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An Evangelical Exchange Between Pastor Benke and an LCMS Layman November 21, 2002 Hugh S. Muellenhagen St. Peter's Lutheran Church and School Dear Dr. David H. Benke, I am a layman of over 25 years in the LC-MS and the proud son-in-law of a retired LC-MS pastor. I have followed the charges and counter charges regarding this whole issue of your participation in an interfaith event (service) in New York City. Let me say as a Christian that I find this whole issue disturbing and certainly not in the best interest of the Church. Please understand that this letter is directed to you as a pastor of LC-MS and not anything personal, as I do not know you on a personal basis. Had this issue been handled confidentially as it should have been, you would not be in the position of defending yourself. But I must tell you that for all your denials, you and Dr. Kieschnick have perpetrated one of the best PR campaigns regarding your actions that I have ever witnessed. I recently read your letter to Dr. William Weinrich, Fifth Vice-President of the LC-MS. In it you state: "2. Made it impossible for you to vote on anything in this matter again on the Presidium by your obvious bias." If this is the case, why has Dr. Kieschnick been so vocal in your defense? If anyone should hold a neutral opinion it should be him. Once the issue became public I believe any gag rule was nullified. Besides, last I heard there is such a thing as freedom of speech in this country, so if it is good for Dr. Kieschnick it certainly is good enough for others. As to the rest of your letter I find it difficult to agree with your other statements. But once again you have your PR people out in full force. I believe you should sincerely repent, which we would as Christians respect and most forgive, but if not or in lieu of that, I would request that you resign, because you would save a lot of people additional stress in seeing that you are properly adjudicated. This is not a new stand for myself and many other like-minded laypeople, as I also wrote Dr. Kieschnick expressing my displeasure in his approval of your actions in New York City. Over the years, due to travel, I have been to various LC-MS churches throughout the East and Midwest where the gospel is spoken but not the law. It may be over simplistic to say, but a lot of lay people are really sick and tired of the liberal leaning of the Church. In several writings and stances you have taken/written I can only conclude that you are of that same leaning. Did you ever wonder that maybe those positions need changing? I can't help but mention that my family just came from a LC-MS church, Advent Evangelical Lutheran Church, Zionsville, IN (http://www.adventlutheran.org/). In 10 years we have almost 700 members, a new Church building and preschool, and we continue to be the fastest growing LC-MS Church that I know of in Indiana. What did we do? It was simple. We taught both the law and gospel, preached salvation through Jesus Christ and stayed with the stated traditions of the Church. We did not have to go to special contemporary services, drums or other non-traditional gimmicks. In conclusion, I may not have all the biblical words or phrases to build my case, but when I pray about it I have an inner peace that my stance is correct. Yours in Christ, Cc: Dr. Gerald Kieschnick, + + + + + November 24, 2002 Hugh S. Muellenhagen Dear Mr. Muellenhagen, Greetings in the Name of Christ! Thanks so much for your email to me at Stpeter-brooklyn.org, the website of St. Peter's Lutheran Church (LCMS), Brooklyn, New York, dated November 21, 2002. I have shared your letter with leaders of the congregation, who along with me believe that you and I are in agreement in many important ways. They are encouraged by these areas of agreement and see them as signs of hope, as do I:
So with all those things in common, let me point you in a different direction for your inquiries. You've hit on publicity and confidentiality as the sources of the problem in this case from your perspective. My friend Don Matzat has an excellent article on that topic on our webpage called "Good Publicity/Bad Publicity." The overwhelming numbers of LCMS laypeople agree with the ending of that article my presence at Yankee Stadium was GOOD publicity for the LCMS! I would like to suggest that if you eliminate me and President Kieschnick from contention as the source of our Synod's problems, you'll be left with questions for the Board of Directors of our denomination. They have gone on record indicating that the problem is that anyone is saying anything at all about this case. They want total and secretive silence. A check of our St. Peter's website will demonstrate that the public media, as opposed to all those "insider" groups that you have copied with your initial email, is vitally interested in this case as an example of intolerance at a time of national crisis. The communications presence is coming from OUTside the Synod, in the "real world." So why the furor by the Synod's Board of Directors? I think their problem is at another level. Let me illustrate. What I am saying, and I believe you are saying, is that the proper way to solve problems between Christians is by
The Board of Directors doesn't seem to me to be headed in that direction. They don't want to change the system to make it more biblical, more evangelical, and more open to inspection. They want to keep things secret, to keep things the way they are, to continue to have a rulebook that allows anyone at any time to press charges against anyone else for any reason. My hunch is that if you watch their actions in the next months, they will be MORE secretive, MORE dedicated to shutting down conversation, MORE interested in control and compliance as the way to deal with controversy. I'm against all of that, and I think you are too. What we need is MORE dialog, MORE conversation like that initiated by President Kieschnick in the "Model Theological Conferences." What we need is LESS emphasis on compliance and MORE emphasis on collegial communication. I am going around the country speaking about that new and yet longstanding Biblical method of dealing with controversy, even as I talk about New York after 9/11. Guess what? It's exactly what people are waiting for in the LCMS! I would welcome gladly a visit by you to New York City, to the Atlantic District, and to St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Brooklyn. People from around the country have found our little parish to be very hospitable, both in English and in Spanish services! I pray that we may continue this dialog over time I'm sure we both have much to learn from one another. Let me know if you're interested in visiting. Yours in Christ, Dave Benke Cc: as indicated in your email + + + + + Hugh S. Muellenhagen Rev. David H. Benke Dear Rev. Benke, I appreciate your responding to my letter of 11/21/02, however, I do not agree with what you wrote. Your many statements attempting to
