Kieschnick Writes Waking the Sleeping Giant

A review by Bruce A. Cameron

As it turned out, I bought a copy of Jerry Kieschnick's book, Waking the Sleeping Giant: The Birth, Growth, Decline, and Rebirth of an American Church during  the same week that President Kieschnick and his wife Terry came to St. John Lutheran Church in Sparta, Illinois, for our 100th Anniversary Celebration. Because of that, I now have an autographed copy of the book.

More importantly, because of that, I was able to place his written vision of the "hopes and dreams that [he] has for the LCMS" alongside his spoken encouragement to the people of Sparta to be witnesses to Christ and his love in their own lives, to touch the lives of the people around them in their congregation, their community, and their world.

Early in the book, President Kieschnick spells out his focus: "How the Christian Church addresses the needs and longings of people whose lives have been hugely affected by the changes that have occurred in the past 150 years, even the past 10 years, will mold and shape not only the lives of people in the church but also and especially the lives of people in our country and throughout the world.  This is the topic of this book." 

In Sparta, he wondered aloud how St. John's founders of 100 years ago would have reacted to a pastor who walked over to the electronic keyboard to join with the guitars and singers for a few of the hymns (including Chris Tomlin's song that expresses our anniversary theme, "His Love Endures Forever").  His conclision was that, after giving it a few moment's thought, they would probably say, "May God's holy name be praised."

Dr. Kieschnick's book is a look at how God's name has been praised, his word proclaimed, and his love shared over the past 160 - 170 years. He compares the Synod and its tensions to the congregation of his ancestors in Serbin, Texas, which split into two congregations, lived apart for a time, and then re-united. As the pastor there said, "At some point, the things which divided them [which 'few people alive today can recall'] were not as important as what united them."  The same for the LCMS.

Although, in too many cases, the LCMS is known for its "infighting and animosity," President Kieschnick views our Synod as a gathering blessed with a doctrinal unity "unequaled in most parts of the Christian Church." He has his own lists of the treasures of doctrine and life that unite us, a list of problems that are not besetting us, and includes as an appendix Dr. Sam Nafzger's "Introduction to the LCMS" as a good summary of where our Synod is at.

It is with confidence in that unity that Dr. Kieschnick turns to the questions that do trouble us and test our unity:

--the question of who is admitted to the Lord's Supper

--the service of women in the church

--differing forms of worship

--inter-Christian relationships

In each of these areas, this book would be a good introduction to where the discussion stands and a resource of references to the places where our Synod has officially taken a stand.

Now, it is only fair to say that for those of you who have closely followed LCMS proceedings--especially for those who have actually studied Convention Proceedings and  Convention Workbooks of recent years--and for those who have heard LCMS Presidential Reports, you will find that in many places, Jerry Kieschnick's book may sound like a presidential report. Which it is--complete with lists and charts, statistics and appendices. But even if we know the history of our Synod all too well, it can be good to see it put together in one place, tied together with a vision of what a church body and what individual Christians can do to praise God's holy name and to "vigorously make known the love of Christ sensitively and humbly, boldly and courageously."

How we as individuals and as a Synod fulfill this calling to be witnesses today is not a question only of our history. It is a question for present-day LCMS Lutherans to answer faithfully for our present-day neighbors, who are our present-day mission field. Dr. Kieschnick describes the congregations of his grandparents and his youth, as well as the church of his grandchildren and their future.

He asks, How are we to be the church? in today's America. Our church faces cultural and technological challenges; widespread biblical illiteracy; the plagues of pornography, adultery, and abortion. How do we fulfill our calling to be witnesses to Christ in a world where we are no longer the "insiders" of our society?

Each generation must grapple with C. F. W. Walther's question, "How shall we work together when we have no power over each other?" Our "rebirth" as a "Sleeping Giant" relies on our confidence in the power of God's word, and our certainty in his promises. That's all we have to give to anybody.

As Pastor Kieschnick said to the people of Sparta: "You have the opportunity to share God's love with people at the most vulnerable points in their life. It can be as simple as the statement, 'God's love is real. What Jesus did, he did for you. He forgives your sins and he loves you--just as all of those things are true in my life.'"

No church that has that message is powerless to move into the future.