The Contemplative Lutheran

As a consequence of sola Scriptura , one of the things we as Lutherans identify with and stress is the Patristic tradition of theology. Being a “conservative Reformation” of the Western Catholic Church, our conception of catholicity includes the witness of the Fathers who have gone before us. For example, we can hardly read a page in the Book of Concord without encountering an affirmative reference to the Church Fathers. We read mention therein of Irenaeus, Basil, Gregory, Ambrose, Augustine, and Cyril of Alexandria, to name only a few. The Fathers of the Lutheran Church, from Luther and Melanchthon, to Chemnitz and Andreae, and further on to Gerhard, Quenstedt, and Calov, we see persistent and typically positive reference to the Fathers. Thus our theology is both preeminently Scriptural and eminently Patristic.  As a corollary of Patristic Theology is Patristic piety. Now, this transformative piety centers on silence, stillness, and watchfulness, as standard or foundational to the...