A Method for Evangelical Lutheran Casuistry

LCMS Winkel casuistry sessions often suffer from amnesia. In order to draw on the wisdom of the past as well as of your contemporaries, consider these guidelines when you are confronted by cases of conscience.

1. List the commandments and other biblical precepts that could have a bearing on the question.

• Commandments.
• Other biblical precepts (moral Law, not OT ceremonial or civil law).
• Biblical examples (from narratives) that have God’s judgment expressed with them.
• Necessary deductions from biblical principles.
• Natural Law.

2. If necessary, research the state of the question. For example, if it is a question that touches on law or medicine, you should consult experts in these areas.

3. Research the wisdom of the past. Read pastoral theologies and trustworthy casuistry works to see what arguments they bring from Scripture and Natural Law. For example:

English:

• C. F. W. Walther, American Lutheran Pastoral Theology (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2017).
• Wilhelm Loehe, The Pastor, ed. Charles P. Schaum (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2015).
• Ewald M. Plass, ed., What Luther Says (Saint Louis: Concordia Pub. House, 1959). (But don’t treat Luther as equal to the Bible. He has to prove his opinions, just like anyone else.)
• Martin Luther, Letters of Spiritual Counsel, ed. Theodore G. Tappert (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1955).
• Fritz, John H. C. Pastoral Theology: A Handbook of Scriptural Principles Written Especially for Pastors of the Lutheran Church (St. Louis: Concordia Pub. House, 1932).
• Norbert H. Mueller and George Kraus, Pastoral Theology (St. Louis: Concordia Pub. House, 1990) (sometimes lax and permissive).
• CTCR documents, https://www.lcms.org/CTCR (sometimes lax and permissive; remember to examine their arguments; do not simply accept their judgments as authorities).
• “The Doctrinal Resolutions of the National Conventions of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod 1847–2004,” available from http://www.lutheranhistory.org/doctresorder.htm .
• Indices of LCMS seminary journals (e.g., http://media.ctsfw.edu).

German and Latin:

• Ernst Eckhardt, Homiletisches Reallexikon nebst Index Rerum (St. Louis: Success Printing Co., 1907–17). This is an index to all the theological literature of the early Missouri Synod.
• Conrad Porta, Pastorale Lutheri, das ist: nützlicher und nötiger Unterricht, von den fürnemsten Stücken zum heiligen Ministerio gehörig (Leipzig : In Verlegung Henningi Grossen, 1586; reprint, Nördlingen: C.H. Beck, 1842). This is one of the first Lutheran casuistry works, drawn from Luther’s writings.
• Georg Dedekenn and J. E. Gerhard, eds., Thesaurus consiliorum et decisionum, 2nd ed., 4 vols. (Hamburg: Hertel, 1671). This is arguably the greatest work of Lutheran casuistry. For more information, see Benjamin T. G. Mayes, Counsel and Conscience: Lutheran Casuistry and Moral Reasoning after the Reformation (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2011).
• Friedrich Balduin, Tractatus . . . de . . . casibus . . . conscientiae (Wittenberg: Helwig, 1628). One of the first single-author Lutheran casuistries.
• Consilia theologica witebergensia (Frankfurt am Mäyn: Balthasar Christoph Wust, 1664). A large collection of Wittenberg opinions, with valuable source material on the intra-Lutheran syncretistic controversy.

4. Discuss your findings with peers. Hear their counsel and evaluate it.

5. Make the decision that is least likely to be sinful, that is, safest from externally violating God’s moral Law. I.e., instead of asking how far one might be able to go without violating God’s moral Law, ask how God’s moral Law can most safely be honored and kept. Distinguish between what is objectively right and wrong, realizing that people sometimes do right actions for bad purposes, but wrong actions cannot be done for good purposes.

6. Record the case, the decision, and the arguments that support the decision.

7. Have peace of conscience! Luther: “If such a thoroughly doubtful and rare case occurs, whether in this or other articles and matters, which cannot be decided on the basis of any Scripture or book, then one should have a good pious man or two give advice and speak to the matter; and after they have given advice and spoken, [one should] also remain with their decision and advice without any wavering or doubt. For even if they do not exactly hit the pinnacle of what is right in such obscure matters, yet such a small mistake does not hurt anything, and it is better finally to have peace and calm with disadvantage and less correctness than continuously to seek the most pointed and strictest correctness—which one will never find anyway—with indefinite discord and unrest” (Walther, Pastoral Theology, 300; WA 30/3:222, cf. AE 46:287–88).

Benjamin T. G. Mayes
All Saints’ Day
Nov. 1, 2016 A+D

Organization of Classic Lutheran Casuistry

Early Lutherans had a rich casuistry literature, which gave them guidance on difficult pastoral, moral, and doctrinal questions. Little of this has been translated, so a glance at the contents is useful, showing how they organized their thinking on these cases of conscience. For more on this, see my book:
Mayes, Benjamin T. G. Counsel and Conscience: Lutheran Casuistry and Moral Reasoning after the Reformation. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2011.

