LCMS Praesidium Stonewalls Questions About Trinity In Werning Case

By: Rev. Jack Cascione
The following is a letter to the LCMS Praesidium asking why it will not
answer questions about God.  The Praesidium is adjudicating a case about the
Trinity in Werning verse Cascione, but will not answer what it believes
about God as the basis for adjudicating the case.

Cascione published that Werning's book "Health and Healing for the LCMS"
teaches false doctrine about the Trinity.  Werning and South Wisconsin
District President, Ron Meyer, claim that Cascione has broken the Eighth
Commandment by condemning Werning's false doctrine about the Trinity.
President Kieschnick has publicly supported Ron Meyer and is threatening
Cascione with expulsion from the Synod.

The majority of the Praesidium now states that it is wrong to say that they
found no merit in Dr. Werning's charges against Cascione.

As we watch the doctrinal, ethical, and moral collapse of the Catholic
Church, the Episcopal Church, and the ELCA, political turmoil prevents the
LCMS Praesidium from answering simple questions about the Trinity.

Kieschnick claims he has a fire to save the lost, while lacking a fire to
tell the truth about God.
---------------------------------------------

September 4, 2003

LCMS Praesidium &
President Gerald Kieschnick
1333 South Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, MO 63122-7295

Dear Sirs:

As of September 4, 2003, President Kieschnick and/or the LCMS Praesidium
have refused to respond to my July 15, 2003, letter and any questions
concerning Dr. Werning's charges about the Trinity against me.

However, President Kieschnick, without my request, has publicly responded to
my writing in his memo of January 11, 2003, and his letter of May 30, 2003.
Fourth Vice President, Paul Maier has also responded for the Praesidium to
my public writing, without my request, on June 18, 2003.

On October 18, 2002, President Kieschnick writes that it is "the
responsibility of the Praesidium to determine whether or not 'the facts for
a basis for expulsion of the member under Article XIII of the Constitution
(Bylaw 2.27b.)'" On July 18, 2003, Dr. Maier writes: "As you know, this case
is still before the Praesidium and is still being adjudicated."

In all it deliberations since Werning filed his charges about the Trinity
against me to Praesidium on October 4, 2002, the Praesidium refuses to
follow acknowledged standards for the rules of evidence, refuses to answer
any questions, and refuses to state its own understanding of the Trinity by
which it plans to adjudicate my case.

President Kieschnick and the Praesidium are listed on the LCMS roster as
clergymen and are adjudicating charges about the Trinity, but will not
answer questions about God.

On February 21, 2003, on July, 18, 2003, and now, for a third time, I ask:
"Yes, or No?  Does President Kieschnick support these six statements from
Werning's book?  President Kieschnick should tell us, because I am being
charged with breaking the Eighth Commandment for calling all of these six
statements lies about God."

These six statements are:
1. "experiencing God in a three-fold manner"
2. "three manners of being (God above us, God among us, God in us)"
3. "three levels of reality [in God] (nature, history, existence)"
4. "three ways in which God reveals Himself"
5. "three forms of address [from God] ('You shall!,' 'You may!,' 'You
 can!')"
6. "one of the three ways in which God has revealed Himself"

These six statements, vigorously defended by Dr. Waldo Werning and published
to every delegate of the 2001 LCMS Convention, are lies about God.

As the chief officers of the LCMS, why isn't the Praesidium able to say what
it believes about the Trinity?  Instead, the Praesidium "majority" sputters
and gags on simple questions about God.
Werning also questions that God was dead in the tomb for three days,
questions that each person of the Trinity is the entire God yet there is
only one God, teaches that all theology is not Christology, and wants to
know, if Jesus is God who was He talking to from the cross?

The Praesidium majority claims my publicity about the case is a violation of
the by-laws, while Werning's publication of his false doctrine is publicly
defended by his District President.  The Praesidium's refusal to answer
questions about God is a violation of its claim to be Christian.

Never before in the history of the LCMS has a man of Kieschnick's
theological incompetence occupied the office of the President.

Kieschnick's defense of South Wisconsin District President, Ron Meyer, on
May 30, 2003, (Meyer also claims I broke the Eighth Commandment for labeling
Werning's writing as lies about God) clearly shows that Kieschnick agrees
with Werning.  It is little wonder that the Synod is in turmoil over
Kieschnick's support for Benke's public prayers with Moslems.  Benke teaches
that Moslem's worship the true God.  Kieschnick doesn't agree with the
doctrine of the Trinity, refuses to answer questions about the Trinity, and
threatens me with expulsion from the Synod for confessing the truth about
God.

On May 30, Kieschnick writes "these words of the Praesidium are no idle
threat," when that is exactly what they are:  cheap, gutless, idle threats
with which you bully and threaten an LCMS pastor who will not be quiet about
the doctrine of the Trinity.

The Praesidium majority has placed the goals of the LCMS Corporation and its
political interests above a clear confession of God.  Only naïve LCMS
Lutherans can hear about rampant pedophiles among Catholic priests, the
public approval of homosexuality by the Episcopal clergy, and ELCA clergies'
eagerness to be in fellowship with Episcopal homosexuals and, in spite of
the evidence, doubt that the LCMS Praesidium has made party spirit a higher
priority than confessing the true God.

Confusion and outright rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity is rampant
throughout the Synod.  President Kieschnick urged the Michigan District not
to let over-purification of doctrine hinder the LCMS from getting out the
message of salvation.  Immediately following his speech, the Convention
voted 55% to 45% not to include the phrase, "as confessed in the Athanasian
Creed," in a resolution titled, "To Clearly Confess in the Public Square the
true God . . ."

After the Convention refused to include the Athanasian Creed in their
resolution about God, our congregational President and I immediately walked
for the door.  Before leaving, I shook hands with a smiling Dr. Maier who
should have been weeping.  How fitting it is that Dr. Maier is the spokesman
for the Praesidium majority.  As Dr. Paul Maier wrote, it is wrong to say
the Praesidium, " found no merit in Dr. Werning's charges."

This abomination is on your heads, while it takes you nine months to decide
what you believe about God and President Kieschnick defends District
President Ron Meyer's apostasy.  There is a higher Judge who will adjudicate
your case.  On that day, you can explain why you won't answer questions
about Him while claiming to be preachers of His Word.  You can explain how
Lutheran doctrine became an academic tool to serve corporate objectives,
which include silencing all who publicly criticize Werning's false doctrine.

Sincerely,
Jack Cascione

September 10, 2003