Chapter 2: Lutheran disdain for the epistle of James

My own relation with James has undergone a number of changes. As a college student from a somewhat fundamentalist and legalist non-Lutheran church background, enrolled at Luther Col-lege, I began to share Luther's discomfort with James. I found Luther’s proclamation of the good news of God's boundless grace to be refreshing, exhilarating, liberating. I concluded that the epis-tle of James represented a compromise of that gospel. James had too much emphasis and insis-tence on law and works for my newly acquired Lutheran tastes.

Later, as a pastor and young professor, I began to have discomfort with Luther. I began to see that Luther had very likely misinterpreted James. Luther didn't often do that with biblical literature, but in this case I thought that he probably did. James was written much later than the Pauline letters. The author faced a very different situation. By that time even the definitions of terms had changed, including the definition of faith.

More recently, as an older teacher, I have once again become uncomfortable with James – though now for a very different reason and after some very different life experiences. My life experience this past decade has included some generous helpings of the Third World, particularly Latin America. My Christian sisters and brothers there have taught me a great deal about the bible and its message. They have given me a different perspective. They call it “the view from below.

Response: The fear factor

I know in my heart and mind that James is right – that faith without works is dead. In fact, I find that my faith grows stronger out of my works. I also know in my heart and mind that my works are not currently measuring up to the potential God has given me. But I struggle with how to get beyond where I am now. I am reminded of how far I have to go when my son sees a homeless person begging on a street corner; he wants to know how we can help that person right now. Neither of us is satisfied with my rationale that we give to charities that can eventually help that person. The path seems overwhelming when I read from my dad's journal about his experiences in Latin America. There are so many people in this world who are homeless and hungry – where do you even begin?

Chapter 2: Lutheran disdain for the epistle of James (pdf)