Luther & Access to God’s Word

00:00
President Larry Rast
One of the really key things of the Reformation that Luther did was to take the scriptures, which had been inaccessible, and to make them available in a language that they knew and that they could hear the Lord speaking to them in a meaningful way. 

00:25
Rich Rudowske
You welcome to the essentially translatable podcast brought to you by Lutheran Bible translators. I’m Rich Radowski. 

00:31
Emily Wilson
And I’m Emily Wilson. Rich, do you know what 2021 is? 

00:35
Rich Rudowske
It is the year of our lord. First of all, this is true, and I have a feeling there’s more to it than that or you wouldn’t have brought it up. 

00:42
Emily Wilson
Yeah, it’s true. So did you know that in 1521, Martin Luther started translating the Bible into the vernacular German? 

00:53
Rich Rudowske
Yes, that is true. 

00:57
Emily Wilson
We do hope that all of you listening are super excited, because we are. For the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s New Testament, we are beginning a year long celebration. This year, starting in November, we’re kicking it off. And what better way to start launching, start getting all the excitement building than talking with a biblical historian, a church history scholar? So why don’t you talk a little bit about our guest? 

01:29
Rich Rudowske
Yes. Our guest today is President Larry Rast. He’s the president of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, and his background is in church history and reformation history. And again, when we think about the Reformation, we think about Christianity the way that we understand and practice it today. And the centerpiece that God’s word is, it wasn’t always that way. And the Reformation began that, but the translation of the Bible and the vernacular German language first and then other languages really helped that to solidify. And so we talked with President rast about that and some other things, and we look forward to sharing our conversation with him with you today. 

02:07
Speaker 4
We’re here with president rast from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. Welcome to the podcast. 

02:14
President Larry Rast
Thank you. It’s great to be here with you. 

02:16
Speaker 4
So could you share a little bit with our listeners about your story? How did you get involved in ministry here and become president of Fort Wayne? 

02:24
President Larry Rast
Well, it’s quite the pilgrimage. I come from a clergy family. My grandfather was a pastor. My father had three brothers. They were all pastors. But my dad was the one of the four boys that chose not to enter the ministry. He was a musician, is a musician still. And so we always make the joke that there must have been a recessive gene that skipped a generation and came to me. I got interested in pursuing the ministry in my late teens and went to Concordia in river Forest, now Concordia Chicago, and then made the choice to come to Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. 

03:04
President Larry Rast
I graduated in 1990, stayed for a year to work on a master of sacred theology, and then moved down to Nashville, Tennessee, to study american church history at Vanderbilt University and then received a call to be pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church in Madison, Tennessee. So we served there five years, and then I was called back to the seminary in 1996, and we’ve been here ever since. My wife, Amy and I, we have three kids, and two of them were born in Tennessee. One was born here indiana. But we’ve been here 25 years, and for the last ten, I have been the president of the seminary and love it here. We love Fort Wayne. We love, especially preparing people for service in Christ’s mission and engaging with our partners here in the United States and preparing them for work all around the world. 

03:56
President Larry Rast
So it’s a great place to be. And one of our great partners, of course, is Lutheran Bible translators, and we’re thrilled to work together with LBT. 

04:06
Rich Rudowske
Yeah. 

04:06
Speaker 5
And it’s anniversary this year for the seminary. Talk a little bit about what’s going. 

04:11
Rich Rudowske
On for the anniversary. 

04:12
President Larry Rast
It’s a little dangerous to ask me that because my studies are in church history and you give me 175 years to work with. It might take a while, but were established before there was a Missouri synod, just as our sister seminary in St. Louis was. They were established in 1839. We were established in 1846 as a missionary seminary, and the intent was to prepare men for pastoral service as quickly as possible and to send them out to the scattered german immigrants of the american frontier, the western frontier, which meant western Ohio and eastern Indiana back then. And so we began operations in the fall of 1846 and have continued under the blessing of God, carrying out our mission of forming servants in Jesus Christ who teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all. 

05:04
President Larry Rast
And this year, with that 175th anniversary, we’re taking stock of where we’ve been, but more importantly, looking to the future for new ways and exciting ways to continue the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us. 

