Last Tuesday Reuters reported that the head of the Lutheran Church in Germany, Margot Kaessmann, 51, the Lutheran Bishop of Hanover, was cited for running a red light while driving under the influence of alcohol. A state prosecutor told the German Newspaper Bild that Kaessmann had a blood alcohol level that was three times the legal limit. She is under investigation, and could lose her driver’s license for a year.
The Reuters article also noted that Kaessmann was a controversial choice to head the Lutheran church, because she had had a divorce.
(Protestant Leader Regrets Driving Drunk, 2/23/10, Christopher Lawton)
There is nothing particularly earth shattering about the article, though there are details that would have caused quite a stir only a decade or so ago.
For example, the article says nothing about the fact that Kaessmann is a woman bishop. This used to be controversial. It is certainly unscriptural, as the scriptures indicate that in order for one to be qualified to serve as a bishop, one must be “the husband of one wife” (Titus 1:6). But, the Lutheran church long ago departed from God’s word on that matter.
The article notes some controversy about Kaessmann’s divorce, but you note that she was chosen to the position anyway, by a vote of 132-10. Details about the divorce are not known, and she may very well have had just cause (cf. Matthew 19:9), but she is a woman who holds anti-Biblical views regarding abortion, homosexuality, and obviously, the ordination of women.
The Bible clearly teaches that a fetus is a child (cf. Luke 1:41), and so abortion is the taking of a human life. The Bible also teaches that homosexuality is a sin (cf. Romans 1:24-17); and that women are not to take a leadership role in the worship assemblies (1 Corinthians 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:12).
What is a bit surprising is the response of this religious woman, when questioned about her arrest. She is quoted in the aforementioned article as saying, “I’m shocked that I could make such a terrible mistake. I’m aware of how dangerous and irresponsible drinking and driving is, and am ready for the legal consequences.”
Hopefully in some other context she expressed her remorse in more biblical terms. Her actions were more than a mistake, and should be termed in more severe terms than “irresponsible.” What she did was to sin against God, and her actions were rebellion against His will. While others may not acknowledge their actions to be sinful, it seems that this religious leader would do so.
Drunkenness, whether a person drives or not, is a lust of the flesh (cf. Galatians 5:21). Further, those who serve in the office which she usurps, must not be “given to wine” according to the apostle Paul (cf. Titus 1:7).
It is not surprising that as the denominations reject the standards of God for those of man, a lowering of those standards is the result. As children of God, we are instructed by the Lord himself: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). May we all have a worthy walk, distinct from the ungodliness around us!
