The news story is the kind that gives credence to the wildest fears of religious people. The story also illustrates a problem when church and state mix.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church is the official state-supported church of Denmark. Thorkild Grosboel, a local pastor in the town of Taarbaek north of Copenhagen, recently said in a public forum that “there is no heavenly God, there is no eternal life, there is no resurrection.”
As one might expect, Grosboel’s bishop suspended the Lutheran pastor and asked him to issue an apology and retract his statements. “There should be no doubt that priests have committed themselves to … the church’s confession of faith,” said Bishop Lise-Lotte Rebel.
Amazingly Grosboel’s comments have been defended by some. The leader of Denmark’s Theological College of Education called Grosboel’s words “refreshing.” Now a debate is raging over whether a pastor has to believe in God in order to serve a church.
Such a debate is simply unbelievable. A simple reading of the dictionary should answer such a stupid question. Webster’s second edition of the “New World Dictionary” defines Christianity as “Christians collectively or the Christian religion based on the Old and New Testament.” The word Christian is defined as “a person professing belief in Jesus as the Christ.” The word Christ is defined as “Jesus of Nazareth regarded by Christians as the realization of the messianic prophecy.”
If one does not believe in a heavenly God, then how can one believe in the messianic prophecies? If one does not believe in the prophecies, how can one believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of those prophecies? If one does not believe in Jesus, then how can one be a Christian? If one is not a Christian, then how can one be a part of Christianity? The obvious answer to each question is that one cannot.
Webster offers an array of definitions for the word church. All have a common theme — Christian. Whether the reference is to a building used for Christian worship or to Christians considered as a single body or to ecclesiastical government of a denomination of Christians, all refer- ences trace their foundation back to a commitment to Jesus as the Christ.
The word pastor is defined as “a clergyman or priest in charge of a church or congregation.” How can one lead a Christian group — a church — if that person does not believe in God, in Christ, in eternal life or in the resurrection? Again the answer is that one cannot.
Simply by definition, Grosboel defines himself outside what it means to be a pastor or a Christian. It is reassuring that most church leaders condemned the pastor’s statements. That he would find any defenders within Lutheran structure is sorely disappointing. Thankfully, stories like this are rare. When they do surface they frequently trigger a fear reaction in us. If such a thing could happen there, we reason, it could happen here. Thus, we become more willing to believe gossip and rumors about one another. We can become more rigid in our positions as we try to protect the Christian faith from events such as the current episode in Denmark.
The debate will continue to rage among Lutherans in Denmark, but the bottom line is that their opinions do not matter. What Grosboel’s church members think will not determine his future. What Bishop Rebel recommends will not determine the matter. The final decision rests with the Danish government’s Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs. Denmark’s constitution says priests are employed by the state and only the state can dismiss them.
Such a structure is so foreign to Baptists that it is hard to understand. Our historical commitment to separation of church and state means that no power stands between God and His people except the Lord Jesus Christ. The state has no business trying to insert itself between God and man. Jesus alone is the great High Priest.
For centuries Baptists suffered at the hands of civil authorities because Baptists believed in the competency of each soul in matters of religion. It was the responsibility of believers to determine their doctrines and to conduct their affairs. Running the church was not the role of the state, our forefathers taught. That battle is still being fought in many nations around the world.
Baptists understand that one can define one’s self outside the Baptist tent. Soul competency does not mean that one can believe anything one desires and still be a Baptist. When questions arise, Baptists do not turn to government to solve problems. Baptists accept that responsibility themselves. A pastor is responsible to the church he serves. Church members are equally responsible to the church, though little is done with that these days. A church’s theological position is examined by its local association. Ministers serving through the denomination are responsible to the trustees or directors of the entity they serve.
In this way, Baptists affirm both individual soul competency and corporate responsibility of Baptists.
Occasionally problems arise among Baptists as among any group. When they do, they are dealt with. In this process, one must be careful not to judge every new idea or every rephrasing of an old idea or every question raised for discussion as a heretical statement. It is far better to judge one innocent until proven guilty than to judge one guilty until proven innocent.
But when one clearly defines one’s self outside the tent, as Grosboel clearly does, there should be no hesitancy in seeking to restore the wayward or, failing that, to acknowledge the waywardness of the individual.
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