Losing My Religion Redux part 1

Jeremy has asked that I again post my journey from Dispensationalism to Reformed Theology. Well I never kept my previous post from my defunct blog. But providentially my mind is like a steel trap (sprung) so I remember almost word for word what I wrote. And since I am still hammering out the rest of my posts on Sanctification, prolusion means a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book ( I have a dictionary on obscure words and I am not afraid to use it.), I will recount my previous posts again.

First let me state this: I have nothing but respect for many if not most Dispensational teachers no matter that I do disagree with them. It was a Dispensational Baptist preacher that lead me to trust Christ as my Savior and Lord.

I was raised in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America denomination. My father a staunch Lutheran had us in church every Sunday morning. There I would sit ignoring what was going on only moving if it was the portion of the liturgy which required me to stand or kneel and mumble out a response. I was your typical child only in church because my parents forced me to be there. I read the Bible stories and collected the Sunday Pix comics because they had the cool adventures of Tullus in them.

In my junior high year (they call it middle school now) I was required to go to confirmation classes at the Lutheran church. Not because I wanted to become a Lutheran rather because to go against my Father's wishes would have been unthinkable. So I went. As I was in church I was the same in catechism class an inattentive student preferring not to answer when called upon. In fact I don't know that I read any of the reading. And let me state this: it wasn't Luther's small catechism that we were learning. No this was some pabulum foisted upon the church by some over eager revisionist who was try to make it relate to that generation. And seeing that the ELCA is the most liberal of the American Lutheran denominations I'm not surprised that Luther's small catechism was no longer to be found.

Sad to say I was confirmed in the Lutheran church totally unregenerate. I do admit I had a shiver go down my spine when I stood before the entire church and said "I renounce the Devil and all his ways". It meant nothing. It was in this sorry state that I applied and was accepted at a private Christian highschool. This school was non-denominational. You know I love that term, its used by Baptists trying to hide who and what they are. This school was no different many of the teachers were also preachers in training or looking for a pastorate. Some of them were missionaries. Ninty-nine percent were Baptist. I think the number of Lutherans that were in that school numbered three. And the other two were Missouri Synod so we didn't talk. I remember sitting before the person who was going to accept or decline my application she asked me if I was "born again" I didn't know what that meant. That term had never been used in the church I attended. Not once. So I told her that I had been confirmed in the Lutheran church. That got me the look, but she accepted it as proof of my regeneration.

And so I started school not knowing that one of the requirements was that every Friday morning chapel was mandatory. And not only that but during the first week chapel was every day of the week.

To be continued.