In reply to John.

John,

Thank you for asking for more information. First, review "Confession" from Luther's Small Catechism. You can find a digital copy here: http://catechism.cph.org/en/confession.html. In this explanation, Luther does not say the pastor forgives from his own authority, but rather he forgives on the authority of Christ. Christ bestows this authority (and responsibility) to the church (which exercises it through her pastors) in John 20:19–23. Christ sends His apostles, and therefore also His church, to precisely this: to forgive sins in His name. It is for this reason that Lutherans have retained private Confession and Absolution as a good and God-pleasing responsibility of the church. You might also consider Lutheran Spirituality: Confession from CPH.

And, I think you might have inspired an upcoming theme for LW. So, make sure you subscribe in print. We'll try and address this in more detail there also.