A new Lutheran (un)Civil War…

Normally, I am the kind of person who lets news stories and opinions slide.  Initially, I might have a reaction, but after a few minutes, I normally calm down realizing that all opinions should be respected, even if I disagree with the opinion.  I might comment, but I try to be respectful.  I learned from great debaters, like my friends Josh Gunn and John Brown, that if I let my emotions get the better of me and let it cloud my logic, I will become vulnerable to getting schooled.  But there are some situations where my emotions and logic line up together, and those are the moments where even a Chris Bonneau type would need to look the hell out for my wrath.  It’s happening here and now, and unfortunately my wrath is pointed in the direction of the leaders of my religious denomination, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. 

It takes a rare act of stupidity these days to unite the Walkers (my parents, my sisters, and I) in anger and opposition, but apparently LC-MS President Matthew Harrison has done just that.  For those of you who have not heard, Harrison ordered Rev. Rob Morris, pastor of an LC-MS church in Newtown, CT, to apologize to the denomination for participating in a public interfaith vigil attended by President Barack Obama two days after the shooting at the elementary school which killed 26 students and faculty members.  The reason?  Harrison said Morris’ participation in the service “violated the limits set by Scripture regarding joint worship.” 

This garbage again?  Didn’t we in the LC-MS learn our lessons in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedies in interfaith events at Yankee Stadium and at Valparaiso University?  A national tragedy occurs and the morons leading from St. Louis want to maintain purity at all costs?!?

But wait, it gets worse.  Apparently, there is a sect of the LC-MS denomination, known as The Brothers of John the Steadfast.  This group identifies themselves as confessional Lutherans — church members who stress strict adherence to the Book of Concord, the 16th-century work that defined the central doctrines of Lutheranism.  They were vocal critics of the post-9/11 services and they have shown up again in this situation.  And they were not so kind in their criticisms of Rev. Morris.  From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: 

“One commenter said Morris’s participation in the service “does more harm to the souls of the survivors than any gunman could ever do.”

“Does anyone else agree that Pastor Morris’ action is more abominable than those committed by the gunman?” the commenter asked.

“Yes I do,” (Rev. Timothy) Rossow (a pastor from Naperville, Ill., and Steadfast’s leader) answered in a post that followed. “The gunman killed the body which lasts for 70 or 80 years. ... False teaching and practice kills the soul which lives for eternity in heaven or hell.” ”

Did I mention it is rumored that one of the of the dead in the tragedy likely was a member at Rev. Morris’ church?  For not just fellow LC-MS Lutherans to compare Rev. Morris’ acts to the acts of the gunman, but pastors… well, there’s no easy way to put this… it sounds very much like Westboro Baptist Church speak.  And I guess The Brothers of John the Steadfast don’t think too highly of women, either.

Harrison is up for re-election later this year at the National LC-MS convention.  The Last Convention produced some very controversial results, such as termination of a closer relationship with African-American congregations and the election of Harrison.  The Newtown Controversy just adds fuel to the fire that the fundamental LC-MS Lutherans (largely Midwestern congregations) will be on the defensive in the next convention from the more moderate to liberal LC-MS Lutherans (largely based along both coasts and in the South).  Could this cause a schism among LC-MS Lutherans?  Possibly.

Regardless of the outcome, I fear my sister Sheri is right.  The closer you live to St. Louis, the crazier the LC-MS leadership becomes.  I just worry about the future of the LC-MS’s younger members, many of whom will gather in San Antonio in July.  Will they be content to remain in a denomination that shuns moments of mercy to maintain doctrine purity?

As for me, I threatened last year to leave the Lutheran faith if another Seminex-like controversy flared up.  Now this situation has come up.  What will I and my house do?