Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick is the President of the
Texas District of the LCMS. In addition to this position, he is also the Chairman of the
CTCR. He recently ran for President of the Synod, and may do so again. What follows is a
letter he wrote to Rev. Herman Otten, publisher of Christian News, regarding a
story I wrote for that paper recently. What follows his letter is my response.
After this article was distributed through Reclaim News, I received several
responses via email from subscribers. You may be interested in reading through
them and my replies.
TEXAS DISTRICT
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
7700 E Highway 290
Austin, Texas 78724-2499
512-926-4272
Fax 512-926-1006
Toll Free 800-951-3478
www.txdistlcms.org
President Gerald Kieschnick
May 4, 1999
Rev. Herman Otten
Christian News
3277 Boeuf Lutheran Road
New Haven, MO 63068-2213
Dear Rev. Otten:
Greetings in the name of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
Someone who reads Christian News shared with me a copy of a
recent article which appeared in your publication. Others have mentioned to me that the
Texas District and the office and person of its president have regularly and repeatedly
been the subject of articles in recent issues of Christian News.
As you undoubtedly recall, on two previous occasions I have traveled
to your home and office in New Haven, Missouri, once with a witness, for the purpose of
sharing with you my deep Christian concern about the lack of factuality and about the
inaccuracy of articles which have appeared in Christian News concerning my ministry
as President of the Texas District. In both of those meetings with you, which I began and
ended with prayer, I evangelically requested that you refrain from publishing articles,
whether authored by you or by anyone else, which contain false or inaccurate statements or
innuendoes detrimental to the ministry of congregations and professional church workers of
the Texas District, including its president.
It is apparent from the articles which you have recently published
that you have chosen to disregard my evangelical requests and that you have decided to
continue to publish erroneous and even slanderous material concerning the Texas District
and my ministry as president.
As one brief example, a number of inaccuracies are contained in the
article by Rev. Jack Cascione entitled "Texas District Executive a No-Show" (9),
which appeared in a recent issue of Christian News.
The article states that the Texas District sends "23% of its
funds to Synod." In fact, the Texas District remits 33.85% of its congregational
receipts to the mission and ministry of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synods for fiscal
year 1999.
The article states "the lay people are financing an ever
increasing bureaucracy. . . ". In fact, the staff members of the Texas District
continue to faithfully and energetically serve congregations in fulfillment of the Texas
District mission "to strengthen congregations to reach the lost, disciple the saved
and care for people. . . locally and globally."
The article states that "the Texas District is reported by some
Texas pastors to have opened as few as two million congregations in the last ten
years." In fact, in the Texas District, 33 congregations or ministries will have been
started between the years 1990-1999. Unfortunately, we have not measured up to the two
million congregations erroneously reported in the referenced article to have been started
by the Texas District in the last ten years.
My brother in Christ, I again lovingly and evangelically request
that you seriously and prayerfully consider your responsibility as a Christian journalist
to accurately present the facts of any story you write or publish. Even more importantly,
I urge and admonish you, in Christian love, to write and to publish only articles which
demonstrate a proper understanding of our Lord’s Eighth Commandment, including the
injunction of the meaning of that commandment:
"We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie,
betray, slander nor defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him and put the
best construction on everything."
May God’s grace, mercy and peace be with you.
Sincerely,
President Gerald Kieschnick
Response to President Kieschnick From Rev. Jack Cascione
Dear President Kieschnick:
Thank you for your letter of May 4, 1999, to Rev. Herman Otten
concerning articles in Christian News about the Texas District finances and mission
congregations.
