| Most Recently Posted Ask a Question | |||||||
| Q: | I have a family member who was raised LCMS Lutheran, and some years ago left the Lutheran church for the Assembly of God (AJOG, and later a church body similar to it--Fellowship of Christian Assemblies). How can I win him back to the scriptural truths as taught in the Lutheran church? He was originally attracted to the Christian rock worship style (he plays the drums for worship), but he stayed for the false theology, including the rejection of Infant Baptism, and the denial of the Real Presense in Holy Communion. He's bringing his whole family down that road, and while I'm thankful he believes the Gospel, I'm disappointed that he has allowed the "Evangelical" subculture to blind him from many truths taught in God's Word, the Holy Bible. His church seems legalistic in terms of demanding tithes, and not limiting themselves to Gospel-motivated giving (out of thankfulness to God--as opposed to Law-motiviated giving). Their church services, in my opinion, seem more like entertainment, rather than true worship. When he made his exodus for AOG, I don't think he ever realized just what he lost in the trade! For him, Luther's Small Catechism was just a joke, with it's oft repeated phrases like "this is most certainly true." My concern is that any false doctrine, if taken to its logical conclusion, eventually leads to unbelief. Do-it-yourself sanctification and pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstaps theology replace the Christocentric (Christ-centered) theology taught throughout the Bible. For someone hungry for God's Word, I hate to see him fall for a spiritual diet of false teaching. Please pray for him / them. | ||||||
| A: | I'm glad you're thankful for your relative's trust in Christ as his Savior from sin. Sometimes we forget that blessing when someone joins another church. But I also understand your serious concern over his place in evangelicalism. Your warning about false teaching, any false teaching, is legitimate. Like cysts and tumors in the human body, false teachings may allow one to live spiritually, but they definitely make one more susceptible to spiritual death through a fall from faith. I also believe your descriptions of legalism and pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps theology in evangelicalism are apt. What can you do? Continue to pray for your family member that he and his family, by their study of Scripture, long for substance over style as far as their church home is concerned. If he is not studying Scripture, this would be a good time to invite him to join you in personal Bible study. As you do, you may patiently testify to your own love for the Savior and his gospel in Word and Sacraments. Invite him to consider that the church he left years ago may not be exactly the same as far as worship and education style are concerned. Most of all, just be his friend. Friends share their concerns for friends, and they share them from the heart. Friends share good news with friends. You have a lot to share. | ||||||
| |||||||