Do you see any challenges for Lutheranism that are unique to the U.S.?
As an example to help you understand what I'm asking, I just finished reading a history of Catholicism in the U.S. A theme that emerged from that book was the struggle of explaining the U.S. to Rome. In the Spanish and French empires of the Americas, Rome could essentially interact with Catholics in the same way they did in Europe ... they were used to the unique issues related to Spain and France. However, those empires collapsed and Catholics in the U.S. were living in a Protestant (primarily Puritan) culture. Since Rome continued to view the Americas as a mission field (which it largely had been in the Spanish and French empires), and because they thought Catholic communities were autonomous rather than under pressure to conform to a Protestant culture (it's somewhat a myth that places like Maryland were Catholic colonies), they expected everything to flow from Rome to the Americas and were never open to adapting to the unique situation in the Americas...
... at least that's the way it was at one time. I don't know Rome's current approach.
I've similarly read histories of mainstream Protestantism in the U.S. and they have their unique challenges as well.
But, while Lutherans shared some of the problems of Catholics (i.e. they mistakenly assumed they would be allowed more autonomy than was the case, and felt cultural pressure to conform) and some of the problems of mainstream Protestantism (i.e. getting dragged into the political climate of thinking the U.S. was the New Israel), I'm wondering if there is anything unique to Lutheran theology that poses challenges unique to Lutheranism.
Any thoughts?
As an example to help you understand what I'm asking, I just finished reading a history of Catholicism in the U.S. A theme that emerged from that book was the struggle of explaining the U.S. to Rome. In the Spanish and French empires of the Americas, Rome could essentially interact with Catholics in the same way they did in Europe ... they were used to the unique issues related to Spain and France. However, those empires collapsed and Catholics in the U.S. were living in a Protestant (primarily Puritan) culture. Since Rome continued to view the Americas as a mission field (which it largely had been in the Spanish and French empires), and because they thought Catholic communities were autonomous rather than under pressure to conform to a Protestant culture (it's somewhat a myth that places like Maryland were Catholic colonies), they expected everything to flow from Rome to the Americas and were never open to adapting to the unique situation in the Americas...
... at least that's the way it was at one time. I don't know Rome's current approach.
I've similarly read histories of mainstream Protestantism in the U.S. and they have their unique challenges as well.
But, while Lutherans shared some of the problems of Catholics (i.e. they mistakenly assumed they would be allowed more autonomy than was the case, and felt cultural pressure to conform) and some of the problems of mainstream Protestantism (i.e. getting dragged into the political climate of thinking the U.S. was the New Israel), I'm wondering if there is anything unique to Lutheran theology that poses challenges unique to Lutheranism.
Any thoughts?