Greetings LCMS Delegates, Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
An impressive group of some 40 former leaders in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod recently sent you a letter dated June 24, 2010 urging you to vote for Dr. Jerry Kieschnick for president rather than Rev. Matthew Harrison. If you did not receive this letter it is reproduced above together with the list of signers. This letter has the signers in bold type.Many were wondering why Kieschnick at age 67 still appeared confident of being re-elected even though only 755 congregations nominated him for president and 1,332 congregations nominated Harrison, age 48. In the LCMS today for election it is considered more important to have the support of bureaucrats than congregations. Kieschnick has been close to former LCMS President Ralph Bohlmann, one of the signers, and knew he had the support of many formerly in the LCMS bureaucracy who opposed LCMS President A.L. Barry who defeated Bohlmann for LCMS president. CN called Bohlmann to find out if he had a key role in getting all the signatures. Bohlmann refuses to speak to this editor even though at one time he shared CN’s concerns about liberalism at Concordia Seminary and opposed Seminex.Most of the 40 signers are retired, aging members of the LCMS’s Council of Presidents and others in the LCMS bureaucracy. A good number of them were taught by professors who supported the anti-scriptural position of Seminex condemned in resolution 3-09 of the 1973 convention as false doctrine not to be tolerated in the LCMS. Hardly any of the signers opposed the liberals who formed Seminex.Some of the signers who did, like former LCMS President Ralph Bohlmann, have radically changed. He has worked as ghost writer for Kieschnick and has said that he now regrets his part in writing the excellent Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles adopted by the LCMS in 1973. He began to change his opposition to the ordination of women when he said he could find no scriptural reason why his daughter should not be a pastor. She was recently ordained as a pastor in the liberal United Church of Christ and has moved to Jacksonville, Illinois with her lesbian partner and two adopted children.CN has often said that the future of the LCMS does not lie with the aging Seminex supporters but with the younger generation which rejected the anti-scriptural theology of Seminex condemned in Resolution 3-09 of the 1973 Convention. Harrison is a leader of this younger generation. 3-09 of the 1973 Convention may be reaffirmed at the 2010 Convention if Resolution B, which mentions 3-09, is adopted (Today’s Business, page 48).The letter you have received from the aging bureaucrats shows why it is important to read the 32 page pamphlet enclosed in the June 21 Christian News sent to all delegates. It is titled “Call for 21st Century Reformation and Formula of Concord.” It includes “50+ Reasons Why Jerry Kieschnick Should be Removed as LCMS President.” It was sent to Kieschnick, Jesus First, and DayStar prior to publication to give them opportunity to point out any errors they find in it. None pointed out any errors. Read the 50+ Reasons and see what kind of man the aging bureaucrats are supporting. Some think their letter may be a response to “50+ Reasons Why Kieschnick Should be Removed”. Their letter says Kieschnick is “Theologically rock-solid with a thorough commitment to confessional Lutheran identity.” Read the mass of evidence arrayed in “50+ Reasons Why Kieschnick Should Be Removed As LCMS President.” Examine the facts not propaganda coming from the retired bureaucrats. CN has often said that Kieschnick regularly says he is a conservative. However, the record shows he tolerates those who reject the basic truth of God’s Word and backed the liberal theology of Seminex.
“Stop the Centralization of Power”The retired bureaucrats say that Kieschnick has “ignited a fire for missions in the hearts of Missouri Synod members across the church body and around the world.” The facts are during his years as president the LCMS has been losing more than 25,000 members a year and many full time missionaries have been called home. Most of the missionaries now sent out must get their own support and are short term missionaries who teach English and do social work rather than preaching Christ as the only way to heaven, baptizing and communing. Kieschnick has taken no action vs. Herbert Hoefer, a universalist who works for LCMS World Missions. See #9 in “50+ Reasons Why Kieschnick Should Be Removed as LCMS President.”The signers say: “The importance of this convention and the decisions you will be called on to make will determine the direction of the LCMS for years to come.” Read what Pastor Mark Eddy says in “Stop Centralization of Power” on pp. 17-18 and “If I Were A Delegate” on page 1.
Impressive CredentialsDo not be deceived by the impressive credentials of the signers. When Seminex was formed it too had many supporters with impressive credentials, including more than half of the LCMS’s Mission Department. 45 out of 50 professors and staff left Concordia Seminary to form Seminex.