Georg Dedekenn, Johann Ernst Gerhard, and Christian Grübel, eds., Thesaurus Conciliorum et Decisionum (1671 ed.)[1]

The work is organized around the “Three Estates”: church, civil government, and home (but here dealing just with issues of marriage).

I. Churchly Issues. The organization is somewhat haphazard. Main topics include:

A. Doctrinal matters.

B. Call process.

C. Church fellowship issues.

D. Baptism.

E. Lord’s Supper.

F. Church discipline and rights of pastors (or pastor-hearer relations).

G. Funerals.

II. Political Issues. Much of this would not be relevant for our purposes. It would instead be useful for Lutheran ethics or moral theology.

III. Marital Issues. Here are the issues:

A. Church Marriage Courts

B. Celibacy

C. Concubinage

D. Polygamy

E. Betrothals

F. Consent of Parents, Tutors, and Relatives

G. Sexual Intercourse Between Betrothal and Marriage

H. Prohibited Grades of Relationship

J. Marriage Ceremony (Priestly Blessing)

K. Separation from Bed and Board

L. Divorce (for various causes)

M. Remarriage

Friedrich Balduin, De casibus conscientiae[2]

Book 1. On conscience and its cases in general (pp. 1–44).

Book 2. On actions of man concerning God and religion (pp. 45–532). This section includes issues of doctrine, the use of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and many other topics.

Book 3. On the actions of man concerning heavenly spirits (pp. 533–848). This section also deals with evil spirits, possessed people, melancholy people, wizards and witches, divination, and ghosts.

Book 4. On the actions of man concerning human matters (pp. 849–1281). Topics include the human body, the care of the mind, good fortune, lifestyle (genus vitae), call to the ministry of the Word, ordination of ministers of the Church, preaching duty, administration of Baptism, administration of the Lord’s Supper, use of the keys of the Church, beauty and order in the Church (liturgy and ceremonies), civil government, marriage, duties of parents and children, duties of brothers, sisters, and neighbors, masters and servants, and behavior with one’s neighbor.

Porta, Pastorale Lutheri[3]

1. On the worthiness and highness of the holy preaching office (3–15).

2. On the call of preachers (16–44).

3. On studying (45–56).

4. On the preachers’ gifts, and their manner of teaching, etc. (57–71).

5. On teaching (72–121).

6. On rebuking (122–187).

7. On comforting (188–242).

8. On admonishing and warning (243–281). [Notice the division of pastoral duties according to 2 Tim. 3:16; Rom. 15:4!]

9. On praying (282–298).

10. On the external life and behavior of preachers (299–318).

11. On the marriage of priests, and how they should govern their wives, children, and servants (319–339).

12. On marriage matters in general (340–373).

13. On baptizing (374–386).

14. On matters of confession and on the key of releasing and binding (387–414).

15. On distributing sacraments (415–444).

16. On diligent care of the poor (445–462).

17. On the depressed [Schwermüthigen], afflicted, and possesed: how to deal with them (463–492).

18. On the sick and evildoers who have forfeited their lives, who are to be visited and comforted (493–520).

19. On funerals, or the ceremonies at burials (521–529).

20. On the support and salary of preachers (530–542).

21. On resistance to and cross of genuine preachers (543–552).

22. On the comfort and reward of faithful preachers (552–567).

23. On unfaithful preachers, sectarian spirits, fanatics, their manner and characteristic (568–586).

24. On the punishment and demise of unfaithful and false teachers, heretics, and sectarian spirits (587–598).

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[1] Georg Dedekenn and Johann Ernst Gerhard, eds., Thesauri Consiliorum Et Decisionum Volumen Primum, Ecclesiastica Continens, 2nd ed. (Jena: Zacharias Hertel, 1671); See Benjamin T. G. Mayes, Counsel and Conscience: Lutheran Casuistry and Moral Reasoning after the Reformation (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2011), 110–14, 143–45.

[2] Friedrich Balduin, Tractatus Luculentus, Posthumus, Toti Reipublicae Christianae Utilissimus, De Materiâ rarissimè antehac enucleatâ, Casibus nimirum Conscientiae (Wittenberg: Paulus Helwigius, 1628).

[3] Conrad Porta, ed., Pastorale Lutheri: Das Ist Nützlicher Und Nöthiger Unterricht von Den Fürnembsten Stücken Zum Hl. Ministerio Gehörig (s.l., 1597); Conrad Porta, Pastorale Lutheri: das ist: Nützlicher und nöthiger Unterricht von den vornehmsten Stücken zum heil. Ministerium gehörig, und richtige Antwort auf mancherlei wichtige Fragen: Für anfangende Prediger und Kirchendiener (Nördlingen: Beck, 1842). I cite the 1842 edition.