Member's Blogs

Confessional Lutheran Blogs Aardvark Alley Approved
Our thanks to Orycteropus Afer, of Aardvark Alley. He does the tedious work of maintaining the following Confessional Lutheran Blogroll, and makes the results available to other bloggers.

Other Blogs

CyberStones--A Lutheran Blog
Blog Home | RSS 2.0
Currently browsing thread: Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided Petersen Mar 31, 2008 13:05:31
Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided
Petersen
email
Posted on:
Mar 31, 2008 13:05:31 		In response to an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal by Mollie Ziegler Hemingway regarding the demise of Issues, Etc, President Kieschnick wrote, in part, the following:
Quote:
In truth, last summer the LCMS had its most positive and unified convention in years. Our church remains faithful to the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions, an integral part of our identity as a church body.
I really can't imagine how President Kieschnick would claim this. I was at the convention. He was narrowly re-elected. It was the smallest margin of popular vote (I think it was less than 51%) that a standing president of the LCMS has ever received. It was a clear and objective sign of our division. Saying we're united does not make us so. It is just wishful thinking.

Other than Jesus First, the delegates did play nice. It might well have been the least violent and angry convention of recent years, but that was not a sign of unity, merely civility. I suppose the president's defense will be that he feels more united. It is a subjective claim. He can feel that way all day long. I think his re-election numbers indicate the opposite. So too do the myriad of organizations cropping up to do what synod fails to do (i.e., Higher Things, the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, Good News Magazine, etc.)

Later, he continues:
Quote:
In accordance with our unity in what we believe, teach, and confess, the Synod adopted the mission and vision of Ablaze!—a focused and concentrated effort to “share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who do not yet know him.”
This, of course, is pure synod-spin. I'll accept the president's definition of Ablaze! It is a "focused and concentrated effort." But it is not really evangelism. It does NOT strive to make disciples. Those are made, according to Matt 28, by baptizing and teaching. Ablaze is all about contact and fund-raising. It is not about teaching. The lack of baptismal emphasis has been well documented and criticized elsewhere.

How could I disparage Ablaze if we're so united? We're not united. There is no better proof of our current disunity than the evidence President Kieschnick invokes for unity: Ablaze. Ablaze itself is hugely controversial in the LCMS.

A little later, he writes on:
Quote:
In summary, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is more committed than ever to proclaiming the one message of Jesus Christ and his love for all (1 John 4:9-11).
Except on KFUO. We are doing less proclaiming now than we did before. This is a nice signature statement but it is just candy. If we judge it at face value President Kieschnick is claiming that he was less committed to evangelism last year than he is now. And so were you. Because we've never been more committed. But notice too that even as our committment is ever-growing so our dollars are ever shrinking and we are doing less and less of it all the time.

Back to disunity. Part of the difficulties faced by President Kieschnick can be seen in his early decision to "authorize" President Benke in his participation in "A Prayer for America" and then to defend him with everything he had. No doubt, many will think this was a good thing to do. But even if it was a good thing, it was hugely divisive. If President Kieschnick did not know that it would be divisive, that it would be a scandal reported in the mainstream media, that we would waste lots of legal talents and dollars and hours on this (that could have been spent on Missions, etc) then he is absolutely incompetent as a president. If he knew it would be and knew the cost but chose to go ahead with it, then he should fess up and say that he deliberately divided the synod and thought that battle was more important than reaching the lost. Either way, if history judges President Kieschnick's on his ability to build consensus, to unite, they will certainly will judge him as an absolute and total failure. His presidency is the most divisive we've ever known.

So also with the recent lawsuit in the LCMS. President Kieschnick caused that lawsuit by his unprecedented exemption of circuits. Any casual observer of synodical structure could see that the exemptions changed the political make-up of the synod and in the heated environment of his leadership would be charges of jerrymandering. Again, if Presdent Kieschnick did not know what the precedent was or what his actions would cause, he was incompetent. If he thought this was the necessary action and worth the cost of fighting a lawsuit rather than using those funds to reach the lost then we are in a sad, sad point of LMCS history. Whatever your judgment on this it is clear that making huge numbers of unprecedented exemptions was divisive and cost our synod hundreds of thousands of dollars. Again: judged by history as a uniter? Failure.

Whether these are battles and divisions were caused by our President deliberately on the basis of his own vision for the synod and zeal for the Gospel (such as the division that Our Lord makes between the money changers and the believing Gentiles) or whether he is a simply a powerless pawn unaware of the consequences of his actions who keeps making decisions against missions and outreach, I can't say. He presents himself as the latter. I hope that is the case. I hope he is merely been promoted beyond his abilities. But I think it is borderline insane, if not pure political spin, to say that the synod is united and moving forward. Whether it happened by accident or by plan, the reality is disunity and distrust and political spin like this creates more distrust.

