Kingdom of the Left

[Resha Caner]

If you were to choose a leader for the Kingdom of the Left, what Confessional Lutheran do you think would be best suited to the job?

 

[Resha Caner]

Hmm. OK. Let me ask this: Did you not respond because:
1. You couldn't think of anyone
2. You didn't understand the question
3. You think there is something wrong with the question
4. Other reasons

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

2 & 3.

 

[Resha Caner]

2 & 3.

OK. Let's try this as a way to work toward an answer:

I assume if I asked you to rank the important things in your life, God would rank #1 - the Church #2, your family #3 - something like that. And you may not be fanatically attached to your particular synod (mine is the LCMS), but you probably consider it the best embodiment of the Confessions you can find. It's part of your community - your family.

But let's turn to what comes after that. Taking all those things as a given, what would you put next on the list as important to your life? Health? Your job? Education? Liberty? What comes next?

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

OK. Let's try this as a way to work toward an answer:

I assume if I asked you to rank the important things in your life, God would rank #1 - the Church #2, your family #3 - something like that. And you may not be fanatically attached to your particular synod (mine is the LCMS), but you probably consider it the best embodiment of the Confessions you can find. It's part of your community - your family.

But let's turn to what comes after that. Taking all those things as a given, what would you put next on the list as important to your life? Health? Your job? Education? Liberty? What comes next?

OK, that is easy!

Vocation; striving to be the very best at what I am called to do in this life.

 

[Resha Caner]

Vocation; striving to be the very best at what I am called to do in this life.

OK. I don't know what your vocation is, but I would assume it has some associated ethical issues. If so, what would one of those be?

For example, I'm an engineer. One of the recent big news stories is the cheating by VW. I haven't dug into the details of what VW did, but the dirty little secret in the industry is that years ago everyone was doing something similar to what VW got caught for - even my company. The issue is that at one time there was no rule against it. It wasn't illegal. It's only because the EPA changed the rules and VW kept doing it that they're in trouble.

I'm in a different department now, but when I found about this in the past, and was told it wasn't illegal, my response was: I don't care. It's unethical. My team isn't going to do it. We'll find a way to meet the regulation without cheating.

Have you ever encountered an ethical situation in your vocation?

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

OK. I don't know what your vocation is, but I would assume it has some associated ethical issues. If so, what would one of those be?

For example, I'm an engineer. One of the recent big news stories is the cheating by VW. I haven't dug into the details of what VW did, but the dirty little secret in the industry is that years ago everyone was doing something similar to what VW got caught for - even my company. The issue is that at one time there was no rule against it. It wasn't illegal. It's only because the EPA changed the rules and VW kept doing it that they're in trouble.

I'm in a different department now, but when I found about this in the past, and was told it wasn't illegal, my response was: I don't care. It's unethical. My team isn't going to do it. We'll find a way to meet the regulation without cheating.

Have you ever encountered an ethical situation in your vocation?

I discussed this at length with many people over the years, and vocation can be anything. Even a poor soul, with advanced Alzheimer's; or a debilitating critical illness have vocation. It may be to give meaning and purpose to those that care for them, but their vocation is no less valuable than any other persons.

Regarding your post; previously yes, but I won't go into it. Same deal though; ethical issues. Currently, I too am working in engineering for a very good company. The biggest issue I'm encountering right now is integrity and accountability with other people. This is something that I insist on for myself and the other person under me.

I recently made a measurement error that cost us nothing more than a few hours of time. I went to my supervisor, explained my error and told him that I needed more time. He jokingly said that I should not tell him stuff like that as I had a review coming up. He knew how the lack of integrity and accountability rubs me the wrong way, and I said to him "I'm trying to teach by example". His reply was "and how's that working for you?". Having been in the work force since my very first part time job about 44 years ago, I have witnessed a continual decrease in personal integrity and accountability. When I do run into a person that has these traits it is refreshing; unfortunately, they get frustrated and seem to move from job to job so I only get to work with them a short while.

The sense of vocation is becoming a thing of the past. One person I work with, his wife is a supervisor at a home for the aged and she too has found that there is a very low commitment level among the "professional" nursing staff that she oversees; and it's getting harder and harder to staff on weekends with people calling in. The absentee rate there, among these union professional health care workers is higher than it is among the unskilled and for the most part, under educated line workers in our plant. I can say with confidence that among the supervisors up in my plant, absenteeism is the lowest I have ever experienced.

I will give VW some credit, they admitted it; I would guess that they are only the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Resha Caner]

One more question, and then we can loop back to the OP: Do you think a Confessional Lutheran faith informs those ethical issues in a unique way?

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

For me it does. Our Church, based on Scripture, has always stressed daily repentance and continual prayer. This sounds a bit "mystical" for some Lutherans, but our whole life should be a prayer, and in everything we do, we should consider ourselves to be stewards, not just employees or employers; one need only to look at Luther's table of duties in the catechism to understand this concept.

In your original post you put a priority of God, Chruch, Family. I would suggest that they are inseparable. It's all or nothing, you are all in, or you are out. If one gives priority to God, everything else should fall into place.

 

[Resha Caner]

For me it does. Our Church, based on Scripture, has always stressed daily repentance and continual prayer. This sounds a bit "mystical" for some Lutherans, but our whole life should be a prayer, and in everything we do, we should consider ourselves to be stewards, not just employees or employers; one need only to look at Luther's table of duties in the catechism to understand this concept.

In your original post you put a priority of God, Chruch, Family. I would suggest that they are inseparable. It's all or nothing, you are all in, or you are out. If one gives priority to God, everything else should fall into place.

I completely agree. In addition I think Confessional Lutheranism brings a unique perspective with Law and Gospel. Though we are called to be "moral" it is as a response - our fruit. There is no requirement for salvation - no call to a Social Gospel. The Church can hold us accountable, but Lutherans emphasize that accountability as a witness, not as fulfilling a bargain.

So, given we both think vocation is important, and ethics are important to vocation, I am asking about the next step. Would it be appropriate to join in a community of accountability? I think so. But I think that is the Kingdom of the Left. I don't think it is appropriate for a pastor (or any officer of the LCMS) to become president of the Lutheran Businessman's Ethics Council (or whatever one might want to call it). At the same time, I'm not looking for a secular organization or the U.S. government to fill that role. I don't think they're capable.

So, back to the original question: If you were to choose a leader for the Kingdom of the Left, what Confessional Lutheran do you think would be best suited to the job?