05:19
Rich Rudowske
Great. 

05:19
Speaker 5
And we are also, as a lutheran church, we’ve been celebrating the Reformation. The 500th anniversary of the Reformation was celebrated in 1517 with kind of a launch, remembering the posting of the 95 theses. But we’re coming up on 500 years of Luther, then translating the Bible into the local vernacular language. Tell us about the importance of Luther doing that and its place in the Reformation. 

05:46
President Larry Rast
That’s a great question. The Reformation. A lot of times, people just think of the one date, October 31, 1517, when Luther posts these 95 theses. Well, actually, when he posted those, they were kind of reformational, but he was still a roman catholic priest and he was teaching official church doctrine and all that kind of thing. He raised a few points that kind of irritated the church leadership and the like, kind of being an understatement. But what came out of that then was increasing clarity on Luther’s part as he read the scriptures regarding the nature of salvation, that we’re saved by grace through faith because of what Christ has done for us. 

06:25
President Larry Rast
And as he articulated that ever more clearly on the basis of the Bible, the result was that reformation themes became more and more prominent, not only in his own teaching, but in the life of the church in Germany as a whole. And then from Germany, kind of spread out throughout Europe and had all the impacts that we’re so familiar with, which is part of the reason we’re sitting here today having this conversation. 

06:48
President Larry Rast
That said, one of the really key things of the reformation that Luther did was to take the scriptures, which had been inaccessible in a lot of ways for folks, and to make them available in a language that they knew, that they could understand and the like, and that they could hear the Lord speaking to them in a meaningful way, so that their lives were transformed by this great message of salvation that is free and full because of Jesus. So the impact of Luther translating the Bible into German was huge. And thus it’s just as important that we recognize this anniversary as the first baby steps that he took in 1517 and then the other points that came since then. But this translation move really changed the game in a basic way. 

07:41
Speaker 4
So going off of that, what was life like then, before the translation happened for the general public? I mean, we take it for granted sometimes that we’re reading a translation, but what was life like for those who weren’t able to read God’s word in their own language? 

07:59
President Larry Rast
No, that’s also a really good question. The average church going person really didn’t hear the scriptures in a language that they knew. So, for example, in the liturgy of the church, you had the priest oftentimes in these church buildings where they’re a long way away, and so you’re sitting as a person, just a regular person, listening to the priest speak the liturgy and read lessons. But they’re all in Latin, and you may know a little bit of Latin, but you don’t really know a lot. And so it doesn’t mean a whole lot. Well, one of the big parts of the service, of course, was during, in the mass, when the priest would speak the words of Christ over the elements. Hocus corpus mayhem. And then a bell would ring, and from that came what we today know as hocus pocus, hocus corpus mayhem. 

08:53
President Larry Rast
And it was because the poor folks didn’t understand what was actually going on. Well, Luther takes that out of the latin formal language and puts it into a language that folks understand and they hear in German and later on in English and all these other languages that we enjoy today with the translations, this is my body, so it becomes meaningful and accessible and something that folks can grasp onto. And it seems like such a simple thing, but it is enormously impactful in terms of the life of not only the church as an institution, but individuals who are believers in Christ. 

09:32
Speaker 5
So how did Luther’s translation affect church growth or church life? What was normal in the church and. 

09:39
Rich Rudowske
Kind of what we expect as normal today in church? 

09:42
President Larry Rast
Yeah, we take it for granted. Seems to me, that things should be understandable. Part of our 175th anniversary is looking at our history and unearthing some of the old documents you find ironic things. These are the kinds of things that are always fun for historians to find. So the big change for the church with Luther is that you have Latin now being rendered in German so people can understand it. But then when you get here to America, interestingly enough, we insisted that you only use German. So there was a condition of the seminary being given to the Missouri synod that only and always the german language would be used, which I find a little ironic, given the history of translations in the lutheran church. So this just changed things, basically. I mean, it made the Bible accessible to everyone. 

10:38
President Larry Rast
And like I said, we kind of take that for granted because we can just run down to the store again on the Internet and buy ten bibles, that sort of thing. But you couldn’t do that back then. So to hear the word of God in your own language, in a language that’s your heart language, it’s not just a head thing, but a heart thing. The growth of the church, the impact that had in transforming the life of the church by extending it to not just the professional clergy, but to everyone, was enormous. And I think that’s one of the great gifts. Whether Luther intended it or not, that’s what came out of it, and it was a great thing. 