It is really a shame that Issues, Etc was canceled. Will President Kieschnick defend that decision that he watched from a distance and did nothing about to the very end? I don't know. But do not be afraid. Jesus is risen. The Holy Spirit is not hindered by the wastefulness of bureaucrats or power hungry administrators or vain glorious blogging pastors. Do not be afraid. Jesus lives. The Gates of Hell shall not prevail.

Again, a friendly reminder: keep President Keischnick, Rev. Todd Wilken, Mr. Jeff Schwarz, Issues, etc, and the LCMS, as always, in your prayers.

Notes:
President Kieschnick's entire article can be read here. BTW, I find our president's accusations that Mrs. Heminway reports inaccurately without evidence to be quite hollow. And I also find in our president's complaint about Issues, Etc listeners lack of financial support to mean that only direct gifts to Issues, Etc would ever be used for Issues, Etc and think this means that if any Issues, Etc listener gives to synod's general fund he should stop right now. While we're talking money, you can donate to the unemployed Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz here

HT: Outer Rim Territories
 

Comments...

  • Apr 08, 2008 13:01:57 Re: Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided - helen
    Quote:
    And I also find in our president's complaint about Issues, Etc listeners lack of financial support to mean that only direct gifts to Issues, Etc would ever be used for Issues, Etc and think this means that if any Issues, Etc listener gives to synod's general fund he should stop right now.
    We rashly assumed that money given to Issues Etc. would be used for Issues Etc. Now it comes out that the synod's fundraiser (required to be used by Issues Etc. since Jerry's advent) has been skimming 40% of all monies contributed. [A fundraiser's fair take is 10%; if a charity records spending more than 15% you should take your charitable dollars elsewhere. But synod, unlike United Way, hasn't been telling how much went to "fund raising"!]
    If you missed it, people living within 150 miles of St Louis had their donations credited to KFUO, even if they were earmarked for Issues, Etc.
    The Management of KFUO are the ones who should be canned, but besides being ordinary incompetent they are carrying water for Jerry. So, no fear!

    Helen
  • Apr 01, 2008 20:05:05 Re: Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided - Michael Paul
    Thank you much for taking the time to post your insightful and helpful comments here.
  • Apr 01, 2008 10:03:22 Re: Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided - Paul Kruta
    "But do not be afraid. Jesus is risen. The Holy Spirit is not hindered by the wastefulness of bureaucrats or power hungry administrators or vain glorious blogging pastors. Do not be afraid. Jesus lives. The Gates of Hell shall not prevail."

    Thank you so very much for saying this.
    In my recent anger and agression over this issue, I have not kept this as my number 1. And for that I am incredibly wrong. I think a great deal of us have forgotten how important that is.

    The battle is far from over, but rest assured, we WILL win the war. The truth shall set us free. Onward Christian Soldiers.

    -Paul Kruta
  • Apr 01, 2008 05:17:10 Re: Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided - Susan
    The case for unity? We had a nice convention. I was reelected. Your side lost.
    That is unity to me. Case closed. gk
    And, folks, I don't doubt that, in Pres. Kieschnik's mind, this case is closed, and this Issues issue is only a distraction from the next unifying act that befalls us.
    • Apr 13, 2008 10:41:42 Re: Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided - Beth
      Bill Clinton was re-elected, too, by about the same margin. Nuf said.
    • Apr 08, 2008 13:10:31 Re: Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided - helen
      Quote:
      The case for unity? We had a nice convention. I was reelected. Your side lost. That is unity to me. Case closed. gk
      Absolutely right, Susan!
      That's the message that has been repeated on LQ by ***usFirst'ers since 2001.
      "We won! All y'all can shut up or leave, preferably, leave."

      helen
    • Apr 01, 2008 15:43:17 Re: Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided - wcwirla
      That would be 52.3% (Kieschnick) to 47.6% (total conservative candidates).

      Yup. More united than ever. Majority rules.
  • Mar 31, 2008 20:24:21 Re: Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided - Chris Heren
    I somehow feel...better after reading your take on events Pr. Petersen.
  • Mar 31, 2008 20:21:12 Re: Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided - Pr. Lovett
    Dave, have you seen V for Vendeta? If not, I think it worth a viewing.
    "Remember the 5th of November!"
  • Mar 31, 2008 18:02:31 Re: Newsflash: The LCMS is Deeply Divided - Scott
    Quote:
    Again: judged by history as a uniter? Failure.
    Reminds me of this: http://icanhaschee...7/11/07/epic-fail/
All times listed in GMT -7 / EST

Comments no longer accepted for this post.

An Orca Script
 

Bad Bot Trap: Clicking this link may cause your ip to be banned.