A Theology of the Cross is Necessary and Needed

In the Heidelberg Disputation, Luther says that a theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross calls a thing what it actually is.

It’s beyond time that we publicly take up the banner of being “theologians of the cross” and condemn the theology of glory. Faithfulness demands calling the thing what it actually is. If you look at what’s going on in the world, and you come to the simple conclusion that boycotting Bud Light is the answer, the bigger picture is being missed. People (children even!) are being murdered in cold blood. The “intolerant” church is what the media and culture blames. (See the response to the Nashville shooting. The outrage wasn’t that children were murdered but that the shooter was misgendered in the early reporting.) Typically, the Church responds by not responding or at most a special Collect is prayed during the liturgy, but that’s all. A week goes by. Things quieten down. The “talk” that was talked (read: typed) is not walked. Life goes on and people once again embrace the thing they promised to never drink/eat/buy again and continue to think, “Well, it won’t happen to me or here.”

The root of the problem is buried much deeper than who a beer company wants to put on their can. How did we get here and arrive so rapidly? How should the Church faithfully respond? May I suggest being theologians of the cross and calling things what they actually are instead of bowing in cowardice or in fear of offending someone? Homosexuality is an abomination. Transgenderism calls God a liar. Boys cannot be girls and girls cannot be boys (or cats, dogs, or horses). Cohabitation and divorce destroy families and are sinful. “Inclusivity” targets Christians. Organizations that act as if they love people and will fight for (fill-in-the blank) justice are also abominations in the eyes of God seeking to build up the dividing wall of hostility that Christ, by His blood, has torn down (see Ephesians 2). Fighting against this is Synod’s next significant hurdle to cross. It is much higher than it would have been, but in our silence over the years, we allowed many of these things into the Church in the name of “tolerance” or being called “racist.”

You may say, “But you’re a sinner, too! Pull the plank out of your own eye!” I agree. I am a sinner. But to say that it’s all the same is a cop out. There is a vast difference between repentant sinners and unrepentant sinners. The difference is the chasm that separates the rich man from Lazarus. Those unrepentant will burn while those repentant will be comforted. To act like we’re “all the same” in that regard is a lie. That doesn’t make me a Pharisee to recognize the distinction. It’s simply biblical—calling the thing what it is.

I have written previously about issues facing our own schools. We’ve seen several Concordias fall in the last several years with others going down that same path. Thankfully, by the grace of God, in some instances, faithful men have worked to correct these issues and return to faithfulness. But the work is not done. There are those remaining who think it’s more important to focus on having Jesus depicted according to a certain person’s race than the content of what is actually taught in the classrooms. Have we forgotten that when God came in the flesh, He did so as a Judahite? Why has the church decided to play the world’s game and make everything all about race? It is to our detriment, and we stand divided as the world.

While the world is breaking around us, the Church must stand firm. Convention this summer is a good time to do this—to walk together in a bold confession of the truth. But I can hear it now: “Our schools don’t have students because we aren’t inclusive enough!” “Our seminaries are low in enrollment because we haven’t been focusing on (fill in your race) with enough resources.” “If we want to be more involved in our communities, we need to encourage pastors to participate in the protests for social justice!”

Those are all things the culture concerns itself with. This does not mean that where there are injustices that we turn away. We have plenty of Scriptures that deal with those oppressed. See Isaiah, Amos, and many other prophets. But we deal with them not with protest or violence or policy but instead with bloodshed—Christ’s blood shed upon the cross. We deal with them according to the Word of God. This Word calls out and condemns sin. It doesn’t join in with it or tolerate it. This Word also brings forgiveness where there is repentance. It says, “Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you” (John 5:14).

Call things what they are. Don’t do it for the sake of antagonism or “going viral” or any other reason except for the sake of the truth. The church in America has done a wonderful job of doing whatever it takes to avoid persecution. In so doing, many “churches” are no longer proclaiming Christ and Him crucified. The truth will stir up the enemies of the Church, but should they begin to drag the faithful into the fire or the lion’s den, know that you’ll be there in good company, and Christ will stand before you in glory with feet burnished bronze (Revelation 1:15). He’s been there before and will bring you through.