FW: A Steadfast Lutheran Interview With Pastor Tullian Tchividjian (Part 1 of 2)

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Feed: Steadfast Lutherans
Posted on: Tuesday, January 14, 2014 11:31 AM
Author: Pastor Matt Richard
Subject: A Steadfast Lutheran Interview With Pastor Tullian Tchividjian (Part 1 of 2)

 

"He must be a Lutheran; he sure sounds like one."  These were some of the first words out of my mouth when I first read the writings of Pr. Tullian Tchividjian.  However, upon further investigation I discovered that Pr. Tchividjian is not a Lutheran pastor, but the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the church founded by Dr. D. James Kennedy.  Furthermore, I learned that Pr. Tchividjian is the grandson of the evangelist Billy Graham and the visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary.  Even though I was able to put together a loose biography of Pr. Tchividjian, I still found myself wondering why a lot of his writings, sermons, and vocabulary sounded so much like my preaching/teaching, my colleagues preaching/teaching, and many of the Lutheran theologians that I had read. To answer these questions and many more, I approached Pr. Tchividjian several weeks ago about doing an interview for Brothers of John the Steadfast.  I have had the privilege of exchanging several emails with Pr. Tchividjian over the last several years, since I first was exposed to his writings.  Furthermore, about a year ago I had a chance to visit with him briefly while I attended a Reformation Conference in Florida.  However, I have never been able to ask him about this 'Lutheran connection' that I and so many others have recognized. After receiving my request for an interview, Pr. Tchividjian graciously accepted and what follows is part one of the hour long exchange that we had over the phone.  I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. __________ Pr. Richard:  Tullian, within Lutheran circles I have heard people refer to you as a 'closet Lutheran.'  This is obviously a tremendous complement from my perspective.  What are your thoughts about this and is it true? Pr. Tchividjian:  [Laughing] I've heard that too. People who know me, however, know that I'm not a closet anything.  I'm pretty outspoken and unashamed about what I believe and why. I wish I had the kind of personality that was subtle, but I don't. I have some theological differences with my Lutheran friends which is why I am a Presbyterian. But I will joyfully admit that few theologians have helped me more than Lutheran theologians. They tend to be much more down-to-earth and realistic, with little tolerance for theoretical descriptions of the human condition. They are existential realists, rather than idealists. They've helped me better understand my sin, God's grace, and the distinction between the law and the gospel. They've guided me through deep and wide pastoral challenges and, I think, made me a better preacher, pastor, and counselor. Pr. Richard:  In what ways has Lutheranism and these Lutheran theologians helped you? Pr. Tchividjian:  I have found great benefit from the Lutheran writings on three primary distinctions: law and Gospel, active and passive righteousness, and the theology of cross vs. the theology of glory.  Plus, as I mention above, they understand and diagnose the human condition realistically which makes their riffs on the gospel experientially real. Luther's famous phrase simul iustus et peccator  gave me language when I was a budding theology student which greatly helped me understand what I was feeling and experiencing as a young Christian. The personal and pastoral payoff here is that it enabled me to affirm (without crossing my fingers) that in Christ—at the level of identity—I was 100% righteous before God while at the same time recognizing the persistence of my sin. If we don't speak in terms of two total states (100% righteous in Christ and 100% sinful in ourselves) corresponding to the co-existence of two times (the old age and the new creation) then the undeniable reality of ongoing sin leads to the qualification of our identity in Christ: the existence of some sin must mean that one is not totally righteous. This is acid at the very foundation of the peace we have with God on the other side of justification. To say simul iustus et peccator is therefore not to say that "sinner" is our identity; it is to say that while we remain sinful in ourselves we are, in Christ, totally righteous. Pr. Richard:  Where did you first discover these Lutheran writings? Pr. Tchividjian:  Believe it or not, I was first captivated by Luther himself by listening to a lecture by R.C. Sproul as a young Christian. But it was through conversations with Michael Horton, the host of The White Horse Inn, that I was introduced to the proper distinction between the Law and the Gospel.  Then through Horton I met a plethora of Lutheran individuals, individuals such as Dr. Rod Rosenbladt—who then introduced me to Harold Senkbeil, Robert Kolb, and others. Pr. Richard:  So, which Lutheran theologians have you delved into?  Which Lutheran pastors and theologians have influenced your theology and practice the most? Pr. Tchividjian:  Well, obviously Martin Luther.  Other than Luther though, probably the best book that I've ever read was a book written by Kolb… Pr. Richard:  Robert Kolb? Pr. Tchividjian: Yes, 'Robert' Kolb.  The title was The Genius of Luther's Theology.  I have also appreciated the writings of Harold Senkbeil, Gene Veith, Rod Rosenbladt, Oswald Bayer, and a Saskatchewan Lutheran named, William Hordern.  Oh, I cannot forget the book by Bo Giertz titled The Hammer of God.  I just love that book!  