession (art. V, German text), in order that we might obtain justifying faith, what did God do?a. Institutum est ministerium docendi
Evangelii et porrigendi Sacramenta.
b. Gott hat das Predigtamt eingesetzt, das Evangelium und die Sakramente gegeben.
c. God instituted the office of preaching, giving the gospel and the sacraments (English translation).
d. Du, du, liegst mir in Herzen; du, du, liegst mir in Sinn…
Slide 29
Question 1: According to the Augsburg Confession (art. V, German text), in order that we might obtain justifying faith, what did God do?a. Institutum est ministerium docendi
Evangelii et porrigendi Sacramenta.
b. Gott hat das Predigtamt eingesetzt, das Evangelium und die Sakramente gegeben.
c. God instituted the office of preaching, giving the gospel and the sacraments (English translation).
d. Du, du, liegst mir in Herzen; du, du, liegst mir in Sinn…
Slide 30
FOR DISCUSSION
Do we need to rethink what the preaching “office” is?
Can “giving the gospel” mean more than Words only, in much the same way that the Sacraments are more than words only?
Slide 31
Question 2: According to the Augsburg Confession (Art. 6), the faith produced by giving the Gospel is…
a. not yet fully formed.
b. needs to be proven by doing good works.
c. should yield good fruit or is bound to produce good fruits.
d. irrational, foolish.
Slide 32
Question 2: According to the Augsburg Confession (Art. 6), the faith produced by giving the Gospel is…
a. not yet fully formed.
b. needs to be proven by doing good works.
c. should yield good fruit or is bound to produce good fruits.
d. irrational, foolish.
Slide 33
FOR DISCUSSION
What is the difference between a faith that “should” produce good fruit and a faith that is “bound” to produce good fruit?
(Note: Augsburg Confession, Article Six, makes clear that “good fruit” means “good works.”)
Slide 34
Question 3: According to Luther’s Large Catechism, “the reason we take such care to preach on the catechism frequently” is
a. to impress it upon our young people
b. so that it may penetrate deeply into their minds
c. so that it may remain fixed in their memories
d. Wait. What? We’re supposed to preach on the Catechism frequently?
Slide 35
Question 3: According to Luther’s Large Catechism, “the reason we take such care to preach on the catechism frequently” is
a. to impress it upon our young people
b. so that it may penetrate deeply into their minds
c. so that it may remain fixed in their memories
d. Wait. What? We’re supposed to preach on the Catechism frequently?
Slide 36
FOR DISCUSSION
a.Isn’t it time to proclaim clearly that the Catechism is concerned with more than just what one thinks or says but also what one does?
b.Can the same be said of the Catechism’s other sections (Creed, Prayer, Sacraments)?
c.Have we truncated the original Lutheran vision for the preaching office and for teaching the gospel?
Slide 37
Question 4: According to Luther’s Small Catechism, what are believers redeemed and set free for?
a. To become Franciscans.
b. To belong to Christ.
c. To live in Christ’s Kingdom.
d. To serve Christ (in ever-lasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness).
Slide 38
Question 4: According to Luther’s Small Catechism, what are believers redeemed and set free for?
a. To become Franciscans.
b. To belong to Christ.
c. To live in Christ’s Kingdom.
d. To serve Christ (in ever-lasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness).
Slide 39
FOR DISCUSSION
a.Has the Lutheran teaching of justification by faith (or any other teaching of justification) emphasized what believers are saved from or what believers are saved for?
b.What kind of changes would you like to see in our pulpits so that the hearers of Lutheran sermons will be taught about “freedom from” as well as “freedom for”?
Slide 40
Slide 41
Verbum Dei = Word of God.
What Does This Mean??
Verbum Dei = Word of God.
What Does This Mean??
Slide 42
THESIS ONE
We can learn much from the fake St Francis Quotation. AND we can learn much from the real St. Francis.
Slide 43
THESIS TWO
If the Lutheran understanding is that good fruit (good works) are bound to follow the faith that results from preaching, perhaps we can also say that “actions that preach” follow “words that preach.”
Furthermore, there is also a way to understand that words that preach follow actions that preach.
Slide 44
THESIS THREE
We have a great resource for how to live lives that “preach”: it’s called the Small Catechism (esp. the Ten Commandments section).
Slide 45
THESIS FOUR
Not only should we enhance our understanding of the preached Word, we should also enhance our understanding of the preaching office.
Slide 46
Be Doers of the Word and not merely hearers.
—James 1:22
Slide 47
Be Hearers of the Word and not merely doers.
—a Lutheran Take on James 1:22
