Good advice from President Walther

We are not insisting
that there be uniformity in perception or feeling or taste among all believing
Christians, neither dare anyone demand that everyone be of the same opinion as his
in such matters; nevertheless, it remains true that the Lutheran liturgy distinguishes
Lutheran worship from the worship of other churches to such an extent that the
houses of worship of the latter look like lecture halls, [theaters or auditoriums], while
our churches are in truth houses of prayer in which Christians serve the great God
publicly before the world. . . . Someone may ask,” What would be the use of
uniformity in ceremonies?” We would answer, “What is the use of a flag on the
battlefield? Even though a soldier cannot defeat the enemy with it, he nevertheless
sees by the flag where he belongs. We ought not to refuse to walk in the footsteps of
our fathers.9
9 C.F.W. Walther, Essay on Adiaphora in Essays for the Church: Volume I (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1992), p. 193-194.