Unpacking Luther’s Baggage, chapter 3, page 2

Moses led the tribes of Israel to the Jordan, but could not cross it himself; that was left to Joshua. Joshua led the tribes of Israel across the Jordan, but could not keep them focused on taking the land. As Joshua passes away in the book of Judges, the people are struggling to win their inheritance and flounder in defeat; each doing what is right in their own eyes. 

In a similar way, the early reformers paved the way for Luther as he led Protestantism into a new land. When Luther passed away, the movement struggled to define its legacy as the enemy regrouped. Eventually, each Protestant denomination did what was right in their own eyes.

The point in common is that Israel and Protestantism each turned their back on the same foundation. The cry “Sola Scriptura” is hollow when you despise God’s Chosen people and minimize God’s Word. The Written Torah and the Living Torah go hand in hand; you cannot understand the One fully without first understanding the basis of the covenant. In the absence of a solid foundation, the different church buildings began to sway on the shifting sand. The architectural styles lacked cohesion and the buildings could go no higher.

Picture a dial that is shaped like the top half of a clock face, but with 4 positions. 9 o’clock is the first position, 11:00 is the second, 1:00 is the third, and 3:00 is the fourth. In the middle is an hour hand that is pointing at 9:00. I am going to call this device the Extremeter. For the next few pages I want to define these four positions as: 9:00 - Torah Ignorant; 11:00 - Torah Friendly; 1:00 - Torah Honoring, and 3:00 - Torah Observant.

In many ways, the church today is Torah Ignorant and I want to change that. Here is an example of using the Extremeter to understand the story from Acts 15: The Messianic Jews in Jerusalem are Torah Observant (3:00); the new converts from paganism whom Paul is representing are Torah Ignorant (9:00). The Jerusalem council decides to require a few minimal changes to move them to Torah Friendly (11:00), while still encouraging them to attend the Synagogue to hear God’s Word with the hope that they can possibly advance to Torah Honoring (at 1:00). 

My goal is to look at the many aspects of church life today in order to see what could be done to take the church from Torah Ignorant to Torah Friendly.

The Undercover Request

This is the beginning of a book called Unpacking Luther's Baggage. It is set in Wittenberg, Germany just as the Reformation is beginning... by Dennis Kananen

As Heinrich crossed the cobblestone street in front of All Saint’s - Castle church he gave a furtive glance to the wooden door where the 95 Theses had been nailed 4 years ago and saw two tonsured monks talking with each other. He felt a sense of clandestine excitement when he thought of the changing times and how those mere words were shaking up the ecclesiastical world of the church. All Wittenberg was buzzing with the news: Martin Luther had disappeared on his way home from the Diet of Worms. After refusing to recant before Cardinal ECK and triumphantly facing the Roman emperor Charles the Fifth, Luther was immediately surrounded by a cadre of supporters who whisked him out of town on horseback and wagon.  The church’s deceitful murder of John Hus a few years earlier had taught Martin’s friends not to trust Rome’s promise of safe passage. And so it was that the party vanished in the thick woods after passing through the streets of Erfurt and Eisenach. Some say it was a robbery; others thought it was the henchmen from Cardinal Eck. But one thing was certain: Saxony’s hero was nowhere to be seen and Heinrich was now caught up in the drama of it all. He stopped to sit on a bench at the side of the town square, and thought about that morning. 

It was shortly after Heinrich opened his blacksmith shop that a well dressed man came in holding a roll of paper and introduced himself as Jan-Harm. He suggested that they go to the back of the shop. Hedged in by the noise of the place, Jan-Harm began to speak. “I have news for you from Brother Martin - but you must agree to total secrecy. Your life and the lives of others may depend on it. Do you understand?” Jan-Harm looked intently at Heinrich as the steam and pounding reverberated with the sparks. Heinrich nodded and said, “I do”, as his imagination flirted with the future.  They moved towards a table in the corner.

“Good,” nodded Jan-Harm. He unrolled the paper which contained a drawing of a gate and a list of materials that looked like any other for an iron job, but tucked in the fold was another smaller piece of paper. Jan-Harm grabbed it and looked at Heinrich. “We need you to go to Martin’s office at the University. You have been there many times I’m told.” Jan-Harm ended the question with a pause, and Heinrich said, “Yes, I often went there with friends to discuss philosophy and the Bible. Why? Where is Martin? Is he safe?” Heinrich could think of many more questions, but Jan-Harm cut him off, “Shh, the less you know the better.” At this, Jan-Harm took out a key and put it in Heinrich’s hand and then gave him the paper. “There are several things listed here that Martin needs from his office; this key will get you in - but you cannot let anyone know what you are doing. If anyone asks you what we talked about and what you are to do, tell them that I need a gate replaced at my farm. You will need to make a trip to deliver the gate and these items. In other words, this is a real job and an undercover job. We need this done in one week. Are you willing to do this?”


to be continued...