Whenever I drive by a Lutheran (Missouri Synod) church, I see prominently displayed the slogan “We preach Christ crucified.” I’ve never been able to make heads or tails of this. It doesn’t seem to constitute any meaning in English syntax. The only possible meanings that I have been able to come up with are –
“We preach [that] Christ [was] crucified.” – Well, isn’t this a basic tenet of all Christianity? How would such a statement distinguish the beliefs of the Missouri Synod from any other Christian denomination?
“We preach [that] Christ crucified [someone else].” – I’m no expert on Christian dogma, but it seems to me that such an act is not part of the story of Jesus.
“Christ crucified” is a common stylistic variant of “a crucificed Christ.” It means that their preaching emphasizes the sacrifice of Jesus (and thereby our redemption), rather than some other aspect, such as his life or his resurrection. Metamessage: “We ain’t one o’ them namby-pamby ‘new age’ churches that avoids guilt.”
The odd phrasing comes from the King James bible, 1 Corinthians 1:23, where Paul says:
Later in 1 Corinthians 2:2, Paul says
I don’t know why the Missouri Synod puts such particular emphasis on this phrase, but to hazard a guess it would relate to the historical Lutheran emphasis on salvation by faith, as opposed to the Catholic emphasis on faith and works.
I have only read the 95 Theses once or twice and I don’t have time to reread them right now, but I believe that Luther cam to the conclusion that salvation comes solely through Christ’s sacrifice, that we receive redemption through our faith. I do know that the Agnus Dei is a big part of Sunday services.
My wife is LCMS; I’ll see if she has anything to add.
I’m Lutheran, though not Missouri Synod. The quotations from 1 Corinthians which JohnM lists would be the source of the phrase.
In Paul’s letters, the phrase “Christ crucified” is used to emphasize the shocking character of what he’s saying. Crucifixion was not only death, but a shameful death": in Galatians 3.13, Paul quotes the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 21:23); “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” To preach such a Messiah is hardly bland platitudes; rather more like the line “If you see the Buddha on the road – kill him.”
Anyway: Lutheran theology often distinguishes between a “Theology of the Cross,” and a “Theology of Glory” which is attractive but false. Theologies of salvation by works, or of faith always leading to happiness and success, or theologies in which judgment always gets the last word would be theologies of glory. (If judgment has the last word, what would one say about a Messiah hanged on a tree…?)
The OP is quite right in noting that all Christian bodies agree that Christ was crucified; to that degree, the LCMS is by no means unique. But on the other hand it is not the case that all Christian bodies place the same emphasis on this. In some communities, you’ll find a much greater emphasis upon the Church, or the Holy Spirit, or good works.
So, to say “We preach Christ crucified” would be to make several statements.
We associate ourselves with Paul’s preaching of grace.
We lay claim to a theology of the Cross, rather than a theology of glory.