Better Late than Never, I guess
Written by Mark Van Steenwyk : January 23, 2007
From Christianity Today:
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) apologized in November on behalf of forebears who persecuted Anabaptists. Martin Luther and other 16th-century reformers argued that civil authorities should punish Anabaptists. The 1530 Augsburg Confession, a landmark Lutheran text, condemned Anabaptists for saying children could be saved without baptism. But the ELCA Church Council said the condemnation does not apply to today’s Mennonite Church USA. The council expressed hope that the apology will strengthen bonds between Lutherans and modern-day Anabaptists.
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God knows that over in Europe, all the different Christian groups need to guard each others backs. I’d hope that there would be some joint work in missions in German countries where there was a historic lutheran and/or anabaptist presences.
dlw
I think I was given a video of a “reconciliation session” they did in Germany between the descendants of Anabaptists and their persecutors.
Am I missing something, or is that only half an apology?
‘… the condemnation does not apply to today’s Mennonite Church USA’ sounds a little like, “it was okay to say that then, but not now.”
Yeah, I wondered about that. I’m hoping that the statement is merely the victim of bad wording. It is like saying: “Yes, we’re sorry about racism today, but at the time slavery was good idea.”