The Napoleon of Notting Hill is a delightful G.K. Chesterton story about a man who for a joke gathers together leaders of various London neighborhoods and tells them they are to regard their neighborhoods as countries. All know it is joke, except for the chap from Notting Hill. He takes the man seriously and forms a country complete with flag, army, and do or die patriotism. The politico hardly knows what to do with him.
I’ve met the Napoleons of the latter days of Lutheranism. I met them on a flat, barren piece of land outside of a town of less than 400 people. In fact, there were more dead people in the cemetery then there were live people in the town, but that’s where these latter day Napoleons were gathered outside of Malone, Texas for a meeting of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America.
You see when they went to seminary someone told them that the original Lutherans preferred an Episcopal polity, and they believed them. Someone told them that Absolution was a sacrament to forgive sins, and they believed them. Someone told them that since angels, archangels and all the company gathered at Communion, there was always a crowd at Communion no matter how few were there, and they believed them. Someone told them that Scripture gave no one permission to tolerate false teaching, and they believed them. Someone told them that the riches of Christ were more valuable than the treasures of a synodical health or retirement plan, and they believed them. Someone told them that the Lord Jesus builds His Church only by means of Word and Sacraments, and these yahoos believed them.
While the rest of Lutheranism panders for the next new program, these guys only use Word and Sacraments to gather souls one at a time in disparate locations across the United States. While the rest of Lutheranism finds new ways to make everyone a minister, these guys have a bishop and deacon; you know the “old orders” spoken of in our Lutheran Confessions. While the rest of Lutheranism has political conventions orchestrated by oligarchies, these guys have an ecclesiastical assembly where real clerics give theological papers. While the rest of Lutheranism won’t allow their ecclesiastical supervisors to hear confessions lest the institution be sued, these guys have a true ecclesiastical supervisor hearing their confession forgiving their sins. I tell you these guys are nuts. The Missouri Synod pretends to be Ablaze; these guys have been lit on fire by truths someone didn’t really expect them to believe.
And no one knows what to do with them. Make them feel bad because they take the Confession seriously? Make them feel bad because they are small? I know lets ignore them. You can do that alright unless you make the mistake of being around them. Then you’ll make the really big mistake of looking into the eyes of a man of God. If you’re a confessional Lutheran and not embarrassed watch out, but really watch out if he weeps (2 Kings 8:11-12).
