Dr. Eric W. Gritsch

 Joshua K. Warfield

2015 Essay Contest for Luther and Gritsch Scholars

Write 700 – 1,000 words on the topic: “As we approach the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, imagine that you are interviewing Martin Luther.  Ask him to critique the progress of the reform movement.  In which two areas of witness would he praise his followers, and in which two areas would he believe his followers have fallen short of his expectations?” Be certain to double space your work.  Be specific, and include at least two citations from Luther’s works as well as two citations from the works of the Luther scholar, Eric W. Gritsch.  Creativity and originality are encouraged.

It was late at night. I had just pulled the kettle off of the stove and poured myself a cup of coffee when I suddenly felt that I was not alone. I turned around and saw standing before me none other than Dr. Luther, himself. He was seated at my kitchen table, looking at me with a bemused smile. I was speechless for quite some time, staring in awe of the great scholar and reformer before me. When I finally could speak, a million questions sprang to mind, but only the words “What… how?” escaped my lips.

            Luther laughed, standing enough from the table to reach out and take the cup of coffee from my hand, drinking a sip, before placing it on the table and sitting back down. “I don’t have much time, so let us get to the reason for my visit. I heard you have a question for me?”

            I nodded, sitting down across from Luther. I heard of this happening once before, when Luther met with Dr. Timothy Lull and had a few conversations over the course of a decade. [1]  It was thus that I chose not to ask how or why Luther appeared before me, but instead acknowledged the reality of the situation and the incredible opportunity to ask him a question.

            “In light of the 500^th anniversary fast approaching of the publication of your ‘Ninety-Five Theses,’ what would you say of where the reform movement has ended up today?” I asked.

            Luther’s eyes opened wide then he laughed a hearty laugh. “That’s quite a question,” he said. “But I will do my best to answer.

            “First, let me say how proud I am that the church has turned towards what you call today ‘social justice.’ There has been a revitalization in recent years of a concern for the poor and oppressed members of society, a concern that is very close to my heart and in many ways lead me to write my ‘Ninety-five Theses.’ For the poverty of Christ ‘teaches how we are to find him in our neighbor, in the lowliest and the neediest." [2]  I  know there is much squabbling among churches that bear my name, but, above all, most seek to bring justice and aid to their neighbors.”

            I thought of Luther scholar Dr. Eric W. Gritsch’s words on Luther: “More than any other man of his day, Luther appears to have worn his heart on his sleeve, tipping his cap to the troubled consciences of common folk.' [3]

Luther continued, “Let me say something that bothers me about the church today. It seems to me the church truly has lost the fear of death. Many think us silly when they look back to the Reformation, calling us superstitious for having such vivid beliefs in the devil. But you must realize, death truly was all around us. Us reformers, as you call us today, felt we truly were in danger of being killed at any moment—whether by the hand of the Catholic Church or plague, death truly was always just around the corner. In your age of modern medicine, you thankfully do not have to worry about death as much. But with this, the church has lost something.”

            I thought again on words by Dr. Gritsch as Luther spoke, how Luther thought “that the endtime is always near, because death is always near. To be able to look death in the eye the way Luther did would also be finally a way to manage the principal conflict in the Christian life.' [4]

            “So, you would say the church needs to revisit a fear of death?” I cautioned to ask.

            Luther shook his head. “Not a fear so much as a confrontation. What does it mean that ‘the old creature in us with all sins and evil desires is to be drowned’ in baptism if we do not believe in death? In other words, how can we know the true power of grace without knowing the true power of death?" [5]

            Luther paused for a moment, giving space for me to process the words before he continued. “The second thing I worry about the reform movement is the inability to look past my words and teachings. This is what I will say for both what the church needs to improve and what I am proud of the church in one answer: I am proud that my church has been able to move past my words and look at where the Spirit is calling them to in this day and age in light of women’s ordination and the apology the ELCA made to the Jewish people in 1994, but I also am critical of when the church uses my words to dig their heels in the ground and avoid the Spirit’s calling. I was a sixteenth century monk, there is no way I could have foreseen the issues of the church today—human sexuality, the ramifications of racism, ecology—I do not have all the answers. To say that I do is blasphemy, and even in my proudest moments I would never say that I knew everything. The church would be wise to reread my words in light of these issues, sure, but also to listen to where the Spirit is calling you beyond what I had to say five hundred years ago.”

            Luther paused then looked to the clock over my stove. “I must be going. But, as I told my good friend, Dr. Lull, ‘I’m happy to talk with you about any of these matters, but I can’t solve your problems for you. It just wouldn’t be right. It would take away your responsibility, and even your freedom, to do what you must do according to conscience in your own time."  [6]

With that, Dr. Luther stood, finished the rest of the coffee I had prepared in one gulp, then bid Auf Wiedersehen.

_______________

[1] Timothy F. Lull, My Conversations with Martin Luther in which I Learn about God, Faith, Marriage, Sexuality, Family, Education, War, Spirituality, Church Life, the Future, Ecumenism, Politics, Heaven, and Other Things Too, (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1999).

1st Place Winner:
Paul Flo  

3rd Place Winner: 
Andrew Christiansen