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President
Gerald Kieschnick claims that an overture commending Wally Schulz’s 25
years of service to the Lutheran Hour has no business in the 2004 Convention
Workbook.
Not
only does Kieschnick pick all of the Convention Floor Committee Chairmen, he
also is claiming the right to screen which overtures they will consider.
The
2004 LCMS Convention is shaping up to be a one-man operation.
It was in 2001, that the LCMS Convention voted to reaffirm
Walther’s Church and Ministry as the official position of the LCMS.
Now,
three years later, Kieschnick claims the authority to silence the voice of
congregations in the Convention. The
entire purpose of the Convention, as structured by Walther, was to give all
LCMS Congregations a voice in all the affairs of the LCMS.
Kieschnick is also removing overtures against homosexual clergy and
evolution.
The
following release is from CAT41
---------------------------------------------------------
[The
following overture was submitted by
St. Paul
's Ev. Lutheran
Church of Brookfield
,
IL
. It has been deemed one that is "materially in error, or contains
an apparent misrepresentation of truth or of character." The question
is, "Has President Kieschnick, on fact, so far isolated himself from
the FACTS in this matter that he wouldn't know them if they jumped up and
bit him, or is he just unwilling or unable to accept those *well-documented*
facts because they don't fit his theologico-political agenda?"
"This isn't your grandfather's church."
No,
because the grandfathers in the LCMS didn't demand the acceptance of an
institutional lie, but let it come to the convention floor to be reproved.
We are now in the midst of a true 'imperial presidency', wherein more power
has been accrued to the office of synod president--and that power has been
more abundantly abused--then one would have thought possible. With this
edict from
St. Louis
, we have become
Rome
. EJG]
TO
THANK GOD FOR THE 25 YEAR MINISTRY OF DR. WALLACE SCHULZ AS LUTHERAN HOUR
SPEAKER
Whereas,
Dr. Wallace Schulz, the Second Vice-President of the LCMS, did faithfully
for 25 years proclaim God’s Word of Law and Gospel on the International
Lutheran Hour, and
Whereas,
he thereby strengthened the faith of many and brought into the fellowship of
our Lord an unknown number, there fore be it
Resolved,
that the Synod in Convention assembled thank God for Dr.
Schulz and thank Dr. Schulz for his faithful service, and be it
further
Resolved,
that the synod express its regret to the Lutheran Laymen’s League for
releasing Dr. Schulz from his call as LUTHERAN HOUR Speaker even though they
had assured him that his decision in the Benke case, which had been thrust
upon him in his office as second vice-president of the Synod, would not
effect his standing as LUTHERAN HOUR Speaker.
Ronald
Kuehn
Mark
Stern
Secretary
St. Paul
’s Ev.
Lutheran
Church
Brookfield
,
Illinois
This
overture will not appear in the 2004 convention workbook.
Dr.
Gerald Kieschnick, the president of the LCMS, has written a letter to the
President of the Northern Illinois District that “the attached overture(s)
submitted by an entity from your district ‘contains information which is
materially in error, or contains an apparent misrepresentation of truth or
of character.’”
He
further wrote to President Ameiss, “In accord with Bylaw 3.19.d., this
overture is hereby being referred to your office, which ‘has
ecclesiastical supervision over the entity submitting the overture for
action.’”
_______________________________________________________________________
The Rev. Eric J. Stefanski
First
Lutheran
Church
, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
1001 Gipson Road
-
Harrison
,
Arkansas
72601
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