The offense is in the following statement by Rev. Jack Cascione that
was placed on their mail list: "Luther Quest has received much criticism from LCMS
pastors who object to the supremacy of the Voters’ Assembly. Your reply to this
article is also welcomed on www.lutherquest.org.
Cat 41 has also published some negative comments about the supremacy of Voters’
Assemblies on their mailing list."
Quite frankly, If LCMS pastors and laity want to criticize me for defending and
promoting the "Church and Ministry" of C.F.W. Walther in the LCMS they may do
so. I also believe I have the right to defend myself. The following are some quotations
from the CAT41 Table Talk mailing list that precipitated my article "Why
the Voters’ Assembly Should Be Supreme." This article can be found on www.reclaimingwalther.org.
Quotations removed per author's request.
Dear Pastor Stefanski: I thought your mail list was a website called CAT41 because it
says "CAT 41's Table Talk" <TableTalk@CAT41.org>. Please forgive me for
suggesting that Table Talk is called the CAT41 Website. I hope you see that someone might
mistakenly come to the conclusion that CAT41 and Table Talk were the same thing just by
reading the email address. I now see that CAT41 is your Website that is currently not on
line and CAT41’s Table Talk is a mail list.
After I published my article "Why the Voters’ Assembly
Should be Supreme" These are some comments that appeared on CAT4’s Table
Talk followed by my responses.
The other evening I was talking to a man at a party whose wife is a
member of our congregation. I told him that there were large factions of pastors and
professors at work in the LCMS trying to remove the supremacy of the Voters’ Assembly
an give it to themselves. I asked him if he were to join a congregation would it be one
that was ruled by the Voters or by the Pastor. He laughed in my face. It is not even a
question.
Clearly those who like pastoral "leadership" will remain in the Catholic
Church. Should they trade Catholic hierarchy for Lutheran hierarchy? I told him these
pastors are trying to put themselves out of business. The man agreed.
I could ask who has bewitched you to believe that "freedom of choice" is one
choice of among many forms of church government? Oh yes, there are also the Papacy,
Episcopal Bishops, dictatorship, oligarchy, Board of Directors, CEOs, cliques, and
enlightened despots. In the church they all say they follow the word of God. By your
standard the polity the ELCA is more orthodox and the LCMS. In his sermon "The Sheep
Judge their Shepherds" Walther says the pastor serves God’s word and the
Congregation through the Voters’ judges the doctrine and rules the congregation.
Yes, I do apologize for suggesting that CAT41 published anything against the supremacy
of the Voters’ Assembly. What I meant to say is that CAT41 Table Talk continually
publishes articles against the supremacy of the Voters’ Assembly. And "no,"
Pastor Stefanski, I don’t think that LCMS pastors should be called "Father"
including you. I left the Catholic Church and have no desire to return to it. Could you
send me a copy of what you think is the ideal church constitution for an LCMS
congregation? Your, comments are welcome on www.lutherquest.org.