|
Home
For Members
For Pastors/Leaders
Helpful Secular Sites
Contact Us
Suggest New Links
Our Purpose
Advertise on L/C
Frequently Asked
|
Dear
Anonymous Employee,
Whether you work for the LCMS
at the "purple palace" or at the LLL-Lutheran Hour office, your attempt to
characterize Dr. Schulz's actions as his attempt to carry out a hidden agenda
is pure nonsense, but not surprising. I have said that it was clear
when Ozzie retired that the LH people did not want Wally to take over, so
they brought in Dr. Meyer. Now Dr. Schulz has done something with which
staffers disagree, and the whole thing blows up again.
But you are right that the Benke
issue was discussed long and hard at Synodical offices. That is what
led to Dr. Schulz being asked to investigate and report. How then can
it be that if he does what he was asked to do, he is accused of having a
hidden agenda?
On the other hand, Benke and others
had been asked not to participate in unionistic worship services, and it
may be remembered, some of them even apologized to the Synod at the Synodical
convention. To pretend that the Yankee Stadium service was not really
a service is the real offense; it was readily seen on TV after being planned
and publicized. But now their error is compounded by their refusal
to admit that they might even have made a mistake in judgment by participating.
That, to me, is the heart of the
problem. If Dr. Benke had said that he might be wrong, and that he
can understand why so many are angry, I would be a lot more compassionate
toward him. But he and his supporters refuse the corrective and restorative
hand of discipline, claiming Gospel freedom. Please see First Corinthians
chapter 8 and chapter 10:18-24. Further, the Bible does not teach us
to arrogantly defend our actions, but to submit to godly discipline, even
when it hurts, even when it might be wrong (Hebrews 12 & First Peter
4).
By the way, missionaries leading
worship services do not go to mosques to pray, nor do they invite imams to
join them at the Christian altar to pray. They do not (or at least
should not) address their prayers in such a way that all gods appear equal.
They pray for the people to learn who our Savior is and to confess Him alone.
Somewhere in Scripture it says, "Do not be unequally yoked to unbelievers."
And if we don't think Hindus,
Moslems, New Agers, etc. are unbelievers, perhaps we have lost the meaning
of what missionary work is supposed to do.
Should we be more compassionate
and caring than we are? Absolutely. I regularly pray for more understanding
and compassion. I pray for eyes that see open doors to evangelism.
I also pray to remain faithful to my Lord and Savior, and not to do anything
that will send the message that all religions are equal and that love is
simply getting together with people to worship and pray with them regardless
of what they believe, teach, and confess.
I sympathize with Dr. Benke for
trying to do what he thought was right in what is arguably the most difficult
time of our lives. But he continues to ignore the concerns of countless
people with whom he professes to be in concord. He continues to defend
his action and refuses even to admit that he might have been wrong.
It is no wonder that the regular people in the pews of our churches get confused
about and refuse to submit to discipline, too.
To both Dr. Benke and Dr. Schulz:
getting you to admit that you might be wrong is not the first step in getting
rid of either one of you. It should be the first step in bringing Christian
forgiveness and healing to the Synod we love and serve.
Sincerely,
Rev. Franklin H. Giebel
|
