Matzat and Benke Divided on Deity of Christ At Las Vegas

Rev. Jack Cascione

Why spend $900.00 and three days before Lent on a trip to Las Vegas to hear
Benke, Matzat, and Schulz?  The purpose was to prove that Matzat and Benke
don't agree with each other on proclaiming the deity of Christ.

The Pacific Southwest District of the LCMS sponsored a Theological
Convocation at the Suncoast Casino in Las Vegas on Feb 16-19.  Doctor Don
Matzat, Atlantic District President David Benke, and Second LCMS Vice
President, Dr. Wallace Schulz were featured speakers at the Convocation.

Both Matzat and Benke agree that Dr. Wallace Schulz is wrong when Schulz
says that LCMS pastors should not pray with heathen clergy in Yankee Stadium
or any other civic worship event.

However, even though Matzat and Benke tell LCMS Lutherans that Jesus is the
only God, Benke's prayer at Yankee Stadium did not say that Jesus is the
only God. Why not?

Did Benke forget? Doesn't he believe it? Is it the new position of the LCMS,
supported by President Kieschnick and the COP, not to say in public that
Jesus is the only God?

The answers were in Las Vegas.

Matzat has a history of saying that Jesus is the only God, particularly when
he spoke on KFUO, but Benke has not been very vocal on the subject, that is,
not in public.

After Matzat spoke in the Casino on Tuesday I had the chance to ask my
question.  Matzat knew what I was going to do as I approached the floor
mike.  He started hollering ad homonym invectives that I was the spin-doctor
and that people should watch out for the spin-doctor.  He had to tell
everyone who I was, and on, and on.

I held up Pieper's Dogmatics, Volume I, like a weapon. There was even a
prayer at the end of the Convocation asking for protection from Pieper and
for greater love among us.

I read the following quotation from Luther quoted by Pieper:

"The inscription on Christ's face reads: 'God so loved the world that He
gave His only-begotten," etc. (John 3:16), and the Father directs all
mankind to look upon this face of Jesus Christ (Matt. 17:5).  Whoever has a
different God cannot have the 'one true God.' He has painted god according
to his own fancy; his god is a caricature, a nonentity, an idol."

Before I could ask my question Matzat hollered out, "Now read page 374!"  He
was talking about the knowledge of God according to the Natural Law.  I
replied, pointing my finger, "First you answer my question on 389."  "Do you
have to tell people that Jesus is the only God?"

Matzat hollered back, "Yes!"  He then went into a tirade about all kinds of
things, but I had my answer.

After Benke spoke, I went to the floor mike again and asked, "Dr. Benke,
shouldn't you have introduced your prayer at Yankee Stadium by announcing
that "Jesus is the only God," or "Let us pray to the only God," or ending
with "Jesus, the only God?"

Benke replied, "No!"

He explained that it wouldn't have been appropriate. Again, I had my answer.

Benke tried to soften his position.  He said if he had to do it all over
again he would have begun his prayer, "In the name of the Father, and the
Son, and the Holy Ghost." However, when praying next to Moslems, Hindus,
etc., clergy, how would they know that we LCMS pastors mean that Jesus is
the only God unless we say it?

Benke still sees no responsibility to tell the people in Yankee Stadium or
any other civic worship event that Jesus is the only God.  Now that the
Dispute Resolution Panel has decided in Benke's favor, Benke's new "loving
approach" is the official redefinition for LCMS missions.  It is now proper
for LCMS pastors to publicly present Jesus as one choice among many.
Welcome to the ELCA!

On Ash Wednesday, Adam Cardinal Mida, of the Detroit Arch Dioceses, gave a
blessing over 760 WJR radio and never mentioned Jesus as God.

Of course, when we LCMS Lutherans are among ourselves we can tell each other
that Jesus is the only God but when we are talking to the world we can be
politically correct and be quiet about Jesus being the only God.  We
wouldn't want to hurt the public's feelings or cause offence, or, worst of
all, alienate our "friends".

Wally Schulz had been in trouble with the LLL for years because he kept
telling people through the Lutheran Hour that Jesus is the only God.  The
hierarchy was looking for a way to dump him and the Benke business gave them
the opportunity.

Earlier, when District President Art Scherer made his presentation, he made
a strong point of saying that orthodoxy and missions were opposite poles. In
other words, people who insist on correct doctrine, like telling the world
that Jesus is the only God, are against mission work, which is exactly
President Kieschnick's position.

Right there in the casino, Schulz announced that Benke had asked Kieschnick
2 times if he should pray at Yankee Stadium.  Benke agreed that this is
exactly what he did. Kieschnick is now relentless in his defense of Benke
and his condemnation of Schulz.

What Benke, Scherer, and Kieschnick are all saying is that public, dogmatic
statements about Christ being the only God are bad for evangelism, missions,
growth, and the public image of the LCMS.

I must have heard half a dozen pastors bring up the mantra about Paul on
Mars Hill in Acts 17:22.  They forget that it wasn't a civic worship
service, Paul didn't pray with the Athenians, and Paul was the only one
speaking.

Pastors at my table tried to explain to me that Paul was mission minded
because he broke with orthodox tradition by freeing people in the church
from those who wanted to keep circumcision and ceremonial laws.  In the same
way Benke, is trying to free the Synod from pharisaic LCMS regulations on
fellowship.

Why don't they bring up an example from the Bible that really applies to the
Yankee Stadium event?  Why don't they bring up the example of Paul who
blinded the sorcerer who was disagreeing with Paul while Paul was speaking
about Jesus in the court of the Roman official in Acts 13:8?

If Benke is so concerned about offending people in civic worship events by
saying that Jesus is the only God, he has no business being on the LCMS
clergy roster. Benke has simply incorporated universalism into LCMS mission
work.

I asked Wally Schulz what he thought about my questions to Matzat and Benke.
Schulz is such an eagle scout.  He wasn't going to give an inch.  He told me
it may be true that Benke and Matzat are not in agreement on confessing that
Jesus is the only God at public worship events, but according to 1Cor. 10:14
and following no pastor should even be there.  You don't know what will
happen.  The Bible says, "Flee idolatry!"  Schulz said, "What Benke is doing
has never been the position of the LCMS."

Personally, I wish Schulz would stop talking about the official LCMS
position on fellowship, which most of the LCMS pastors at the Suncoast
Casino think is pharisaic. Instead, Schulz should start talking about why
Benke wants to pray with heathen clergy without telling them Jesus is the
only God.

Schulz's point is that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego wouldn't bow to
Nebuchadnezzar's idol, Daniel was in the lions den, Elijah called down fire
from heaven to burn up the altar, and Paul testified before Felix, but they
never asked to be there.

The end result of "Benkeism," (mission work without announcing that Jesus is
the only God) is that it has become the new official position of the LCMS.

It is amazing how many LCMS pastors are masking their agreement with
universalism by defending Benke's false love for people at Yankee Stadium.

The Imam next to Benke in Yankee Stadium would have dropped his turban if
Benke had said that Jesus was the only God.  Benke would never be invited to
another civic event in New York City.

Christ kept telling people he was God, and the crowds were so enraged they
tried to kill Him again and again, and then, they finally succeeded.

If Don Matzat really agrees with Benke then he should start telling
everyone, just like Benke, that it is not appropriate to announce at civic
worship events that Jesus is the only God.

February 25, 2004

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