LCMS candidates suspect

Well if the conservative and ulta-conservative confessional groups could find some common ground of understanding then we could have a concerted effort against the abuses in synod. Unfortunately I hear from to many conservatives that is doesn't affect the autonomous congregations and is just a political issue. Unfortunately that isn't so. It goes beyond politics and into the realm of a more liberal agenda of the Pres. and CCM of the synod. Even though the synod in essence says they are following the constitution it is not seen in their actions and is in word only. This creates mass confusion.

The major voices in opposition to the synod's ethics have either been expelled from the synod or not allowed in. And the older supposedly X-Seminex crowd, some were granted leniency and excepted back into the fold. They are the ones that have instrumental in the formation of Daystar, Jesus First and have advocated the Ablaze and PLI initiatives. The ones that are in the synod that raise opposition have not been forceful or cohesive enough and squabble among themselves about finer points of dogma. Hence a stalemate.

This is SOME and not all of the info that has popped up around Kieshnick and the CCM. Some people will say that it is nitpicky, unfounded and has nothing to do with congregations. Read further and make you own decisions. If people really dig for the info they will find it is substantiated by documentation. The CCM and Kieshnick are insidious. They use the same principles as governments to take away freedoms and suppress opposition. If freedoms are taken away incrementally then only a few will complain, If the take away all the freedoms at once they would be kicked out of office. This is just their way of consolidating power to themselves with no opposition. The liberal agenda is advancing at a rapid pace.

1a) Ks mostly self appointed CCM ruling has stopped LCMS congregations from confessing the Bible is inerrant. PSWD district president Larry Stoterau ask CCM to overrule his own district convention ruling.

1. Even though Kieshnick says he opposes ervolution and women ordination and affirms the six 24 hour day creation, Jonah and the inerrency of the bible he will not support any disciplinary actions against people that support it. Disciplinary action against phony holders of doctorates in Lutheran Hour and LLL were not forthcomming either.

2. Kieschnick has a bureaucratic and by-law mentality. Dr. Kurt Marquart at the 2003 Walther Conference at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, noted: "Our tragedy is that this absolute priority of the divine truth has become displaced in our Synodical life. By what? By organizational, bureaucratic concerns. Our disease, you might say is, 'bureaucratitis"'. Dr. Wallace Schulz said: "Through the erroneous dependence on man made documents, some leaders of the LCMS have now forced our beloved Synod in to the greatest crisis in its history." (Crisis in Christendom - Seminex Ablaze, pp. 51-115 & 360).

3. Leaders of Renewal in Missouri (RIM), a group of several hundred LCMS charismatic pastors, have joined Jesus First, the organization of liberals and moderates which worked for the election of Kieshnick. Under Kieschnick, RIM has disbanded. It no longer has a need to exist. The LCMS is now open to those who speak in tongues, claim they receive visions, practice holy laughter and healing.


4. Kieschnick gave Atlantic District President David Benke permission to pray with Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jews and liberal Roman Catholics and Protestants on September 23, 2001 in Yankee Stadium. Former Lutheran Hour Speaker and LCMS Second Vice-president, Dr. Wallace Schulz said "ALL of the divisiveness we have had in the LCMS because of Yankee Stadium can be traced to this (Kieschnick's) 'original sin." (Crisis in Christendom - Seminex Ablaze).


5. Kieschnick has not insisted that Benke retract his statement that "The Muslim God is also the true God." Kieschnick promotes membership in the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education even though it promotes an anti- scriptural universalism and is pro- homosexual.

6. Kieschnick, who poses as a great champion of the Eighth Commandment, has violated the Eighth Commandment. When Kieschnick was a speaker at a rally in Benke's church after Schulz suspended Benke, he did not defend Schulz when a congressman, who was another major speaker at the rally, referred to Wally Schultz as some sort of Nazi.

7 Klescnhick gained support for his defense of Benke at the LCMS's 2004 convention when, in a dramatic move, he publicly absolved Benke and told the convention that Benke regretted that his prayer at Yankee Stadium was not a true Christian prayer. Kieschnick failed to tell the convention that several months after Benke expressed repentance for his prayer both Benke and Kieschnick were among those who prayed the same prayer in Benke's church at the rally protesting Schulz's suspension of Benke. The August/September 2006 Consensus said that "Gerald Kieschnick is not a man to be trusted."

8. Kieschnick's appointed Commission on Constitutional Matters has adopted a ruling which violated the laws of the State of Missouri, Kieshnick has supported their ruling.


