Wheat and Weeds

I suppose if I am going to keep "Leftist Lutheran" as the title of my blog, I should post some stuff that is kinda Lutheran now and then.  I suppose my rants at Christian Life Resources count, since the group was originally called WELS Lutherans for Life, but my gripe with them is that they are too political.

I am always amazed at the weak Christian theology that the Religious Right spews out.  I would be embarrassed to allow these people to speak for me.  I am referring to people like Phil Robertson, James Dobson, Sarah Palin, Tony Perkins, Mike Huckabee, etc., etc.  My issue with them is that there never seems to be any gospel in what they say.  And if there is any gospel at all, they are misusing it as Law.

For example, in all of Duck Dynasty Phil's homophobic rants, his implication is that gays are going to hell because they sin.  By implication, I guess he must be saying that they just have to stop sinning like he did or something like that.  This is a preposterous belief for a Christian.  Even when he makes a feeble attempt at the gospel, it's wrong:  he says that St. Paul was a sinner, too, but that the gospel "changed" him.  Well yeah, but Paul is saved (and Phil, too) because he's forgiven, not because he stopped sinning.  Paul was changed because he was saved, he wasn't saved because he changed. If it is necessary to stop sinning to be saved then we are all in deep doo-doo.  Turning the gospel into Law is as bad as no gospel at all.

I attended a WELS church service while traveling last year.  One of the scripture readings for that day was the parable of the wheat and weeds in Matthew chapter 13. In his brief explanation of the parable, the pastor wrote this (a pretty good summary how Lutherans should view this parable): 

"God intended to have a weed-free field of wheat.  From the beginning, however, the enemy thwarted his intentions with temptation and sin.  How many Christians have seen the evil all around them and pondered the servants’ question, “Didn’t you sow good seed?”

"How many churchmen have tried to separate the wheat and weeds in the kingdom with rules or monasteries, with inquisitions or Pharasaical laws?  Anyone who tries only succeeds in ruining the wheat along with the weeds.  They uproot the faith of the weak who fall into sin; they trample faith of the strong by feeding their pride.

"The Lord most certainly has a plan to separate the wheat and weeds—just not yet.  He has servants standing by to do the work—just not us.  Instead, God urges his people to live with their eye on the coming harvest.  God does not want us to separate wheat from weeds before then."

Today's Religious Right appears to be intent on separating the wheat from the weeds while here on earth.  It's not their job.  Like the Pharisees of old, they are intent on "feeding their pride".  Make no mistake...the gospel's purpose is to give comfort that we sinners are saved and forgiven.  When the Religious Right uses it as a club of the Law it is "preaching a different gospel" that we are warned about in Galatians.