Apology

The featured speaker at the Missions' Conference last night was Erwin Lutzer, from Moody Church in Chicago...I can't say I found him tremendously impressive, but know you certainly can't judge definitively on the basis of one presentation - had never really heard of him before the last day or two. He did say somthing that I feel was quite misleading...He mentioned that more Christians - ie. Anabaptists - had been put to death in the era of the Reformers than in the early Roman Empire, insinuating that was sheer wicked prejudice on the part of the Reformational church...Mentioned Zwingli as mocking the "baptism" of an Anabaptist forcibly drowned in a river...

My understanding of this period of history is that the great challenge to the Reformers was to prove that European/western culture could survive without the centralized authority of the Roman church. In Protestantism, every man would be his own pope and society would break down into total chaos and confusion. The Reformers responded no, believers were under the very real authority of thee word of God. A conscience in submission to that word would be orderly and godly...

Then the Anabaptists appeared on the scene. As I recall, though will have to now check this out in my church history book, many of them denied the orthodox position on Scripture, believing that there was direct inspiration of the human spirit. They denied the legitimacy of civil leaders, and were iconoclastic - entering Catholic churches and destroying property etc...An unruly bunch in many ways, indeed threatening civil order and the legitimacy of the Reformation itself. That is what the Reformers were fighting against. They were as frightened of the potential of this group as were others. This is when, in reaction, Luther began to go somewhat backward in his theology, retreating to a somewhat more RC understanding of the Lord's Supper etc...And Zwingli (returning to him) was the main proponent of the authority of Scripture, as Luther was of justification by faith...

It seems to me there was an unbalanced presentation in Lutzer's speech...Am going to try and talk with him about it today, if possible...Went to his Wikipedia entry and saw that both his MA and doctorate are in philosophy, from a Jesuit institution...Last but not least, he gave Dad the heeby-jeebies....And I have learned over the years how very good Dad's radar is...What is the truth about this man? Don't know, will just keep these things in mind and heart.

Father, fill us with wisdom and discernment!