I’ve been thinking a lot about the general jerkiness of Lutherans, including myself.
There is a mistaken belief among some Lutheran pastors and laypeople that being a Lutheran, a real Lutheran, means being a jerk.
Here’s how the reasoning goes: Luther was a notorious jerk. He insulted people, pulled no punches and was an all around ass. So, a Lutheran, a real Lutheran, will follow Luther’s example. I’m a jerk because I’m like Luther. I’m a jerk because I’m so devoted to the Gospel. Deal with it. And, if you can’t, you must be some kind of liberal, pietist or pansy.
Nonsense. Even if Luther was a cross between Archie Bunker and Kanye West, that wasn’t a mark of his orthodoxy, or his fervor for the truth. Could Luther be a jerk? Yes, a huge one. Did he often bring a gun to a knife fight? Yes, more often than he should have.
But, read the Lutheran Confessions. They are bold, straightforward and unequivocal. They are also remarkably irenic, reasonable and gentle. The Lutheran Confessions –the only thing which make a Lutheran really Lutheran– provide no excuses for being a jerk.
Being Lutheran doesn’t mean being a jerk. Being Lutheran, really Lutheran, means confessing and practicing the theology of the Lutheran Confessions. Jerkiness is not required.
