A Pastor wrote on Oct 1, 2001 asking the following questions. Pastor Al Loeschman forwarded them on to the people in Orange, CA who are in the forefront of alerting the people of the LCMS to the goings on in and behind PLI. Here are their answers. Reclaim News was consulted by the people in Orange, CA for assistance in answering these questions.

Speaking of unionism and syncretism, where do we stand on PLI? A couple of questions:

1. What are the doctrinal objections to PLI?
2. If PLI is guilty of false doctrine, then is it heretical, and do we invoke Romans 16:17?
3. If PLI is not guilty of false doctrine, then can we rightly stand against it?
4. If PLI is not guilty of false doctrine, can it still be called schismatic and still be rejected as such?

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WHAT ARE THE DOCTRINAL OBJECTIONS TO PLI?

There is one major doctrinal objection to PLI. At the Rockwell meeting in December of 2000, in front of witnesses, the Executive Leader of PLI stated that PLI does not teach Walther's "Church and Ministry." He has also written he does not support Walther's "Church and Ministry." At the 2001 LCMS Convention in St. Louis, 73% of the Convention voted Walther's "Church and Ministry" was and remains the official doctrinal position of the LCMS.

PLI is nothing less than an effort by a non Missouri Synod organization endeavoring to change the doctrinal position and practice of the LCMS on "Church and Ministry." While stating PLI does not teach Walther's "Church and Ministry," the Executive Leader is adamant PLI does indeed support the doctrinal position of the LCMS. He also states, as the Executive Leader, he does not review the doctrinal teaching and the practice of the 29 mentoring pastors or its some 170 students, because this is the responsibility of the LCMS itself.

IF PLI IS GUILTY OF FALSE DOCTRINE, THEN IS IT HERETICAL, AND DO WE INVOKE ROMANS 16:17?

It is impossible to invoke Romans 16:17, because PLI is not part of the LCMS, nor is it part of any church body, nor is it church in itself. It is hard to label something heretical when it claims no fellowship principles or ecclesiastical structure. PLI simply, without any reservations, claims it does not teach Walther's "Church and Ministry." In the same way, the Ford Motor Company or the local City Council do not support Walther's "Church and Ministry," but that does not make them heretical.

IF PLI IS NOT GUILTY OF FALSE DOCTRINE, THEN CAN WE RIGHTLY STAND AGAINST IT?

Yes, we can stand against PLI being given official recognition by the LCMS, because PLI openly does not agree with the doctrine and practice of the LCMS. What is most unusual about PLI is, it seeks RSO (Recognized Service Organization) status, while refusing to adopt the Synod's doctrine and practice of "Church and Ministry" as its own.

PLI's problem is: It is a private corporation, seeking to capitalize on the LCMS Districts and Congregations, while it ignores the existing doctrine and practice of the LCMS. Why? Because its founding members are all LCMS pastors, with such limited vision, they can only view their business potential within the parameters of LCMS corporate structure.

Our recommendation is: PLI simply market itself to the entire country, without focusing on one particular denomination, namely the LCMS. Their accreditation should come from a reputable accreditation agency or university outside the LCMS. At this time, neither of the two LCMS Seminaries has recommended PLI be accredited by the Synod.

If the Executive Leader is indeed an entrepreneur, he should recognize the LCMS is about 1.75% of the population of the United States or less than .02% of the world's population. If PLI is going to be a self-sustaining corporation, it must seek a wider market than the LCMS. At the moment, it appears PLI can only plan to do business with the LCMS, which is a very limited marketing plan.

IF PLI IS NOT GUILTY OF FALSE DOCTRINE, CAN IT STILL BE CALLED SCHISMATIC AND STILL BE REJCTED AS SUCH?

As a corporation, PLI could not be called schismatic since it cannot claim denominational affiliation. It is not a church or part of the church. However, if PLI were given RSO status, it would be the Board for Higher Education that is schismatic for promoting an organization in the LCMS and one, that openly reject's Walther's "Church and Ministry." The word "schismatic" only applies in the context of the church..PLI is not a church, nor is it part of any larger church body.

October 17, 2001