9. One of the chief financial supporters of Jesus First, the group of LCMS liberals and moderates which promoted Kieschnick for president, is a divorced millionaire who left his wife and five children to marry a younger woman in his office. This divorced millionaire is a good friend of Kieschnick. K says he opposes un-scriptural divorce but when a millionaire friend is involved he continues to accept the financial support of the millionaire.


10. While K defends his liberal supporters who support the Seminex theology h e threatens conservatives who disagree with him.

11. K has banned more overtures and suggestions from LCMS congregations that any other president in LCMS history.
congregations than any other president in the entire history of the LCMS.

12. Kieschnick uses bullying tactics. The LCMS's International Center, where Kieschnick is the head, told Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, not to allow the Walther Conference to meet at the Seminary even though the seminary agreed already a year ago to let the Walther Conference again meet at the seminary.

13. Kieschnick told congregations in the Texas District, which had invited the CN editor to preach in their congregations, not to have the CN editor preach. Kieschnick has never registered any complaint when a liberal like Dr. Martin Marty preaches in an LCMS church or speaks at some LCMS school. He sent a document to all of the LCMS's district presidents claiming that the editor of Christian News is not truthful and violates the Eighth Commandment. When CN asked Kieschnick for proof that CN has violated the Eighth Commandment and is not truthful, he did not respond.

14. Kieschnick has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for travel and meetings which could have been better spent for missions. The LCMS announced that Kieschnick and his wife would be riding the Lutheran Hour float at the nationally televised Rose Bowl parade. The LCMS generally pays the traveling expenses of Kieschnick and his wife. The Circuit Counselors conference held in Milwaukee in September, 2006, cost close to a million dollars. Kieschnick says there should be other such conferences in the near future. The LCMS's Lutheran Church Extension Fund, the Council of Presidents and other LCMS groups in November at a resort center in Orlando, Florida had another costly meeting which may have cost over a million dollars. Kieschnick again was a major speaker.

15. Kieschriick supports a plan which will assess LCMS congregations. He insist that all congregations of the LCMS must directly contribute to the LCMS to help pay for the growing high salaries of LCMS officials instead of missions. CFW Walther mention that no congregation should give one red cent to synod.


16. K gets double the salary of a minister and vast amounts of perks for traveling and conventions and speaking engagements. Many congregations have voiced the concern that money would be well spent elsewhere and not given to district and synod. Some congregations maintain that they should first try to pay their own pastor a better salary, rather than helping the LCMS pay Kieschnick more than $160,000 a year.

17. Kieschnick's costly mission ablaze program helps get him the support of many mission minded laymen and pastors. Yet during the years Kieschnick has been president, the LCMS loses about 25,000 members a year. (Of course, there are various factors involved in the loss of 25,000 a year).


18. Kieschnick has opposed a move to limit the power of the LCMS president, who now appoints all LCMS convention committee chairmen and members of the various LCMS convention committees. He refused to let anyone of the LCMS's vice-presidents chair even a small part of the LCMS's 2004 convention Kieschnick wanted to be in tota! control. He refused to call on Dr Marquart who stood at a microphone for about an hour.

19. Kieschnick participated in a joint worship in a pro-homosexual (Reconciled in Christ ELCA Church. (Crisis in Christendom - Seminex Ablaze, p. 260).

20. Since LCMS if a corporation with the State of Missouri and is therefore required to follow the laws of Missouri. Missouri law says that a corporation's Board of Directors is above any church commission such as the LCMS's Commission on Constitutional Matters. Kieschnick wants to be the infallible "Pope", "Kingpin" etc. who is above any Board of Directors. When he disagrees with some effort of the Board of Directors to curb his power, he runs to his appointed "yes-men" Commission on Constitutional Matters for one of the CCMs convoluted rulings.
Three highly reputable law firms have said that Kieschnick's appointed CCM has clearly broken the law. Christians are to obey the law of the land (Romans 13) unless the government tells them to break God's law.

21. Kieschnick is supported by Jesus First. Jesus First is enthusiastically backing Rieschnick for re-election. Jesus First, an organized group of LCMS liberals, moderates and charismatics, has held key meetings at Kieschnick's own congregation. More recently a box number is listed instead of the church address. Even in Kieschnick's own liberal church there are many not in accord with Jesus First.

