Famed 20th Century Swiss theologian Karl Barth purportedly encouraged preachers to hold a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. The premise was to ensure that God’s Word was heard in relevance to life in today’s world.
Lutheran seminarians who attended Christ Seminary – Seminex in St. Louis or the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago — during the last four decades would be familiar with an addendum to Barth’s suggestion. Beloved Kurt Hendel, a professor of Lutheran Confessions and Reformation History, would accept holding a Bible and newspaper during sermon preparation, but he would strongly insist you have an open copy of the Book of Concord on the table in front of you.
The Book of Concord, or Concordia (which in Latin means “agreeing together”), is often referenced as the Lutheran Confessions. It is a collection of ten creedal documents that help define the principles of Lutheranism. The compilation includes the Apostles’, Athanasian, and Nicene Creeds as well as the Augsburg Confession. On this day, June 25th, in the year 1580, the Book of Concord was published in German. That date marked the fiftieth anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession to Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg. This was the document that outlined Protestant doctrinal issues with the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation.
Rev. Dr. Hendel’s enthusiastic promotion of the Book of Concord was always inspirational. While Barth’s emphasis focused on contemporary relevance in preaching, the Confessions/Reformation professor reminded future clergy of the importance of including faith heritage and context. He encouraged the use of that clunky reference book in Sunday sermon preparation. Adored by many seminarians, he would threaten to visit them after ordination in their new pastoral calls to inspect their church studies. “My dear people, I better find all the pages of your Lutheran Confessions dog-eared from constant use!”
Happy Birthday, Book of Concord! This Sunday, June 27th, we invite you to worship at your local church and try to decipher whether the preacher followed the Bible and newspaper suggestion in the homily preparation. If attending a Lutheran church, please try to determine if a popular professor from the Midwest would be proud of his former seminarian student. One such former student will be leading worship at our 9:15 AM (indoor) and 10:30 AM (outdoor drive-in) liturgies. Join us and listen for the confessions!