Benke's Prayer:
Where's the Gospel?
By Rev. David Oberdieck

Rev. Oberdieck is one of the pastors filing charges against President Kieschnick. He reports that the media was not aware of the charges filed against Benke until the information was released by the Synod's communication service in St. Louis.
Please note some corrections to this release that were issued after it's publication date.

 

Some Lutherans are asking me, "What's the beef over Dr. Benke's prayer at Yankee Stadium?" Let me tell you, when I read over that prayer the old hamburger commercial comes to mind: "Where's the beef?" And I must ask, "Where's the Gospel?" Oh, it's there if you look really hard, but he gave a low octane, vague, camouflaged Gospel at best.

There are two places where Brother Benke is vague about the Gospel. First he prays: "Those of us who bear the name of Christ know that you stood so tall when you stooped down to send a Son through death and life to bring us back together..."

As someone has quipped, "Will God send a nephew next?" Does "a son" speak strongly to the unbeliever? I imagine that a non-Christian could easily interpret this to mean the firemen who bravely rescued the helpless. The imagery of God "standing tall" is a powerful emotional image but conveys little in regard to biblical truth. What did this "a son" do? He went from death to life. However, there is no mention of the cross!

The prayer seems to attempt to get the Gospel out while at the same time hedging on Christ.

Second, brother Benke's prayer obscured the Gospel before the unbeliever. Take note of these five items:

1. When he says, "We're stronger than we were an hour ago." The host of singing and prayers had already occurred in the service. Most of the non-Christians already led prayers by this time. Does this obscure or boldly confess the Gospel?
2. When he calls the crowd of believers and unbelievers, "my sisters and brothers" (no matter what he meant by such an address). Does this obscure or boldly confess the Gospel?
3. When he says, "...join me in prayer on this field of dreams turned into 'God's' house of prayer." Does this obscure or boldly confess the Gospel?
4. When he seems to pray for the dead, "O Heavenly Father, we pray at this time that you might extend Jacob's ladder for those who ascended the stairways to save us..." Does this obscure or boldly confess the Gospel?
5. Where in this prayer is a bold confession made so that Jesus stands out as the only Way, Truth, and Life rather than one of many gods or one expression of the true God?

Brother Benke obscured the Gospel despite the fact that 6 Jews, 1 Sikh, 4 Muslims, and 1 Hindu participated in the idolatrous prayer event. One may argue, "So Brother Benke messed up. We all do. So quit nit picking. "Yes, we all mess up, but Brother. Benke violated the Scripture in participating at Yankee Stadium (I Corinthians 10:14). He shouldn't have been there to mess up in the first place. Second, the Gospel isn't a picky subject especially when it is obscured at an idolatrous prayer service.

The responses to this event are interesting. Someone wrote this to me, "Does the Lutheran Church doctrine say anything about people of all races, religions and ages coming together? United in horror? No matter how you and your religion perceives God." So our beliefs based on Scripture are just a perception of God; one among many perceptions?

Take a look at this from the LA Times letters to the editor. A Unitarian minister wrote, "The more opportunities we have to come together and worship in whatever way is right for us as individuals, the more chance we will have to be able to achieve a world where people don't kill each other...Meanwhile, God bless the Lutheran pastor, the Rev. Benke. He will always be welcome in our 'heretical' services and in our love."

If what Brother Benke showed was compassion, it was compassion at the expense of the Gospel. If what he did was evangelism, it was evangelism at the expense of the Gospel. Brother Benke simply did not put Jesus first.

I believe Brother Benke is a compassionate man. What a wonderful gift! I am confident that he has used that gift to God's glory on many occasions. I believe he wants to help the hurting, but this time the gift was used contrary to the Scripture. Thus the compassionate thing is for the Synod to call him to repentance. If he repents, the angels in heaven will rejoice and I will too because Brother Benke is God's dearly loved child.

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Corrections
December 21, 2001

First, we offer our apologies to Pastor Oberdieck. A recent Reclaim News release [this article] stated that Pastor Oberdieck was one of the pastors filing charges against Atlantic District President David Benke. This is incorrect. Pastor Oberdieck was one of the pastors filing charges against President Kieschnick. The CCM has now declared these charges to be null and void.

Second, we wish to offer our apologies to Rev. David Mahsman, Executive Director for the LCMS Board of Communications Services. We intended no inference that Rev. David Mahsman had any motive to release the information about charges filed against President Kieschnick to the media on November 11 other than to report this information. Mahsman was the first to release the information, which was eventually picked up in the national press from coast to coast. It created a good deal of confusion because they don't understand LCMS fellowship principles. It is quite understandable that he can't remember how he first learned about the charges filed against Kieschnick. I have a hard time remembering who told me what on Sunday morning. We commend Rev. Mahsman for his dedication an many years of faithful service to the Synod.