You're right Cos---who cares. You can see how much participation there is in this thread. Relatively few people care what is going on because they either don't care or they think they are insulated from the synod because each congregation is autonomous. They're living in a world of deniability. They further think that they are 2 steps removed from synod through their district. They don't realize that every decision made by the synod will trickle down eventually to their level. ie: the increase in assessments to the synod, the rerouting of mission monies, churches not be able to take their pastor to task if he is preaching bad doctrine, denying voting privileges to laity in PLI churches, on losing autonomy in local congregations.
"On May 20-24/2004, the LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters (CCM) exempt the Council of District Presidents (COP) from following
congregational constitutions when the CCM wrote:

"The Bylaws do not define the term 'proper channels' and thus the procedure
to be used in the investigation is chosen by the District President or his
representative and does not necessarily require the initial contact or
meeting to be with any particular person or group.""

More points to ponder:

There is strong support for placing women in pastoral leadership roles, including the ordination of women which is in absolute violation of the Scriptures. This support is found with a few on Synod's Board of Directors.

Support for fellowship with non-Christians.

Tolerance for a charismatic movement

Replacement of synodically approved hymns and liturgy with those doctrinally flawed.

Closed Communion being violated and even eliminated.

And a strong indication that the organized liberal groups would like to seize control of over a billion dollars in assets of the LCEF and LCMS Foundation.

Members of Daystar, Jesus First, Different/Voices/Shared Vision and/or the Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI) work closely with hundreds of employees in the District and Synodical offices to change the LCMS and to discard essential aspects of what we believe and who we are.

What needs to be done to counteract this:

The 3 Ecumenical Creeds
The Doctrine of Justification
Lutheran hymnbooks
Luther's Small Catechism
Equipping the saints
the Lutheran Agenda
use of the name "Lutheran" on all LCMS Congregations
the supremacy of the Voters' Assembly
the congregation's right to call a pastor and/or admonish him
the true Pastoral Office
correct teaching of Law and Gospel
proper administration of the Sacraments

"Letter From and Reply to LCMS “Ablaze!” Fundraiser"

In this Release:
1. A Letter from Rev. Ronald E. Nelson, Director Annual Support, LCMS World
Mission 2. Reply from “Reclaim News” to Rev. Ronald E. Nelson
----------------------

1. A Letter from Rev. Ronald E. Nelson, Director Annual Support, LCMS World
Mission

Ronald and Paula Nelson
9826 Affton View Ct.
St. Louis, MO 63123-6273

Rev. Jack Cascione
31011 Greater Mack Ave.
St. Clair Shores, MI 48082-1446

June 20, 2007

Dear Jack,

Regarding your last column in Christian News (June 11), the “Ablaze!” video
song “Let Our Hearts Burn Within Us” is a song based on Scripture, just as
hymns in TLH and LSB are (see the biblical references for each hymn). It is
based primarily on 2 Corinthians 4:6: For God, who said, “‘Let light shine
out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

And Luke 24:32
“They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he
talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’”

And Luke 24:47
“Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

A second comment:
The cutting (actually: recalling re-deploying, and early retirement) of 38
missionaries in 2004 solidified the LCMS World Mission new strategy: to
train nationals to take over mission so the LCMS could redeploy missionaries
to fields where they are needed, whether in the United States or elsewhere.
This is the norm today. [Although I have never read in CN that the St. Louis
International Center mission staff was cut from 66 to 33 in one week at the
same time. These were not early retirements or transfers--these people lost
their jobs.] These events caused a re-evaluation of our operations that has
been beneficial to the LCMS and its worldwide mission.

Today, three years later, career missionaries on the field are being
supplemented by long-term and short-term volunteers who are self-funded. It
is important to consider how these many well-trained volunteers are serving
across the world to bolster the work of LCMS World Mission, allowing World
Mission to develop the capacity of our partner churches in a cost-effective
way. [See the 2007 LCMS convention workbook report from World Mission for a
missionary count.]

In His Service,

Rev. Ronald E. Nelson
Director Annual Support
LCMS World Mission

---------------------------------------------------

2. Reply from Reclaim News to Rev. Ronald E. Nelson

Dear Ron:

Thank you for your reply to the June 6, 2007 “Reclaim News” release titled
"LCMS Theologians Endorse 'Ablaze' Pseudo Reformation Hype"

I appreciate your clarification that the removal of 38 missionaries from
their mission fields in 2004 was accomplished by “recalling, re-deploying,
and early retirement.” Also, I was not aware of the information in your
statement: “Although I have never read in CN that the St. Louis
International Center mission staff was cut from 66 to 33 in one week at the
same time. These were not early retirements or transfers--these people lost
their jobs.”

