The Word-Shaped Church and Her Mission to the World

When institutions, individuals, and inventions do not serve God’s purposes, the Church fails to obey God’s first imperative in history.

I have argued continually over the years for an ecclesiastical conservatism. But this cultural ecclesiasticum is not a spiritualized dogma resting in her inner sanctum. She is rooted in her political priorities. She proclaims the blessings of the groom far as the curse is found.

But too many struggle to see her calling outside of Word and Sacrament. Should she be so politically minded that she is not heavenly good? Should she use her property as a basecamp for political pursuits, a headquarters for the local GOP causes? What is her outward expression to the culture around us? How does it look like, and how does it manifest itself properly without losing its splendor?

The Word-Shaped Church

I have often said that any tradition that gives you less of the Bible, no matter how noble and ancient, is dangerous. God is revealed in His word, and a low view of the Bible leads to a low view of God. You may remember a few years ago when a reporter asked then-candidate Donald Trump: “Are you an Old Testament or New Testament kind of guy?” “Do you like vanilla or chocolate?” Thou shalt know fools by their questions, and there isn’t a more imbecilic question than to pit the God of Israel vs. the God of Israel. While Trump should have given a noble answer, it is also true that the question inserted a ridiculousness to it.