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The following is an exchange of emails between Dr. David Benke, Atlantic
District President, and a layman, in which Benke explains why Allah is also
the true God.
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Letter # 1 from Pastor Benke:
From: "Rev. Dr. David H. Benke" <pastor@stpeter-brooklyn.org>
To: Mr. Pohlman
Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 8:01 AM
Subject: Re: Be safe in Christ's service
I am laymen have a problem when seeing a fellow Lutheran
praying>alongside a
Muslim Who don't give Christ the honor due him. Without Christ we only
deceive him into thinking his god is a good and honest God. I see it
an
opportunity hone array, but I would Prefer a silent prayer in circumstance
like this.
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Dear Mr. [Pohlman]
Thanks for your thoughts. The trouble with the approach you want to
take is
that you would remove the Christian witness from the public arena just when
it's needed the most. I can tell you from the reaction to my own
little
prayer at Yankee Stadium that Muslims were moved to ask questions about the
Christian God. (the One True God) in a way that opened dialog leading to
conversion. There is a Godly result.
Theologically, when Christians interact in the public arena by prayer or
reading or speaking, they are presenting themselves as witnesses to the
truth. God takes care of the rest. The Muslim God is also the
true God
(there IS only ONE TRUE GOD, right?) but worshipping [worshipped] in an
inadequate way. In other words, the Muslim is worshipping God but
understanding God's LAW (and there is really no religion like Islam when it
comes to the Law.)- what's missing? The GOSPEL. JESUS as the Son
of God.
Jesus as the Savior of the World. The death and resurrection of Christ
for
the world. That's what the witness is about when it's given "in
the
Precious Name of Jesus" which is how I ended my prayer.
Think it through. It's a very timely set of circumstances. We
have the
opportunity to put our witness in the world right now at a time of global
religious tension in a new and dynamic way.
Dave Benke
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Letter #2 from Pastor Benke:
-----
Original Message -----
From: "Rev. Dr. David H. Benke" <pastor@stpeter-brooklyn.org>
To: Mr. Pohlman [e mail address deleted by his Pastor --name listed
below]
Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 7:03 AM
Subject: Re: Be safe in Christ's servise
Dear Sir,
In reviewing my email to you from the other day, I realized I did not
include a reference to the Lutheran document that formed the basis for my
initial response to you. I don't if you're a Lutheran or not, so I'll
tell you that one of Martin Luther's most important writings was called the
Catechism. It was a book of instructions in the Christian faith for
children and adults. It was divided into six "parts."
One of the parts was the Apostles' Creed. At the end of that teaching
section in what is called the "Large Catechism," Martin Luther
himself writes this:
"These articles of the Creed, therefore, divide and distinguish us
Christians from all other people on earth. All who are outside the
Christian church, whether heathen, Turks, Jews, or false Christians and
hypocrites, EVEN THOUGH THEY BELIEVE IN AND WORSHIP ONLY THE ONE, TRUE GOD,
nevertheless do not know what his attitude is toward them. They CANNOT
BE CONFIDENT OF HIS LOVE AND BLESSING. Therefore they remain in eternal
wrath and damnation, for they do not have the Lord Christ, and, besides,
they are not illuminated and blessed by the gifts of the Holy Spirit."
I put the capital letters in for emphasis. Martin Luther was an
exceptional student of the Bible. One of his favorite books of the
Bible was Romans, because it showed the gap between the Law and the Promise.
Both come from God, both reveal God, but only the Gospel saves. You
could go to Romans 1 through 3 to read this. I believe those words of
the Bible were what informed Luther when writing the portion of the
Catechism about the Creed. There is a "natural knowledge of
God." That God is the one and the same and the only God.
But folks from other religions only know what they know of God from the Law.
And it cannot save them. The Law can't save, only condemn. Which
is where the Promise in Christ comes in. Salvation is in Him alone.
I hope this helps to amplify what I wrote earlier. I get a lot of
emails. Most are highly supportive of my being at and praying at Yankee
Stadium. I believe the Missouri Synod, to which I belong, is in the
process of coming to grips with what it means to be Christians in the world
today, and my "case" is part of that process. Some folks
would rather keep the Good News to themselves, hiding their light under a
bushel. I'm in the other camp. I say "Let it shine!"
For that reason, I have become the focus of a lot of attacks, which is
OK - I think the kind of private and personal dialog we are having is what
is important.
Finally, I have answered you twice now and in so doing broke a personal rule
I have after receiving so much email - I don't even know your first name, or
if you are Lutheran. Your words indicate you are a Christian, so
that's where I have started. But it would be good of you to let me
know who you are before we proceed any further in our private communication.
Sincerely yours,
Dave Benke
RESPONSE
Dear
Pastor Benke,
Your correspondences with my member, Mr. Pohlman, (two in total thus far)
were indeed private communications *until* you began to set at odds the Word
of Jesus and the Word taught of our Catechism in the mind of my member.
Thankfully, he came to his Pastor--whom God appointed his teacher. I am
truly thankful he is a pious man. For he may indeed have been tempted to
dismiss a young man (only three years in) in favor of a veterate Pastor and
former District President.
I respectfully request you terminate your teaching--and falsely at that--of
my member. You have no call to do so here. May I respectfully ask you also
to consider our ordination vows in which we *both* confessed that our
Confession is a true interpretation of the Word of God. It therefore cannot
be at odds with the Word of Christ in the Gospels.
Further, may I humbly suggest your interpretation of the catechism which
permits you to say that the Muslims and Jews (and I assume you would add all
the others there that day at YS) worship the One True God (as there *is*
only *One* True God) may be askew as indeed Jesus says the Jews worship
their "father the devil", notably *not* the One True God.
You may call also if your prefer to speak by phone rather than this wholly
inadequate medium. My number and address are listed below as they are always
in all my posts.
Respectfully and fraternally,
the Rev. Frederick E. Davison, Pastor
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, U.A.C.
6843 W 400 N Kokomo, Indiana 46901
765-452-9168
email: davisonf@email.msn.com
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