show that the two of us are similar (or in agreement) are irrelevant. The question is not whether you are able to say that you agree with my claims to be conservative, related to a pastor, etc. The issue that
separates us, and to which you did not respond, is your participation in a syncretistic service in Yankee Stadium contrary to Scripture. You tried to skirt around the issue that your participation in that prayer
service was a violation of God's Word .by not even dealing with the Scriptural basis of the charges brought against you. Instead you have tried to place the blame for the Since the issue is theological in nature, I ask that you respond by showing from Scripture that your presence on the podium and your participation in praying together with Muslims and Jews, who deny the deity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as well as with Hindus and Sikhs, who ignore Jesus completely, was God-pleasing and furthered the proclamation of the Gospel that salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. Regarding the issue of whether or not the service in New York was a prayer service not a civic event, please note the following: Text: CNN's 'Late Edition' With Wolf Blitzer, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2001: BLITZER: And we know that you're going to be attending a prayer service a prayer for America at Yankee Stadium later today. What do you hope to accomplish at that event? GIULIANI: I believe it's very helpful to see the leaders of all the different religious faiths, each of them represented there, the Jewish religion and the Muslim religion and the Catholic, Protestant, various Christian religions represented--the Orthodox faith. They'll all be represented, they'll all be praying together, demonstrating in song and in act and in prayer the fact that we're all united as decent, good human beings, that we're all united as children of God, that good people all around the world and of every different faith are together praying to God to unite us and to give us strength. I think that's just a really beautiful thing. *** The Official Guilliani Press Release about Yankee Stadium (Revisited) Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today announced "A Prayer for America," an interfaith service for the families and colleagues of the victims of the World Trade Center tragedy. The event will take place at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, September 23 at 2:30 p.m., rain or shine. The service will be broadcast live via satellite. . . Mayor Giuliani and Governor George Pataki will speak at the event, along with Cardinal Egan, Imam Pasha, and other leaders of the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faiths. "This event will give families of victims and those affected by the tragedy an opportunity to come together, worship together, and gain strength from the support of their fellow New Yorkers, and fellow Americans," said Mayor Giuliani. "I encourage all New Yorkers to participate in their own way--either at the event, through their houses of worship or in their homes." . . . The event will also be broadcast via satellite at local houses of worship, and on television. Also, my understanding of a theological conservative is not simply one who calls himself such, but one who holds the entire Word of God to be "God-breathed" and the sole basis for his beliefs and practices. Based on that, I would have to question your beliefs and practices. You stated in your response to my letter, "What we need is LESS emphasis on compliance and MORE emphasis on collegial communication." I do not disagree that additional communication is useful, but all such communication must be based solidly on Scripture. In other words, the purpose and goal of such communication is to resolve the question, what does the Bible say about this issue You also wrote, "My friend Don Matzat has an excellent article on that topic on our web page called "Good Publicity/Bad Publicity." The overwhelming numbers of LCMS laypeople agree with the ending of that article - my presence at Yankee Stadium was GOOD publicity for the LCMS!" Is good publicity what we need? Where does the Bible tell us to seek "good publicity" from the sinful world by praying with (not for) idolaters? Can we really say that this issue has brought about good publicity when it clearly implies that you believe that the prayers of a Muslim, a Jew, a Hindu, and a Sikh are valid prayers when in fact they are idolatrous and an offense to the only true God? If God condemns it, as He does in His Word (2 Cor. 6:14-18), it doesn't matter how many people applaud your sinful action. What God does require in His Word is that we give a clear and unwavering testimony to the fact that only through faith in Jesus do we have access to the Father (John 14: 6) and eternal life (Acts 4:12). Since you requested that I keep up the correspondence with you, I am looking forward to receiving from you a Bible-based defense of your actions. I can better understand this issue that way as it cuts away useless verbiage and utilizes God's inerrant word as the way to solving the issue. Since you posted our previous correspondence on your church's website, I request that this letter and your response also be posted on your congregation's website. Yours in Christ, Hugh