My primary objections to the “Ablaze!” are:

1. “Ablaze!” does not address the real issues and reasons for significant
cuts that have taken place in LCMS missions. Rather the “Ablaze” program is
used to draw people’s attention from the real issues and give lay people
false hope that they will be effective in evangelizing people to Jesus
Christ if they log 100 million witnesses by 2017. To achieve its goals,
“Ablaze” panders to emotion, the naiveté’ of well intentioned laity, and
pseudo mission-hype that will eventually prove to be mission fraud.

2. You quote the following verse as the theological basis for “Ablaze!”
“They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he
talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’” Luke 24:32.
This is marvelous Scripture, but it is totally misapplied by “Ablaze.”
Again and again, speakers to the 2004 LCMS Convention harangued the
delegates with the phrase, “didn’t our hearts burn within us?” as if it was
a command to do mission work. If a delegate’s heart wasn’t burning within
in him to support “Ablaze” he was led to believe that his faith was
defective and spirit drained.

Luke 24:32 is not a prescription for Christian behavior. No where in the
Bible does it tell anyone “to have their hearts burn within them” as if this
was the proper behavior for LCMS Lutherans. Rather, this verse shows the
results of Christ’s profound words explaining in magnificent doctrinal
exposition how the Old Testament predicts His death and resurrection.

Verses before Luke 24:32 read: “25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow
of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ
to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And
beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Christ’s profound doctrinal discourse on the Old Testament caused their
hearts to burn within them. Rather than focus on doctrinal exposition,
“Ablaze” wants people to have a burning desire to log 100 million witnesses,
hardly the intent or context of Luke 24:32.

This mission fraud is promoted with the following “Ablaze!” chorus:

"Let our hearts burn within us
Let light shine out of darkness
As we see the glory of God
As we see the glory of God
Let our hearts burn with passion
Let light shine on the nations
As we see the glory of God
As we see the glory of God
In the face of Christ"

Promoting passion and burning hearts in place of intense doctrinal study of
Messianic verses in the Old Testament is nothing more than mission fraud.
This is like focusing people on the joy of the harvest instead of the hard
work and sweat necessary to plow the field, plant the seed, water the crops,
and control the weeds if they want to harvest anything. The “Ablaze”
mission sideshow will ultimately prove to be the most disastrous mission and
failure in the history of American Lutheranism.

Also, quite frankly, I’ve never seen the face of Jesus nor do I expect to
see the face of Jesus, nor do I believe that anyone promoting “Ablaze!” has
ever seen the face of Jesus, not matter how many times they sing the chorus.

A mission department that promotes “Ablaze!” simply proves it’s not
qualified to do mission work.

Luther has proven to be the most effective missionary in the second
millennium after Christ. He wrote, taught, and preached doctrine, doctrine,
and more doctrine. He never once quotes Luke 24:32 in the entire 55 volume
set of the American edition. Today, I doubt Luther would be allowed to
graduate from an LCMS Seminary let alone get a call in the LCMS.

My advice Ron is, “Leave the LCMS and do something of lasting value with the
time you have left.”

In Christ’s Service,

Rev. Jack M. Cascione
(Expelled from the LCMS Clergy Rooster Dec 20, 2004)

Protoevangel said:

Radidio,

I wonder if the following is pertinent to the existing condition:

"It is unfair and unjust to charge a church body with false doctrine if that fellowship practices doctrinal discipline and attempts, according to the Word of God, to put an end to the false doctrine which has arisen among its individual members. However, it is completely fair, proper, and required by God's Word to charge that church body with false doctrine if the fellowship has told its individual members and indeed its leaders, “You may say whatever you want to.”
We Missourians only then hold a church body as such to be orthodox when the true doctrine sounds forth from all of its pulpits and professor's chairs and in all writings which are published within the church body, and every false doctrine, on the contrary, as soon as it makes its appearance, is eliminated in the way which God directs. According to this standard we judge others; according to this standard we also submit to be judged ourselves. We Missourians must and will be content to be judged according to the doctrine which is taught by our individual pastors whether in San Francisco or New York, St. Paul or New Orleans, or which is taught by our publications whether they be published officially or unofficially.
If anyone should prove against us that even one pastor preached false doctrine, or even one periodical stood in the service of false doctrine, and we did not eliminate this false doctrine, we would thereby have ceased to be an orthodox synod and would have become a unionistic fellowship. In short, the mark of an orthodox church body is that throughout that church the true doctrine alone prevails, not only officially and formally but also in actual reality."
- Franz Pieper
“Die Missouri-Synode und das General Council,” Lehre und Wehre, vol. 36, no. 8. (August, 1890)

Love ya bro!

Click to expand...

