Sheep in Wolves' Clothing?
While going through seminary in my day, we no longer “officially” declared an area of specialty (i.e. practical, historical, or exegetical). If we wanted to gain more knowledge in a certain area, we simply loaded our electives there during our fourth year. That was the case unless you went the route of “church planting.” While I was not on this route and don’t know exactly the way things were taught, it’s apparent that traditional route formation was kicked to the curb at some point along the way. While I’ll admit that church planting is a different animal, I’ve witnessed a couple of methods that are not at all helpful. (Below you will read negative experiences. This is not meant to be inclusive of ALL church planters, and I can’t imagine either seminary endorsing this behavior.)
One thing I’ve seen is that Lutheran doctrine is entirely cast to the wind out of fear of offense or it becomes so watered down that what’s being confessed is undifferentiated from “American Christianity” which is nothing other than Gnostic Hinduism. In these cases, you’ll hear of Jesus, but it’s entirely unclear who He is or why He came.
The second approach comes from my own conversation. Before we received our calls into the ministry, I had a discussion with someone about the Divine Service. I was shocked to learn that this one had not attended or received the Sacrament in months. Instead, he would wake up and go hang out and drink at the bar on Sunday mornings. He insisted that this was a “best practice” since he was visible in his future community where he would be planting and getting to know the lost to whom he would soon be preaching. He excused this behavior saying, “I’m meeting them where they are.” But I was more than a little confused at how this could be the “most excellent way.” I started to ask questions.
“How can you expect people to gather for the Divine Service one day if you’re not doing that yourself—especially exchanging it for drunkenness? What do they say when they hear you’re going to be a pastor?”
“They don’t know I’m going to be a pastor.”
“What if jobs come up in conversation? What do you say?”
“I’m a storyteller!”
It is not at all surprising to say that when looking at these websites (as amazing as they are!) and watching their videos online (as theatrical and well edited as they are!) that you don’t find Jesus mentioned much. You see and hear a lot of works and social justice talked about, but you have to look deeply for anything substantial about the cross of Jesus Christ.
I haven’t thought about any of this much until recently as we’ve all kept up with what’s going on at our Concordias (yes, plural; let’s not be so naïve to think it’s isolated), in Canada, and in Finland. In these days, I’m reminded of what our Lord said to His disciples,
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes (Matthew 10:16-23).
The kind of behavior mentioned above tries to avoid our Lord’s words. Instead of going out as faithful sheep, they go out as sheep in wolves’ clothing. In this hypocritical disguise, they will claim to be “meeting people where they are,” but in reality, they’re hiding out of fear or threat of public shame. In the end the wolf’s clothing never comes off. It can’t! They’ll be revealed as “bait-and-switch” artists. Ultimately, these wind up completely blended in with the world around them, and the Word of God is sacrificed. Then, in acting like the good, little wolves they are, they turn with the others and devour the sheep and the shepherds that lead them. If they don’t, their cover will be blown!
It is not my intention to be overly harsh or critical of church planters. There are many out there who are some of the most faithful men I know and their plants have transformed communities. They have a gift that I don’t, and they fill a great need in the body of Christ. You don’t have to be a church planter to fall into this trap. The temptation is there for all of us to blend in with the masses or to not stand and speak against unfaithfulness. May the Lord not let us be led into this temptation and deliver us from the evil of its end!
Instead, may I encourage all of us to go forth as the apostle Paul did on his first journey. He went from city to city straight to the synagogues (not to the bars!) to proclaim Jesus Christ risen from the dead. He didn’t hide out or try to blend in. He made it very clear who he was. It was the very fact that he didn’t appease the Jews that led to them coming from Antioch and Iconium into Lystra to stir up the crowds against Paul. Still not backing down, they stoned him and left him for dead. Even still, Paul didn’t run away or water down his preaching. Rather he went back into those very cities who sent men to stone him in order to strengthen and encourage the brothers who were among them. This is how we are called to stand and confess
We are in a time of testing, and it will only intensify. We have seen boldness from our brethren in Finland, Canada, and even in our own nation. At some point we will all have to confess. I pray that in that day, none of us will be ashamed of the Gospel no matter how many hungry wolves are waiting at the gates.