ZITAT: A Need For Compassion
Unless I'm way off base with my basic translating skills (and have completely forgotten how to perform an accurate Google search!), I believe the English word "quote" (used as a noun) is translated as "zitat" in German. That will help to explain the strange 'Z' word listed in the title of this post.
I'm no Pastor, but I can certainly identify with this.
In fact, the Lord has been emphasizing my own personal need to demonstrate much more compassion, compassion, compassion than perhaps I have been showing to others.
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The present divisions within Christendom are surely the result of a great deal more than doctrinal divisions. Doctrinal divisions exist, to be sure, but our differences are easier to address when we approach one another with compassion. Doctrine has never been a problem for (genuine) Lutherans; charity sometimes has. Lutheran pastors can be some of the most difficult people to get along with, a sentiment with which my own congregation would no doubt agree! Far too often, I’ve put their ability to forgive “seventy times seven” to the test (Matthew 18:22). If only our love for one another were as pure as our doctrine, there would be a great deal more Lutherans in the world today. The negative comments I hear about Lutherans (particularly, “confessional Lutherans”) rarely have anything to do with doctrine. We must be careful not to sacrifice warmth and compassion on the altar of theological integrity.
*- Pastor Eric Andersen
I'm no Pastor, but I can certainly identify with this.
In fact, the Lord has been emphasizing my own personal need to demonstrate much more compassion, compassion, compassion than perhaps I have been showing to others.
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