Eberhard Stammler

Stammler wrote his book, Protestan ohne Kirche in 1960, and it was translated into English in 1964, but it still strikes me as extremely relevant today. He is speaking not only of nominal Protestants, who in Germany may pay church taxes, even if they rarely attend church, but also of the silent and obedient faithful in the pews. The Lutheran strain of Protestantism aimed for a priesthood of all the baptized, each person in direct contact with God, instead of having the relationship with God mediated by a professional priesthood. Instead, “The role of the layman, however, was expressed principally in the he had to listen. The central event of the church that even today is again moved fully to the middle point occurs in such a way that only a single person has the right to speak, while the people have to keep attentive and faithfully listening and likewise silent.” Lay movements are regarded with suspicion and supressed or co-opted. The result is that the church does not interact well with the secular world in which the laity live; the laity are never asked about their lives.

One of the goals of Protestantism was to return to the primitive church, but there is a world of difference in speaking of the priesthood of the baptized when they consisted of first generation Christians who freely chose the faith and baptism as adults, and in a society where infants are baptized, and confirmation is an expected ritual that takes place as a certain time, and as a major family social event, rather than reflecting the actual feelings of the confirmand. I would add, it is one thing to give everyone a Bible, it is another to get them to read it; studies have shown that most American Christians cannot name the four gospels.

Even with these problems in defining the “brotherhood of priests,” Stammler argues that the laity need to be part of the conversation about what it means to be a Christian in their own time, and the church needs to offer some concrete guidance in applying principles to everyday life. What does it mean to be a Christian sales person for example? Should Christians take ruthless advantage in business situations, or should they attempt to mediate solutions that serve the needs of all parties?… (altro)