Editor’s Introduction
The editors of LOGIA are excited to offer another issue dedicated to the heart and life of parish ministry: Christ coming to us in word and sacrament. Each of the articles comes at this in a different way, but at their core they address pastoral care and practice. We pray that our readers find them as edifying as we have as editors.
Paul Lehninger examines the biblical practice of closed communion. Challenges to this practice are hardly new, but Lehninger meets them in a timely way. He outlines the biblical and historical basis for closed communion and makes clear why this is in fact the most loving approach. Pastors and laypeople alike will find this contribution helpful for helping those unfamiliar with the practice understand why the churches of the former Synodical Conference still take this scriptural practice seriously.
Robert Mayes provides a well-researched and clearly written examination of the office of the keys in the period of the late Lutheran Reformation. While this contribution deals with history, there is plenty of application for our own day. Beyond giving us much to chew on in this piece, Mayes opens doors for future research and reading for those who would like to continue to explore this topic and era.
Martin Noland explores Lutheran teaching about the tenure of the call into the office of the holy ministry. Many church bodies have wrestled with this in recent decades and Noland’s contribution helps clarify much regarding how questions about the tenure of the call have been addressed in the past and what should be kept in mind as they arise today.
Carl Roth takes up the reform of marriage law in sixteenth-century Germany. In the centuries since, marriage, both in doctrine and practice, has not become any less important a topic. Roth’s unpacking of the history in Germany provides examples of how our fathers in the faith dealt with issues in the past and therefore provides insight for contemporary challenges as well. The biblical teaching regarding marriage is made clear, and we are reminded that staying faithful to that doctrine and consistent with it in practice is not a new challenge and will remain a challenge until Christ’s return.
Finally, John Pless investigates the office of the ministry in global Lutheranism. The office of the ministry is bigger than any one setting and there are similarities and differences in the challenges and approaches taken across geographical and cultural boundaries that we do well to understand. Thankfully, Pless does a great job helping us to do so. His emphasis on the work of Sasse in this regard is particularly insightful and helpful.
We think readers will find much of interest and benefit in this issue and we are excited to be bringing these essays to print. They will be meaningful additions to the conversation on topics central to parish life and our life together in and under Christ.
Wade Johnston, for the editors
This issue of LOGIA can be purchased here, or you can purchase a subscription here.