Pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, along with wrath, greed, sloth, lust, envy, and gluttony. Pride is usually described as excessive love of self that leads to contempt or even hatred for others. St. Paul spoke of this kind of pride in Philippians 3 where he writes to those who have excessive pride in themselves and their heritage. In verse 4 he begins “if any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more; circumcised on the 8th day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews…..” and then went on to say that this is not what is important to him. He let it be known who he was but he did not take excessive pride in it. In 2nd Corinthians 10:17 he wrote “Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord.”
Excessive or exclusive pride is not what we wished to assert at the assembly this year, nor did we want to put down any other group. We simply wanted to affirm and celebrate that which is good in our own denomination. There are so many good people in our church and so many wonderful ministries as well as a rich heritage that often get lost in the midst of the challenges and controversies of the current day. At the assembly we lauded our companion synod relationship with the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church of India, we began participation in the ELCA’s effort to join others in eradicating malaria in Africa, we commissioned a young family for missionary service in South Africa, and we rejoiced that our finances are finally stabilized. In several of his letters St. Paul lauded and applauded the work being done by others, and that is what we would do, too. Denominational chauvinism is bad; but justifiable pride is not.
A few days later I met a man who told me about how he does not care much for denominations, so he is part of a non-denominational or, as he might prefer to call it, independent church. In this he was part of a broad trend in American Protestantism where many large churches without any denominational affiliation. are growing in the suburbs around every major city. Several large Lutheran churches have gone independent after they became as big or bigger than a small synod. These mega-churches are the hot topic in religion right now, as attested in an article last week in the Grand Forks Herald about religious trends in America. As someone who has never changed denominations, indeed whose father, grandfather, and great-grandfather always were members of the ELCA or its predecessor bodies. I know that I am open to the charge that I simply have accepted what I inherited without examining it or that I am simply old fashioned. But this is not the case. There have been decision points in my life when I read, thought, prayed, and then affirmed my desire to be a minister in this particular church.
Being part of a denomination is learning to deal with the good, the bad, and sometimes even the ugly. In this it is not much different from being part of a family or a local congregation. All through my ministry I have encountered people who have asked me “do you know what happened in this part of your denomination?” Inevitably there would then come an account of a person or a congregation that did something for which I would have no defense. In those moments of consternation I have found that it is important not to let the negative overwhelm the positive. The “outrage of the week” can easily overshadow the good things that are happening all around. It takes a conscious effort, at times, to keep the good at the forefront.
In Philippians 4:8 St. Paul wrote, “finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” This applies to congregations and denominations as much as to individual persons.
