Misleading Copy of Benke's Prayer from Northwest District President
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

In the following email from Northwest District President Warren Schumacher, Schumacher tells the pastors and congregations that he is sending them the prayer that was spoken by Atlantic District President Schumacher at Yankee Stadium. This is patently false. What follows is a copy of the prayer Benke had written but it is not the prayer that Benke spoke. Schumacher clearly intends to put out false information when he says it is the prayer, "that was spoken." We have also included what was spoken from the tape of the event.

"A Prayer for America - a Memorial Service at Yankee Stadium"
hosted by the City of New York and Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani

Dear "Distribution List - Northwest District"

I have reprinted the Introduction and Prayer that was spoken by President David Benke of the Atlantic District of the LCMS on September 23 at "A Prayer for America - a Memorial Service at Yankee Stadium." New York City hosted the event that was held for the survivors and emergency workers who were in engaged in the rescue and reclamation work.

A number of people have asked for a copy of the prayer spoken at "A Prayer for America." The prayer and the setting at which this prayer was spoken apparently forms the basis for the criticism and the decision to suspend President Benke by the Lutheran Hour Speaker and 2nd Vice President, Rev. Dr. Wallace Schulz.

Of the final total of nearly 3,000 that were killed in the Twin Towers terrorism attach, we know of only 3 of them were LCMS. We can only surmise that many who died were not Christian. Only God knows what the future holds for America during these turbulent and terrorist times. We must redouble our congregational and individual outreach efforts to bring the lost into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Many who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are jeprody of being eternally lost.

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

Together in Christ,
Warren Schumacher, President Northwest District - LCMS

Here is Benke's prayer:

Introduction of the prayer:

We're stronger now than we were an hour ago; but sisters and brothers, we are not as strong now as we are going to be. The strength we have is the power of love, and love comes from God, for God is love. Our task is to take that love from this place into our communities, one by one.

Join me now in prayer on this field of dreams which has now become a House of Prayer -

The Prayer:

Lord, we are leaning on You today, for You are our Tower of Strength. We are leaning on you, for you are our Mighty Fortress, the Rock of our Salvation, and our Strong Deliverer.

Those of us who bear the Name of Christ understand that your towering love found its ultimate strength when you stooped to send your Son to die and live again in order to bring the world back together.

We implore You in tender mercy to comfort with signs of Your Presence those who mourn the lost and missing and cannot find you now in the ashes; unbind, unfear, unscorch, unsear our souls; renew us with your free Spirit.

O Tower of Strength, extend Jacob's ladder for those who ascended the stairways to save us even as others escaped the fire and flames;

O Tower of Strength, open innocent and victimized hearts to the sacrifice of the Innocent one; pour out your consolation upon the traumatized, especially our children;

O Tower of Strength, unite us now across all boundaries in acts of grace and truth in this great city; guide and empower with wisdom especially our religious and civic leaders;

O Tower of Strength, we are leaning on You today; keep us in the shadow of Your shelter, and send us forth to walk in peace, In Jesus' Precious Name.


Transcribed from tape:

Oh, we're stronger now than we were an hour ago. And you know, my sisters and brothers, we're not nearly as strong as we're going to be. And the strength we have is the power of love. And the power of love you have received is from God, for God is love. So take the hand of one next to you now and join me in prayer on this "field of dreams" turned into God's house of prayer:

O Lord our God, we're leaning on You today. You are our Tower of Strength, and we're leaning on You. You are our Mighty Fortress, our God who is a Rock; in You do we stand. 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, and we lean on You today.

O Tower of Strength, be with those who mourn the loss of loved ones; bring them closer to us day by day.

O Heavenly Father, we pray at this time that You might extend Jacob's ladder for those who ascended the stairways to save us, as others escaped the fire and flames.

O Tower of Strength, open innocent and victimized hearts to the sacrifice of the Innocent One; pour Your consolation upon the traumatized, especially our children.

O Heavenly Father, un-bind, un-fear, un-scorch, un-sear our souls; renew us in Your free Spirit. We're leaning on You, our Tower of Strength. We find our refuge in the shadow of Your shelter.

Lead us from this place--strong--to bring forth the power of Your love, wherever we are.

In the precious name of Jesus. Amen.


Commentary:

Considering that this prayer was offered after Moslems, Jews, and Buddhists, etc. had prayed, if Benke would have prayed something like, "O Jesus Christ, the only true God" there would hardly be a word of protest in the LCMS. However, he might have been run out of New York City as a bigot and anti-Semite. Paul made sure that the Greeks on Mars Hill knew that Jesus was the only true God. He also did not pray with them. Jesus was crucified because He said He was the only true God. He also did not pray with Piolate. The following is the account of Paul on Mars Hill from Acts:

Acts 17: 15 And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.
16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
17 Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.
33 So Paul departed from among them.
34 Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.


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.

July 12, 2002