Elders Banning Books?
“Even though the natural light of the human mind is inadequate to make known what is revealed by faith, nevertheless what is divinely taught to us by faith cannot be contrary to what we are endowed with by nature. One or the other would have to be false, and since we have both of them from God, he would be the cause of our error, which is impossible.”
“Many cry to the Lord that they may win riches, that they may avoid losses; they cry that their family may be established, they ask for temporal happiness, for worldly dignities; and, lastly, they cry for bodily health, which is the patrimony of the poor. For these and suchlike things many cry to the Lord; hardly one cries for the Lord Himself! How easy it is for a man to desire all manner of things from the Lord and yet not desire the Lord Himself! As though the gift could be sweeter than the Giver!”
I read something on social media recently, that if true, is a disgrace, and an indictment of both our polity and lack of erudition in the LCMS. An LCMS layman reported being summoned to a meeting of the Board of Elders of his congregation and was castigated for reading Thomas Aquinas and sharing the above two quotes on social media.
First, some disclaimers. This is an anonymous account. I cannot verify that this is true. It is possible that this assertion is entirely made up. It is also possible that it is entirely true. It is also possible that the truth lies somewhere in between. Also, I only heard one side of the controversy. It is impossible to completely judge a situation without hearing both sides. It is possible that there is a crucial piece of the puzzle that is missing. As we read in Proverbs: “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.”
All that said, in my opinion, what this person has written has the ring of truth to it. I have had my own words and counsel dishonestly twisted and misrepresented. I have to say, from this layman’s wording, this does not seem to be a case like that.
So assuming that this account is accurate (and some other people also reported having similar experiences), this indicates that we really need to make it clear what “elders” in the church are. Elders are laymen. They do not have apostolic authority. They are not called and ordained servants of the Word. They are not ministers of Word and Sacrament. They do not give pastoral care. They are not charged with calling anyone to repent by virtue of their office (any more than any other layman). They exist as lay assistants to the pastor. And when they carry out their functions properly, they are a great blessing to both pastor and congregation. But it is also true that their title can go to their heads, and they can become too big for their britches. They must not be permitted to usurp authority that they have not been vested with.
Our forbears should have chosen a different term to describe this lay assistancy. We aped the Presbyterians in this, and it has bitten us in the you-know-what. For scripture speaks of elders (presbuteroi). Such presbyters are ordained ministers. Our modern boards of elders are not those elders. I found an old bulletin in my congregation’s archives. Decades ago, a new pastor was called, and at his installation, the Board of Elders laid hands on him. What’s up with that? It reminded me of how a colleague in the ministry reported to me that when he was installed on his vicarage, the female congregational president laid hands on him. And when you’re a vicar, you can’t exactly say, “Keep your paws off of me, lady.” We should have used a different term than “elder.” Our elders are more like subdeacons. This terminological confusion, combined with our embrace of democracy, has conspired to create a sense of ecclesiastical authority that is extra-biblical, extra-pastoral, recent, and innovative. It pseudo-vests pseudo-pastors with pseudo-authority - even telling a fellow laymen what he may read.
Part of the complaint, it seems, lies in the fact that the elders didn’t like the trajectory that reading Aquinas could lead. Per the layman, one of the elders said, “I do not brook traitors on the road to Rome” and called him to repent. And this goofy, gaudy, and grandiloquent statement has apparently become a meme. As it should. One of the things I would like to know is where was the pastor during this “struggle session”? Was he there and involved in it? Or was he ignorant of it happening?
To be sure, Dr. Luther was no fan of Aquinas. That said, we have two hymns by St. Thomas in our LSB hymnal (630 and 640). Our Book of Concord cites Aquinas: both critically and favorably. Our Treasury of Daily Prayer includes two meditations from St. Thomas (Thursday of Lent 4 and July 1). As part of my own high school class on Christian Apologetics, we cover Thomas’s arguments for God’s existence. You cannot be a thinking Christian and ignore Thomas. His Summa Theologica has been translated into English, taking up 22 volumes. He was the leading Christian thinker of his age. And there is much to laud, and much to critique. You cannot be an educated Western thinker, Christian or otherwise, without at least some exposure to Thomas and his writings. Frankly, any normal healthy pastor would be thrilled if the laity in their congregations were taking up a reading of Aquinas. St. Thomas even popped up in this recent interview with Dr. Weinrich, and he commented that he should review his own readings of Aquinas.
I’m not in favor of book-banning. Unless someone is reading something like occult books (uncritically) or pornography or something of that nature, nothing should be off-limits. Certainly not Thomas Aquinas! Our theology is robust. We don’t have to run away like cowards. Only cults have a list of approved books and tribunals to enforce compliance. Even the Roman Catholic Church abolished its Index Librorum Prohibitorum in 1966.
We should avoid anti-intellectualism and cancel culture, as well as men who have no divine call (and likely no theological training) exceeding their vocational authority. This is nothing more than bullying. If you are a layman and are being told what you are allowed to read by fellow laymen claiming authority in your congregation, you should speak to the pastor about it. If he is aware of this and cannot give you a good reason why you should not be reading certain books - you might want to seek a transfer.