The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is standing at a fork in the road, hesitating. We have pledged to walk together. But we are divided over which path to take.

So, here we stand, hesitating, uncertain, undecided. Will we take the wide, downward path of least resistance, or will we take the narrow, uphill path? Will we be guided by the culture, or will we be guided by the Scripture? Will we seek the approval of men, or of God? Will we follow in the footsteps of virtually every other mainline denomination into theological compromise and moral confusion, or will we follow in the footsteps of Christ?

Now, our hesitation does not grow out of open-mindedness, as some claim. It grows out of unbelief. Open-mindedness is a virtue in indifferent matters. But there is no virtue in open-mindedness when the choice is between truth and error. And that is precisely the choice before us.

So, we stand pondering these two paths. The path below is well worn and crowded with travelers, many of them beckoning us to join them. The path above seems overgrown and almost deserted.

Some in our caravan think that the way down is a shortcut. "We won't have to go too far down the slope; that downward path rejoins the upward one just around the next bend."

Others say, "Yes, we realize where that downward path leads, but we will be able to stop before we go too far."

Still others promise, "The downward path is the right way! The upward path is a dead-end! If we stay on it we will die!"

Some mavericks among us suggest that we cut a new path, a compromise between the upward and downward.

The uncertain among us council that we remain where we are and study the situation a little longer.

The timid whine: "Is this really worth arguing about? All this arguing will scare people away."

And yet a few urgent voices urge everyone to stay the narrow, upward course and to press on.

But still we hesitate.

The arguments that have put so many mainline Christian churches on the wide, downhill path are the same arguments that lead them further down.

Sooner or later, every church that travels the path down the slippery slope reaches a point of no return. When a church has gone far enough down the slope, it loses sight of the upward, narrow path altogether. Eventually, too many Scripture passages have been twisted or ignored, too much of theology has been compromised. Too many old practices have been discarded and too many new practices have been introduced.

Even if such a church had the will to trudge back up the slope to the narrow path, it has long ago forfeited the strength to do so. All along the downward way such a church has been systematically abandoning Scriptural truths. So, without those resources, it finds itself too weak to turn around and climb the path it has been descending. Finally, the doctrinal detours and shortcuts leave such a church hopelessly lost on the slope. From that point on, every path leads further down.

Finally, they fail to see the precipice at the bottom of the slope until it is too late.

But, here we stand, at the crossroads, uncertain and tentative.

Luther said, "Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise!" He did not say, "Here I stand, I cannot make up my mind!" Nor did he say, "Here I stand, but I need to study it a little more!" Nor did he say, "Here I stand, but I'll gladly move if I'm offending anyone." No, Luther stood alone against Pope and Emperor. Luther spoke those words out of certainty, not uncertainty.

But today we seem to have lost the courage of our convictions. And some of us seem to have lost our convictions as well.

One thing is certain: nervous hesitation and hand-wringing do not become the Church; they never have. Hesitating may be better than rushing headlong down the slope, but it's not that much better.

Maybe this is our problem. The members of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod do not walk together because we do not stand together. A church must have fellowship to practice fellowship.

At the nadir of ancient Israel's apostasy, the prophet Elijah chided God's people, not so much for their idolatry, as for their uncertainty:

Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing. (1 Kings 18:21)

And here we stand as well, hesitating.

The choice is simple. Jesus says, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." Will we hear and follow the beckoning voices of the culture, compromise, and change for change's sake? Or will we hear and follow the voice of Jesus, who Himself walked the narrow and difficult path for us?

The choice is clear— the world or Jesus. The world will welcome us and applaud us if we choose the downward path. But Jesus will be with us on the upward path.

The choice is necessary. We cannot hesitate much longer without losing the will to choose altogether.