The Record of The SignersLet’s just briefly look at the record of some of the signers.Signers Bauer, Belasic, Bohlmann, O. Mueller, and Zehnder are on the Jesus First Supporter list on pp. 469-470 of Crisis in Christendom – Seminex Ablaze [hereafter Crisis]. The other signers have no objection to being associated with these Jesus First Supporters. Note what LCMS Vice-President John Wohlrabe says on page 3 about the position of Jesus First.Ameiss was the district president of Jesus First leaders Charles Mueller, Sr. and Jr. He found their position quite acceptable. Bauer, Marie Biesenthal, Zehnder, and Belasic were among the signers who had a key role at a secret planning meeting of Jesus First at Concordia, Kirkwood, Missouri where Kieschnick is a member. See “Liberals Planning to Take Over LCMS” (II) (Crisis, p. 270). Bohlmann and Zehnder signed an affirmation of support for David Benke who said “The Muslim god is Also the True God” (Crisis, p. 246-257). “Handbook on Controversy sent to LCMS churches -- If Kieschnick gets his way – LCMS Going Back to What Liberals Wanted in ‘60’s and ‘70s” (Crisis, pp. 346-348) mentions signers Garton, Michaels, Bohlmann, Ron Meyer, and Bergen. Bergen signed a 1974 document supporting John Teitjen of Seminex (Crisis, 353-459). Signers Belasic, Oesch, Walter Tietjen, Zehnder, Garton, Bauer, O. Mueller, Bohlmann, Maier, Nadasdy, and Buegler were among those who refused to state that the LCMS should not reject resolution 3-09 opposing the Seminexers. They refused to answer yes or no to these statements: “I believe that LCMS pastors and professors should not be permitted to teach that man and the universe gradually evolved from some primary substance.” “I believe that no pastor or professor on the LCMS clergy roster should be permitted to teach that women may be ordained to the Holy Ministry and serve as pastors” (Crisis, p. 457).Bergen and Schmacher are listed as ELIM District Chairman. ELIM gathered funds for Seminex (Crisis, p. 459).Belasic is a co-author of The Penguin Principle, a book which promotes women pastors.When Bimler was with Wheatridge Ministries, funds from Wheatridge went to groups which supported the gay agenda.Lutz took no action against a pastor in his district who preached a sermon on why the LCMS should have women pastors (Crisis, 263-265).Jesus First published an article by Carter in which he said that some conservatives are like snakes which have to be driven out of the house.Wallace Schulz in “The LCMS and Its Future” showed how signer Freitag was prompting Baptist theology in the LCMS (CN, April 19, 2010). When signer Heins was chairman of the LCMS’s Council of Presidents he permitted the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau to distribute at a meeting of the COP a copy of its book promoting the ordination of women in the LCMS while he refused to permit Christian News, at the COP meeting, to distribute a book opposing the ordination of women.CN has often promoted Maier’s books, yet CN has also noted that Maier rejected the doctrine of the inerrancy of the Bible affirmed by his father and brother. Walter Lammerts, founder of the Creation Research Society in his review of Paul Maier’s Test Tube Theology published by CPH showed that Paul Maier did not take the same firm stand vs. evolution as his father did. For documentation of Paul Maier’s liberal views on some issues and his support of the liberal American Lutheran Publicity Bureau see chapter XXII in Walter Maier Still Speaks – Missouri and the World Should Listen, pp. 357-384). Liberals and moderates promoted O’Shoney for LCMS president (Crisis, 292).Schmacher never retracted his support of Seminex. He took no action in his district against such outspoken evolutionists as Matthew Becker and Harold Roellig or against universalist Herbert Hoeffer, who also supports the ordination of women (Crisis, 462).Had CN known that some aging former LCMS district presidents and other bureaucrats were going to sign this letter of support for Kieschnick, CN would have sent you a copy of Crisis in Christendom – Seminex Ablaze which CN sent to all delegates to the 2004 Convention. The book is subtitled “The Record of LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick.” It is now more important than ever. Remember, do not be deceived by the impressive credentials of these signers. Examine the facts and what is in the “50+ Reason Why Kieschnick Should Be Removed As President”. The future for the LCMS should be in the hands of the younger pastors and laymen who rejected the theology of Seminex not with aging bureaucrats and their supporters, most of whom were taught by professors who did not repudiate the anti-scriptural theology of Seminex. This theology declared to be false doctrine not be tolerated in the LCMS by Resolution 3-09 of the 1977 LCMS Convention.Kieschnick refused to have published in the Convention Workbook “Curb the Bureaucracy”. This overture documents the liberal theological position of the LCMS’s Council of Presidents majority. 21 of the signers were members of the COP. The overture was published in the June 28, 2010 CN. It shows that the majority on the COP repeatedly supported Seminex. The COP even voted to appoint an outspoken evolutionist to the CTCR. Reject the advice of the 40 signers and vote for Harrison for President, Schulz for First vie President and Wohlrabe, Adams, Daniel, Preus, Scott Murray and Herbert Mueller for vice-presidents 2-5.If the signers do not appreciate Harrison and Schulz they are free to leave the LCMS. Their letter shows that perhaps the time has come for a peaceful, division in the LCMS. CN rejoices that they have now publicly stated their position.God’s richest blessings,Herman OttenGalatians 6:14
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