11:17
Speaker 4
So this is a big question, and certainly it’s not one that may have a firm answer, but what do you think life would have been like today if Luther had never translated the word into the vernacular? 

11:33
President Larry Rast
Somebody else would have. And I think that’s important to recognize as well. There were already movements. Jan Huss in Czechlands was moving towards rendering the word in languages that were accessible to the common people. There were movements in England as well. Wycliffe and Coverdale a little bit later on were also moving towards translation work so that you didn’t have know the Bible being kind of sealed off from the church as a whole, but being very available. But Luther did it first in a lot of ways and did it really well in terms of using idiomatic expressions that folks understood, which in LBT, I know this is a huge deal, and it probably is a huge deal for me to use a phrase like idiomatic expressions in a podcast, right. Say what it actually means, don’t make it inaccessible. 

12:33
President Larry Rast
And Luther did that, and that’s one of the really significant things that was part of his translation work. So he set the bar, I guess my point is, he set the bar really high for other translators, and they responded, they saw the point, they got the point. And the impact of that then, for the church as a whole has just been incredible. 

12:54
Speaker 5
So talk a little bit about the role of God’s word in your life, and have you ever thought about what would it be like to go through life without God’s word, how it’d be different? 

13:04
President Larry Rast
Yeah, I’ve never thought of that because it’s always been here. It’s always been part of my life. One of the things we had on our shelves as a kid were a number of bibles that my mom and my dad had received when they were in confirmation class. And then I got my Bible as well. So it was always there, but back then. So I’ll show you how old I am. It was a King James Bible for them, and I got a revised standard Version Bible, which know I’m still pretty comfortable with and worked through as a youngster. But now today I use all kinds of bibles. I mean, it’s just always there, and I always get a little kick out of it when people say, well, this is my favorite translation of the Bible. 

13:45
President Larry Rast
And that means, well, you’ve read a number of them and you’ve made your way through the variety of ways that things are rendered. And that’s pretty cool, frankly. What a great blessing to have. So having conversations like these are good things because it reminds me not to take the gift of translation for granted. 

14:04
Speaker 4
Could you share a little bit with us about the experience you’ve had with global Lutheranism, the students here on campus, and with the church in Ethiopia, the Makana Jesus seminary, what can the church here in the west, learn from people abroad. 

14:23
President Larry Rast
How much time do you have for this one? That’s a great mean. We’ve been talking for some time within our seminary, within both seminaries of the LCMs, within the larger lcMs, about the significant shift that is occurring even now within the church as a whole, and also affecting the lutheran tradition, namely the emergence of the global south as key, and the impact of kind of decline of Christianity in the west. Secularization in Europe, which is really very pronounced at this point, but also impacting the United States, has kind of put us into a different place than were 50, 60 years ago as a culture. 

15:07
President Larry Rast
And so if we only look at our circumstances, it can be a temptation at times to think, well, the good old days are gone, and if only they would come back and kind of romanticize them and that sort of thing. Well, what we have is a marvelous opportunity with the explosion of the church in places like Africa, the various african countries, McCanniesus in Ethiopia being a great case in point, but Madagascar, Tanzania, other places as well, where you see the church exploding and thriving, but also at the same time partnering with us in seeking the resources that we can share, but also invigorating us from our kind of potential. So for us as a seminary, we oftentimes look at the Missouri synod and its kind of flat demographic with respect to ethnicity. 

16:03
President Larry Rast
But one of the really cool things about being part of an institution of higher education like this is that we have a lot of people from a lot of places with a lot of backgrounds that all come together and we encourage one another and we enhance one another’s experience, and we help one another learn about what the opportunities for sharing the gospel of Christ are. And so it’s particularly a dynamic period, I think, in the church’s history in this regard. There is a transition that’s occurring, and for our part, we just want to be a part of it and to help in any way that we can. 

