Preus Steps Out at the 2002 ACL Meeting
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod First Vice President Daniel Preus was the guest speaker at the Association of Confessional Lutherans (ACL) meeting in Chicago on Friday, April 5, 2002. Some were clapping and some weren't clapping so hard. The entire speech was video taped.

This was a different Preus than the self-effacing fellow on the videos sent to delegates before the 2001 LCMS Convention. Yes, Preus was a loyal conservative second fiddle candidate behind Fort Wayne President Dean Wenthe.

The so-called "conservatives" had positioned the stronger, more direct Preus, behind a candidate who had difficulty expressing himself without apologizing for or qualifying nearly every position he took.

Preus' coattails weren't long enough to carry Wenthe.

The adoption of Resolution 7-17a, which reaffirmed Walther's "Church and Ministry" as the official position of the LCMS by 73% to 27%, proved that the Convention was in no mood to elect Dean Wenthe, the darling of the hyper-euro-Lutheran Bishops.

Preus started his speech with warmth and openness and then slowly but methodically moved to a slash-and-burn crescendo. Preus spoke on Lutheran identity and drew a number of lines in the sand.

Preus explained that the Lutheran Church is the most correct expression of the Christian faith. Other Christians have salvation, but the most correct definition of a Christian in this world, after the Reformation, is a "Lutheran."

Preus described much of so-called "contemporary worship" as being little more than market-driven entertainment, promoted by CEO's. Up to this point, he was preaching to the ACL choir.

Preus then began to condemn the inappropriate language used by high-church Lutherans, such as the word "Mass" instead of "worship service" and "Father" instead of "pastor." He warned his listeners not to get too close to the Catholic Church. The hyper-euro-Lutherans were not pleased.

Revered Father Erik Stefanski of Cat41, the foremost opponents of Walther's voter supremacy and voters' assemblies, announced a few months ago that they had finally found a "flag bearer" in Preus. You had better think again, Father Stefanski.

During his speech, Preus must have invoked the name of C. F. W. Walther and his famous 1844 article titled, "Concerning The Name Lutheran" at least a dozen times.

The question remains as to whether Preus can at the same time afford to alienate those who follow the rubrics of American business in their worship services and those who have made ordination and clergy hierarchy the fourth means of grace.

Can Preus still find 51% at the next Convention?

In 1995, the LCMS Convention voted 67% to 33% for the name, "Lutheran." One third of the Synod voted against it. Doctor August Suelflow, an observer, was astounded and commented that at the height of liberal power in 1967, the name "Lutheran' would have carried 95% of the vote.

In the 2001 Convention, neither Affirm, the hyper-euro's, nor either seminary faculty supported Walther's "Church and Ministry" as the official position of the LCMS. In fact, Affirm had engineered Wenthe as their choice for Synodical President instead of Preus.

However, 73% of the Convention was riveted by Montana District President George Wollenburg's claim that Walther's "Church and Ministry" was Synod's Magna Charta.

The spread between Wenthe's loss and the passage of Resolution 7-17a was 24%. Preus has clearly chosen to carry the banner of Walther's Synod where he may attract more laity than clergy.

President Kieschnick was quoted in the Saturday, March 30, Phoenix "Tribune," where he stated, "The biggest challenge for the denomination, he said, is finding 'consensus on what really is the reason for our existence. '"

"He said the debate seems centered on two issues: 'Mission, reaching out to lost people for Christ' or 'hanging onto the truth that preserves it for generations to come.'"

Instead of "either/or" Preus is clearly saying, "We have to be Lutherans so that we can have mission outreach and not disappear in the abyss of American pop-culture Christianity.

"Ford," "Coca-Cola," and "Disney" all know the value of "identity." If the Synod is going to survive, and do mission work, it must preserve its own Lutheran identity.

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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.

April 9, 2002