Not only was the book by Giertz well written, the theology in it is most excellent.  I promote Giertz's book to everyone I can. Pr. Richard:  Let's back things up a little, if you don't mind.  When did you first believe the freedom earned by Jesus, in your stead, is for the forgiveness of your sins, life, and salvation even though you don't deserve it as a sinner? Pr. Tchividjian:  Hmm, that can be answered two ways.  When did I become a Christian, or, when did I come to realize the awesome implications of God's grace.  Let me answer it both ways. Pr. Richard:  Yes, that is fine, please do. Pr. Tchividjian:  God saved me when I was 21 years old even though I had grown up in a Christian home, gone to church, etc…  As a youth I rejected my family faith pretty explicitly.  It was more of a functional rejection rather than an intellectual one. Christianity just wasn't functionally real to me growing up.  I dropped out of high school when I was 16 and was kicked out of my home and proceeded to lead a very debaucherous lifestyle. Through a variety of circumstances I came to a point of realizing that there has to be more to life than what I was experiencing. Therefore, I called up to God in my brokenness and He saved me. Pr. Richard:  What happened from this salvific event? Pr. Tchividjian:  I was absolutely captivated by grace for the first 8 months.  I realized that I didn't deserve grace and didn't deserve salvation.  I kept identifying myself as the prodigal in Jesus' parable in Luke chapter 15.  I couldn't hear about grace  without being overwhelmed by the kindness of the Lord that led me to repentance. The fact that God had been patient with me and pursued me in my rebellion swept me off my feet. I wept a lot in those early days—overcome by God's amazing grace to me. Pr. Richard:  Is this when you first realized the implications of God's grace? Pr. Tchividjian:  Yes and no.  Let me explain.  After 8 months I started to get better.  I went to Bible studies.  I started watching my mouth.  I stopped having sex with my girlfriend.  I started to improve morally speaking.  As I improved, something subtly happened to me.  The narrative in my life slowly changed and it became about 'me' and what 'I' was doing.  It was a slow shift.  As I improved morally speaking, it became less about what Jesus had done and more about what I was doing.  It was like a trap; I improved yet I began to lose sight of God's grace. Pr. Richard:  So, what happened? Pr. Tchividjian:  [Chuckling] Life happened!  Life, suffering, and failure have a way of transforming you from an idealist to a realist—from thinking that you're strong to reminding you that you're weak. When I was 25, I believed I could change the world. At 41, I have come to the realization that I cannot change my wife, my church, or my kids, to say nothing of the world. Try as I might, I have not been able to manufacture outcomes the way I thought I could, either in my own life or other people's. Unfulfilled dreams, ongoing relational tension, the loss of friendships, a hard marriage, rebellious teenagers, the death of loved ones, remaining sinful patterns—whatever it is for you—live long enough, lose enough, suffer enough, and the idealism of youth fades, leaving behind the reality of life in a broken world as a broken person. Life has had a way of proving to me that I'm not on the constantly-moving-forward escalator of progress I thought I was on when I was twenty-five. Instead, my life has looked more like this: Try and fail. Fail then try. Try and succeed. Succeed then fail. Two steps forward. One step back. One step forward. Three steps back. Every year, I get better at some things, worse at others. Some areas remain stubbornly static. To complicate matters even more, when I honestly acknowledge the ways I've gotten worse, it's actually a sign that I may be getting better. And when I become proud of the ways I've gotten better, it's actually a sign that I've gotten worse. And 'round and 'round we go. If this sounds like a depressing sentiment, it isn't meant to be one. Quite the opposite. If I am grateful for anything about these past 15 years, it's for the way God has wrecked my idealism about myself and the world and replaced it with a realism about the extent of His grace and love, which is much bigger than I had ever imagined. Indeed, the smaller you get—the smaller life makes you—the easier it is to see the grandeur of grace. While I am far more incapable than I may have initially thought, God is infinitely more capable than I ever hoped. Pr. Richard:  Is this the second part of your answer, where you came to understand the implications of God's grace, could I say, 'functionally speaking?' Pr. Tchividjian:  Yes, it is.  About 3 years into a church plant I came to realize that life was simply hard.  Church work was hard, family was hard, marriage was hard, and so forth.  I disappointed a lot of people; people disappointed me; life happened.  Furthermore, I started to realize the fruits of 'do more – try harder' preaching.  I was losing idealism and I began to see that a lot of the popular theologies in America were simply unrealistic.  This was when I first encountered Lutheranism and began delving into various Lutheran theologians.  As I mentioned above, I was captivated by just how realistic Lutheran theologians were. __________ Please check back soon with Brothers of John the Steadfast for Part 2 of the Steadfast Lutheran Interview with Pastor Tullian Tchividjian. To learn more about Pastor Tullian Tchividjian visit his conference initiative "Liberate," his blog at "The Gospel Coalition," or one of his many books.

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