Very much so Dan. I agree. We have to monitor ourselves before we can pass judgment on the errancy in the synod. I know some of our fellow pastors don't like me stating this but I feel that they have been remiss in "equipping the saints" Some of them say that they are adamant in having bible classes and elder training and geting people involved in the word but---they haven't been around for 60+ years that I have been. I've seen the attitude over many, many years that when asked a theological question most of the people would have said "ask my pastor". I think that is what has weakened our churches and synod. Up until about 10 years ago there wasn't a large enough group of learned individuals to even combat the direction that the synod is sliding into.

"Complaint from LCMS Headquarters about Wohlrabe Picture in Uniform"

The following is a letter, obtained by Reclaim News, sent from LCMS
Presidential candidate, Rev. Dr. John Wolhrabe, defending himself after
complaints about his picture in a uniform that was sent to Wolhrabe's
superiors in the Nave.

First, Wolhrabe is not running for a public office. The LCMS is a
not-for-profit corporation registered in the Missouri. The President is
elected by delegates from member congregations.

Second, these complaints came from someone in LCMS Headquarters in an
obvious attempt to smear Wolhrabe before the lection.
---------------------------------------------------

From: Wohlrabe, John C. CAPT COMFIRSTNCD
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 17:24
To: Gragg, Stephen T CAPT EA for the Chief of Navy Chaplains, N097
Cc: Tate, Jessie CAPT FFC N1G; Morton, Douglas G CAPT COS 1 NCD
Subject: Admiral's Letter to my endorser

Steve,

I received a call from my Endorsing Agent, CAPT Mark Schreiber, USNR (Ret).
Apparently, someone complained that my picture has appeared in uniform in
published materials regarding my nomination for President of The Lutheran
Church--Missouri Synod and First Vice President (who says there isn't
politics in the church!). They apparently questioned whether or not it is
legal for a person running for an office to appear in military uniform while
still on active duty, and also whether a chaplain should appear in public in
uniform after the Klingenschmidt issue (I didn't think I was protesting
anything!?!).

I explained to Chaplain Mark Schreiber that when I was notified by e-mail of
my nomination in March of this year, I was in Kuwait. The Office of
Secretary for our church body wanted to know within a week if I would accept
the nomination, and wanted a picture within that time period. I sent my
acceptance of the nomination by e-mail, and referred them to my endorsing
agent's office (Mark's office) for my official picture, which was in
uniform, which they maintain on all of our chaplains. Thus, his office
released my picture, which was in uniform, to the Secretary's Office for
publication (!). Besides, because I was in Kuwait, it was the only picture
that I knew was available and that I could direct them to at the time. In
addition to that picture, other pictures of me in uniform have been
published since that time in unofficial publications (conservative groups
within our Synod that are endorsing me for election to the positions). These
pictures must have been sent in by others, perhaps chaplains or pastors I
know. Anyway, Chaplain Mark Schreiber says he called the Navy Chief of
Chaplain's office about this and asked your opinion. The Chief of Chaplain's
office apparently stated that there is a regulation about individuals
running for public office (civic office) not appearing in uniform, but
nothing with respect to a church office. Apparently it was also stated to my
endorsing agent that as long as my Commanding Officer knows that I am
nominated for such church offices, that my picture has appeared in uniform
as a candidate for these offices, and has no problem with it, then there is
no issue. Therefore, my endorsing agent has asked if Admiral Phillips would
write a letter to him stating that he knows I have been nominated for the
positions of President and First Vice President of The Lutheran
Church--Missouri Synod, that my picture has appeared in uniform as a
candidate for these offices, and that he has no problem with my nomination
and my picture appearing in uniform for such positions.

Is that in fact what was recommended by the Chief's office?

I don't think Admiral Phillips will have a problem writing a letter on my
behalf. He does know I have been nominated for these positions, although I
have spoken more to our Chief of Staff about it than to the Admiral.
However, in that Admiral Phillips is about to retire in a few weeks, I do
not want to bother him with this kind of thing. Besides, it looks silly in
my opinion (like, what is going on within your church, Chaps, that people
are getting so picky and political?). However, if Chaplain Burt, Chaplain
Baker or you think it is the best course of action, then that's what I will
do.

Also, while I'm at it, what about wearing my uniform at the convention?
At the Senior Leadership Conference we were told to wear our uniform at
church conventions and meetings. What should I do when I have been nominated
to serve as President of the church body? My endorsing agent brought that up
as well (apparently someone [?!?} raised this issue as well and expressed
concern that this would garner votes of patriotic delegates).

Your advice is most appreciated.

V/R
John