From: gpalo@digi.lonestar.org (Gerry Palo)
Newsgroups: talk.abortion,talk.religion.misc,alt.atheism
Subject: Re: Reconciling OT with NT
Date: 23 Nov 92 18:38:07 GMT
Organization: DSC Communications Corp, Plano, TX

In article <1992Nov21.212705.1370@zeus.franklin.edu> scruggs@zeus.franklin.edu (Kevin Scruggs) writes:
>In article <1992Nov20.232050.10789@digi.lonestar.org> gpalo@digi.lonestar.org (Gerry Palo) writes:
>>scruggs@zeus.franklin.edu (Kevin Scruggs) writes, in part,
>>
>>>>>Not at all.  This is only Protestant dogma.   For a fuller expression
>>>>>of Christianity, see Catholicism.
>>>>A (minor) nit...Lutherans are catholic.  And so are Eastern & Greek
>>>>Orthodox and Anglicans.
>>>>
>>>        Your nit needs to be picked a bit more...
>>>        Evangelical Lutherans are QUITE protestant...
>>>        Tho, I do agree the Missouri Synod-varieties are Catholics without a >  >        pope.
>>>..
>>
>>I'm curious about your statement.  We send our daughter to a
>>Misouri Synod Lutheran school and have attended services
>>at the church there, though we are not members.  In what sense 
>>do you mean it?
>>
>	The Missouri Synod Church I attended as a child was rather conservative and legalistic. The attitude and outlook of thmbership resembled a Catholic
>church than iother protestant denominations or even ELCA
>congregations taht I was subjected too...
>
>	Many of the members of the last ELCA congregation I had to suffer 
>through were born-again fundie types with charasmatic inclinatio...
>
>						=Kblwb+Kpblca=

Interesting.  My impression is that the ELCA church we regularly
attend is pretty middle of the road mainline Lutheran, and not a
little boring.  Not very born-again or fundamentalist.  Pretty 
much go-to-church-on-Sunday with everyone pretty much leaving 
everyone alone.  There is the usual social activity. It is not
a liberal congregation, but there is definitely little sympath
for fundamentalism.  The ALC church (now part of the ELCA) I
grew up with was much more fundamentalist, but also in that
more or less dignified Lutheran manner.

But the Misouri Synod church whose school my daughter attends is
more of the born-again kind, though very thoughtful and loving
all around and not at all pushy.  That is what impressed us about 
them.  The atmosphere is very warm and each child feels loved and 
accepted.  The pastors are at once firm in their faith and also
thoughtful and open. The adult bible study classes we have attended
on occasion are especially lively and open and often deal with
controversial topics.

We haven't gotten any signs of conservative-legalistic 
attitudes, and I get the impression that there have been some changes 
in the Synod in recent years.  For example, once we went to an M.S. 
church for Christmas in Ann Arbor.  They had communion but wouldn't
allow non-M.S. people to take it.  But at this church the pastor told
us it was a matter of our own conviction whether it was right
for us.  My wife is not even baptized (she was raised a Quaker),
but that didn't bother the pastor.

My overall sense is that their convictions are very strongly believed
and practiced, that the spiritual life there is very much alive,
warm, and real, and that they don't push themselves either on 
us or on our child.  Also, the academic instruction is quite good too.

I'd be interested to here from others about the Misouri Synod.  For
one thing, what is the main point of dispute between them and the
rest of the Lutheran Church?

Gerry Palo (73237.2006@compuserve.com)
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