Reconstruction (spin) is not putting the “best construction” on historical figures such as Philip Melanchthon (the February Lutheran Witness).
Let’s accept the fact that Melanch-thon excessively yielded to the political pressures in his later years. He did devalue the words that defined the precious Real Presence of Jesus in the Sacrament. Let’s also acknowledge that Melanchthon was exemplary in his earlier expressions of conviction in the Augsburg Confession, the Apology, and the Treatise of 1537. Let’s learn from “the historical construction.” Let’s learn from his earlier years of faithfulness and his later years of unnecessary compromise.
Lots to savor, lots to learn, lots of “positive construction.”
Rev. John Temple
St. Charles, Mo.
P.S. Thanks for an interesting historical article.
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