Please forgive me for any incorrect statement about the finances of
the Texas District. You say that the numbers as originally quoted from the 1999 Lutheran
Annual are incorrect. Would you please tell us which of the following numbers are
incorrect? You failed to include that information in your letter.
|
Total Work At Large |
Synod’s
Budget At District Office |
Confirmed Members |
| 1968 |
$1,747,549.00 |
$680,854.00 |
3 deployed offices |
69,245 |
| 1972 |
$2,141,338.00 |
$835,488.00 |
4 staff listed |
76,368 |
| 1992 |
$6,905,724.00 |
$2,454,774.00 |
11 staff listed |
100,215 |
| 1997 |
$8,684,579.00 |
$2,025,000.00 |
15 staff listed |
107,550 |
I also noticed that you give the percentage for fiscal year 1999. There are 7 months
remaining in 1999. As you know the latest financial figures published in the 1999 Annual
are for 1997. Once again, please tell us which of the above numbers from the Lutheran
Annual are incorrect. Your vice-presidents publicly claimed these numbers were incorrect
but would not tell us what the right numbers were. These numbers tell us that your
District giving to Synod dropped from to 35.5% in 1992 to 23.6% in 1997. The 33.85% you
claim in your letter can’t possibly apply to the above numbers according to the
Lutheran Annual. Please tell us the correct numbers.
Please forgive the typographical error that claimed your District opened 2 million
mission congregations in the past 10 years. Some have claimed that you only opened 2
mission congregations in the last 10 years. Would you be so kind as to please tell us the
names and locations of the 33 mission congregations your District has opened in the past
10 years, the years they were opened, and who the pastors are at those mission
congregations? Regretfully, there is some doubt among the clergy that these 33 mission
congregations actually exist. Please don’t let modesty prevent others from rejoicing
in the blessings God has given to the Texas District.
I have two additional questions. First, you speak of "my evangelical
requests." Please explain how something you do is evangelical. Isn’t our love
the fulfillment of the law and not the Gospel? "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor:
therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Rom. 13:10.
Second, you speak of Rev. Otten as "My brother in Christ." If Rev. Otten, is
indeed, your brother in Christ, why don’t you publicly defend his legitimate right to
be on the LCMS clergy roster? "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his
brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the
love of God in him?" 1John 3:17
I am also responding in the spirit in which you wrote in the "Lutheran
Witness", June 1998, pages 18 and 19, as among the critical issues facing the
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod today:
(7) Relationships: Do we need and desire relationships between pastor and people,
congregations and national Synod, districts and national Synod that are characterized as
distant, divergent, and distrustful, or as collegial, cooperative, and close?
(8) Church and Ministry: Will we have a church that is characterized by unhealthy,
autocratic clericalism, or by healthy congregational self- governance with healthy people,
both male and female, and healthy pastors sharing the privileges and responsibilities of
mission and ministry within the Biblically defined roles of each member of the Body of
Christ?
Also, in the Texas District Strategic Plan I specifically refer to Concept #5
"Information That is Open and Free-Flowing." Your plan specifically states that
"Within the District information is readily available and openly communicated."
Your response to the above questions would be most appreciated and would result in even
greater confidence in you and your District throughout the Synod.
Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. John 8:32
Grace, mercy, and peace be with you.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Jack Cascione
Dear Reader:
If you are not currently receiving Christian News published by Rev. Herman Otten
for $25.00 a year, less than .50 cents per issue each week, now is the time to subscribe
for you and your friends. Call 573-237-3110.
You will receive more accurate and current information from Christian News about
the LCMS than any other periodical. Otten also publishes letters, theological articles,
and religious news items from around the world.
Christian News is the only periodical that will print the truth and defend the
truth regardless of the consequences. Even though LCMS District Presidents deny they read Christian
News, as does President Kieschnick above, unless someone else shows him a copy, they
do indeed read it.
Otten has been publishing for more than 35 years. He knows the issues and he speaks to
them. He is a staunch defender of Biblical inerrancy, the Lutheran Confessions,
justification by faith alone, and C.F.W. Walther. Stay in touch and get involved.
Subscribe to Christian News now. Call 573-237-311
Christian News is the only periodical officially condemned by the Lutheran
Church - Missouri Synod and the LCMS Council of District Presidents.
Sincerely,
Pastor Cascione