On the last day of the 24th Annual Symposium on the Lutheran Confessions, held at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Professor Kurt Marquart introduced retired ELCA Bishop McDaniel.

From his speech it soon became evident that Bishop McDaniel, promoter of the Trinity Movement, was appalled at the vacuous end result of the ELCA's attempt at ecumenism at any cost over the past 25 years.

Basically, McDaniel said the ELCA had given up the authority of Scripture and allegiance to the teachings of the Lutheran Confessions. His paper was a detailed account of the failures of his church and he asked if it was still really a church.

The adoption of the higher critical method, the shared communion between Lutheran and Reformed Church bodies, the Joint Declaration on Justification with the Catholic Church, and the adoption of Apostolic Succession with the Episcopal Church all signal a church body that has no certain faith in the Word of God.

McDaniel spoke of his struggle to revive Lutheranism in the ELCA with the Trinity Movement.

It was a dramatic moment. McDaniel said he owed a great personal debt to Professor Marquart. At the end of the paper, McDaniel was greeted with a spontaneous standing ovation from the some 500 people who were still present for the Symposium.

Marquart said this was the most significant moment in the 24-year history of the Symposium.

People were then invited to the microphones. Pastor Matthew Harrison came to the microphone and told of the struggle the Lutheran Church in Australia was having as it considered the adoption of women clergy. Their church body is small and confused and on the brink of collapse over the issue. They may be heading in the same direction as the ELCA.

Immediately behind Pastor Harrison was Marie Meyer, a sister of Herman Otten. Meyer has the most stunning posture and appearance this writer has seen for a woman of age 62. She looks like her pictures in Christian News. After condemning Christian News, Meyer asked McDaniel if he agreed with the Close Communion practice of LC-MS that would not permit him to take communion with us.

To Meyer's surprise, McDaniel gave a detailed answer explaining why the LC-MS practice of Close Communion was necessary and correct. Here was a former ELCA Bishop publicly supporting the position of President Dr. A. L. Barry. Would that Barry could get this kind of support from the LC-MS Counsel of District Presidents and the Florida-Georgia District. Meyer returned to her seat.