Affirm Claims It Can't Win Without Cascione, Otten, Driessnack
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

The September of issue of Affirm does its best to say the egg is not on their 2001 LCMS Convention face after the defeat of Dr. Dean Wenthe.

Affirm (Tom Baker) says it "has a responsibility to its thousands upon thousands of readers" to explain the victory of Gerald Kieschnick. This is double-speak for "Who can we blame?"

When Affirm gets it right they take the credit and when they lose it is because of those three culprits "1) Jack Cascione 2) Herman Otten 3) Anne Driessnack." There is nothing like being number #1.

Baker claims the non-issues of Wenthe promoting ordination as a sacrament, claiming Psalm 2 is not about Jesus Christ, supporting "A Plea For Ministry to Homosexuals and Their Families", and then Ann Driessnack not caring for the type of pastors Wenthe graduates, is what lost the election.

There is nothing like avoiding the problem, is there Tom? How about the Fort Wayne Faculty's written refusal to answer if they support Walther's views on Voters' Assemblies and "Church and Ministry?" Baker proceeds as if the 2001 Convention didn't support a resolution endorsing Walther's "Church and Ministry" by an overwhelming 73% on the advice of Montana District President, George Wollenburg.

Or how about the last issue of Fort Wayne's publication "For the Life of the World" before the Convention where Wenthe claims that the pastor is equal to and not under the congregation?

And for a third example, how about Otten's publication, on the week of the Convention, of a 2001 Fort Wayne graduate's article who renamed himself Reverend Father Gorlitz. There in CN was Father Gorlitz defending the sacrament of ordination against Jack Cascione's quotations from Luther who was opposed to the sacrament of ordination. Who let the hyper-Euro-Lutherans out? As Otten told me, "That's it, I've had it, Gorlitz is going on the front page." There is a lot more that could be added to these three examples.

According to Baker, "Day Star" and "Jesus First" didn't say anything negative about Wenthe and Fort Wayne. He obviously didn't read their material.

It is amazing that a few people can meet together in secret and call themselves the United List because they didn't invite Cascione, Otten, or Driessnack, who disagree with them. Of course, if the United List listened to anyone disagreeable before the election they wouldn't have anyone to blame when they lost.

At the post Easter 2001 meeting of Lutheran Concerns Association (LCA) in Chicago, some LCA members, who were also members of Balance, tabled a motion to poll the meeting on its preference for LCMS President. It is called silencing the opposition and then calling themselves the "United List" in their dreams.

Baker knows that Preus was the choice of Cascione, Otten and Driessnack. If the United List had backed Preus instead of Wenthe, Preus would have won. Preus had more votes for Vice-President than Wenthe or Kieschnick had for President. Yes, we agree with Baker that Wenthe would have been President if Cascione, Otten and Driessnack decided to follow "Affirm's" love for power at the expense of sound doctrine and practice. Cascione, Otten, and Driessnack aren't going to sell their souls for an election.

If people wanted to read about 2001 Convention issues, they were not to be found on the pages of Affirm, but in Christian News. "Affirm" the former champions of Lutheran doctrine in the 1960's has mutated into the champions of power politics. "Jesus First's" campaign tactics came right out of the Affirm/Balance playbook. "Jesus First" out affirmed "Affirm" so Baker says it must be Cascione's fault? Hence, a parish pastor in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, is to blame for mighty Affirm not electing its candidate. We have come a long way from Seminex.

Baker has identified Cascione as the major power broker for the 2004 LCMS Convention. "Jesus First" and "Day Star" are incidental players. Cascione, Otten, and Driessnack "C.O.D." will continue to deliver the truth about doctrine and practice and promote candidates who conform to the truth. It is better to lose an election than a soul. The truth, not winning, is everything.


Rev. Jack Cascione is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church (LCMS - MI) in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. He has written numerous articles for Christian News and is the author of Reclaiming the Gospel in the LCMS: How to Keep Your Congregation Lutheran. He has also written a study on the Book of Revelation called In Search of the Biblical Order.
He can be reached by email at pastorcascione@juno.com.

October 23, 2001