16:38
Speaker 5
Lutheran Bible translators is working with Bible agencies around the world on a goal that, honestly, it’s what they call a stretch goal. I’m sure in planning and administration you think about these things, but where there would be some meaningful portion of God’s word in every language that isn’t served by multilingualism in the next twelve years, what do you think when you hear that, think into the future about what is it like if everyone can read or hear God’s word in their own language? 

17:08
Rich Rudowske
How do you describe a day like that? 

17:10
President Larry Rast
Just blows me away. It’s great. I mean, it’s so awesome to think of, because we are one of themes of the reformation. One of the reasons Luther did the translation work that he did was his conviction that the Holy Spirit works through the word. And so having the word accessible, more widely accessible, is giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to call, gather, enlighten, sanctify the whole christian church on earth, as the catechism puts it. This expansive notion of mission, and to me, that’s just exciting beyond belief to think about how we can be a part of that together, how we can make sure that folks who’ve never heard this good news of salvation in Christ can have that accessible to them in words that they know and that they will come to love. 

18:02
Speaker 5
So how can our listeners be praying for you and for the seminary here? 

18:07
President Larry Rast
Pray that there are more workers for the harvest field and that there is ever more a desire to have that missional vision of sharing the word of Christ, both here in the United States where we need it, obviously quite desperately, and throughout the world where we need it quite desperately. Obviously, the need, theological need, really never changes. Our relationship with God has been completely disrupted and destroyed by human sin, but God has made provision for us to be his children through the death and resurrection of his son. And to welcome people into that relationship with God through the proclamation of his gospel is something that we work at every single day here and that we look forward to working at into the future. So if your listeners would pray for us in that regard, I would deeply appreciate it. 

19:00
Speaker 4
Thank you so much, President Ras, for your time and for your heart, for God’s word and that all people might have it in their hands. And we will continue to keep the seminary in our prayers and for the future of going onward beyond 175 years. Congratulations. But all of the exciting things to come. God’s blessings on you. 

19:22
President Larry Rast
Thank you so much. And to you and to all your listeners. 

19:29
Emily Wilson
I just really enjoyed sitting down with President rast and just getting to know him. I had never met him before. And number one, he’s just so incredibly welcoming, but it was just so evident. Two, how much it’s on his heart for people to be engaged in the word and for the church to grow. And I loved his words of wisdom for being able to take heart. This idea of golden age, thinking about the church that we’re not supposed to rest in our past, but rather looking forward and recognizing that Christ is still at work in his church and the reformation is still continuing. 

20:08
Speaker 5
Yeah. 

20:08
Rich Rudowske
And as we think about the 500th anniversary of the New Testament and how that reformation really took hold initially and still influences our lives today. It just really opens up the opportunity to think about how to engage with God’s word and to remember that privilege of how God speaks into our lives through his word. And again, as I sit with somebody like President Rast, I think about folks who dedicate their lives to imparting that wisdom to others and training and teaching others to teach. As President Rast mentioned, the seminary is involved in their 175th anniversary and great partnership between our institution and theirs to continue to grow in God’s word. You can learn more about the seminary’s anniversary at their website, ctsfw.edu. And what might we be looking forward to here at LBT as we celebrate the 500th anniversary? 

21:03
Emily Wilson
So if you receive the messenger, that’ll be coming in the mail just a little bit about the 500th anniversary, but we’re ramping up and there will be more on our website, lbt.org. And talk to missionaries, talk to staff reaching out at communications@lbt.org we’re always happy to be in correspondence, but we’re hoping to be providing congregations with resources. Think about in 2017 and how everybody was celebrating. We’re wanting that same kind of energy, same kind of enthusiasm, because God’s word is what made it all happen. 

21:42
Rich Rudowske
Thank you for listening to the essentially translatable podcast brought to you by Lutheran Bible translators. You can find past episodes of the podcast@lbt.org slash podcast or subscribe on audible, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcast content. Follow Lutheran Bible translators social media channels on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Or go to lbt.org to find out how you can get involved in the Bible translation movement and put God’s word in their hands. The essentially translatable podcast is produced and edited by Andrew Olson. Our executive producer is Emily Wilson. Podcast artwork was designed by Sarah Lyons. Music written and performed by Rob White. I’m rich Friedowski. So long for now.