S. Muellenhagen cc:Dr. Gerald Kieschnick, president@lcms.org + + + + + December 14, 2002 Dear Mr. Muellenhagen, Thanks for your email of December 12, 2002. I embrace your desire to keep the dialog going. This is truly God-pleasing! I will work with our parish leaders to honor your request to put your latest letter on the website, along with my response. You are direct and to the point, and that is to be admired. I will certainly attempt to give you as straightforward an answer as is possible given the circumstances of my continued suspension from the clergy roster of the LCMS by Rev. Schulz, and my appeal of that suspension, which is still pending. I would like to begin by countering your initial comment, which is "Your many statements attempting to show that the two of us are similar (or in agreement) are irrelevant." It truly saddens me to consider that this is your line of thinking, because it is precisely problems in this area that has so many laity and clergy in our denomination upset. Why is it irrelevant to explore the many, many areas of our agreement in faith and practice? Why would you want to ignore or pass over the beauty of all that God has done by His grace to bring you and me into the same baptized community of the faithful? As Holy Scripture states so clearly, "'Come, let us reason together,' saith the Lord." Although I hesitate to give a name to this problem, I believe it to be an area of most serious spiritual concern. And, I must add, I believe problem is at the heart of our denominational upheaval. All the many areas of agreement between us cannot and should not be trivialized. Please DON'T say that our commonalities are "irrelevant." That's not true, and it's hurtful. What I hear out there around the country is that the LCMS has become obsessed with uniformity AT THE EXPENSE of collegiality. What a shame! Please, don't participate in that attitude - it's corrosive, and wears away at the soul. Having said that, you are of course correct in stating that in the current dispute concerning the Yankee Stadium event the proper determining factors must and should be taken directly from Scripture. While I can't engage you in full Biblical dialoging for reasons of the case still pending, I can point you to what has already been said by me and others right on the St. Peter's website and explicate a bit. Begin, if you will, with my initial "Response to Charges," and turn to the 4th "page." There you will see many of the key biblical references that indicate the Christian engagement with the world through witness in all arenas. From Matthew 28:18-20 ()the Great Commission) through II Corinthians 5:19 (concerning the objective reconciliation of the world in Christ), from Acts 1:8 ("BE my witnesses") through Paul's words on Mars Hill, from Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 6 to Paul's instructions as to table fellowship with pagans, the Bible is filled with strong examples of witness in public at any and every opportunity. That response was written about a year ago, and has been available since the first of this year. Secondly, consider what I find to be an excellent treatment of the theological and biblical issues at stake in prayer/witness in the public arena in the treatise "That We May Be One." It was presented by a number of pastors in the Atlantic District. There are many, many biblical references as well as solid references to the Lutheran Confessions in that document. You should know that the way the document refers to Luther's concept of the "Two Kingdoms," or Two Realms, has proven to be important in subsequent Synod-wide dialogs on the role of the church and the Christian in the public arena in times of civic crisis. In fact, the group that gathered in Phoenix last August, from all around the LCMS, found the concept of the Two Kingdoms central to the dialog on how we are to preserve and proclaim the faith in the world. I have felt all along that this line of theological reasoning is far more than an adjunct to my "case." It is in fact an important Lutheran contribution to the interfaith dialogs and interactions so necessary in times of religious unrest. Check this out carefully! Finally, you could read "Response to A Call For Clarity" which I penned in reaction to questions posed by various pastoral groups in the LCMS last fall and winter. I believe the scriptural and theological bases of the answers to the questions posed are very representative of the way I have thought and believed and then acted. In particular I have been upset at the reference to Paul's words concerning the "enemies of the cross of Christ" in application to those of other religions. According to that very poor line of thinking, I should have come to the microphone at Yankee Stadium and laid into all present who weren't Christians (or even Lutheran, to some of my opponents) by calling them "enemies" in our great hour of trial and pain. Remember, most of those present were family members of victims of the Trade Center destruction. In point of fact, the Biblical evidence is clearly in exactly the opposite direction. Paul is speaking of enemies "in the camp," the Judaizers. And the specific "enemies of the cross" he references were those who took their laws and rulebooks to an over-the-top level, and failed to communicate the power of the Gospel and the cross to a fallen world. If you will take the time to peruse these documents in full, I believe you will find your point of view changing from the Scriptural evidence presented. Christians are called TO pray, TO engage, TO witness. They are NOT called to AVOID prayer, engagement and witness. That would be a tragedy, a trivializing of the Gospel for the sake of what? Hiding your light under a bushel? As the children's song says it so well - "Hide it under a bushel - NO - I'm gonna let it shine!" That, to me, was Yankee Stadium in a nutshell. What great opportunities God presents to each and all of us to bring into the open His exclusive claim on human hearts in Christ Jesus! With prayers for our continued growth in Christ and our continued dialog, Your friend, |
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