Help Us Bring Back Bishop Benke
An editorial

Bishop David Benke has been relieved of his pastoral duties at JFK Protestant Chapel. He also lost his job as President of the Atlantic District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Why? Reportedly, he violated Lutheran doctrine.

Last September 23^rd at Yankee Stadium, a moving tribute to the fallen heroes of 9/11 was organized by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Bishop Benke appeared on the stage with leaders of other faiths-Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs and Hindus. Dr. Benke's short but powerful sermon was met with tearful gratitude by the audience, which was made up of 20,000 relatives and friends who had lost loved ones in the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Now let me get this straight.
Is this the same Dr. Benke who had received express permission from the President of the Missouri Synod, headquartered in St. Louis, to invoke Jesus' name before the grieving audience?

Is this the same Dr. Benke who, although he had recently suffered a heart attack, worked up to 21 hours a day after 9/11:

• organizing disaster teams to help the needy
• conducting endless prayer services for traumatized school children and parents in lower Manhattan and other boroughs
• comforting whole missions of people, even immigrants, who grieved for missing relatives and friends
• comforting dozens of pastors of various faiths who told horror stories of giving last rites to victims at Ground Zero while bodies fell and disintegrated around them, and who blessed firefighters before they entered the inferno and certain death
• taking over duties when other pastors broke down emotionally and were unable to continue
• continuing to conduct his services

at St. Peter Church in Brooklyn, where many of his parishioners had reason to grieve as well?

Can't be. Must be two different Dr. Benkes.
As another Lutheran executive has said, "We shake our heads in disbelief, unable to fathom how at a patriotic civic event a man's simple prayer in behalf of suffering people presented in the 'precious name of Jesus', could cause him to be expelled from an organization identifying itself as a "Christian Church".

As publisher of the Airport Press, it is not my place to debate religious doctrine. I only wish some of the elders from St. Louis who have suspended Dr. Benke would have been in New York last September. New York was on the ropes from the mega-tragedy, but it was Dr. Benke and other selfless people who stood up and walked into the lion's den.

Out here in the JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airport community we put people and cargo into the air as best we can. That's our job. We have no time to argue over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. We leave that to theologians who have nothing better to do but tarnish great men.

We take offense at the loss of a spiritual leader who, when New York was a living hell, rose up and brought surcease from pain, direction out of confusion, and compassion to people of many faiths.

Has there been a terrorist attack of the same magnitude in St. Louis lately? I think not. How can church elders there take the measure of a man when all they saw of 9/11 was from a comfortable chair in their living rooms watching TV?

The New York and New Jersey airport community demands the return of Bishop Benke to his pastoral duties at the JFK Protestant Chapel.

The Airport Press is sending a letter of protest to Lutheran elders to this effect and encouraging them to join the 21^st Century.

Readers may add their names to our letter by phoning us at 718-244-6788 or 800-982-5832, or by emailing us at airprtpres@aol.com, or by faxing us at 718-995-3432.

William R. Puckhaber
Publisher
Airport Press

Back to "It's OK to Pray"...The SPIRIT Page

Home | Who We Are | Calendar | Our School | Prayer for America | Directions | Contact Us | Links