|
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
8304 Old Keene Mill Road
Springfield, Virginia 22152
July 29, 2002
Dr. Wallace Schulz
4751 Chateau Lane
Pacific, MO 63069
Dear Dr. Schulz:
God's grace and peace be multiplied to you.
The Deep Concern of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Dr. Schulz, even though the people of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church have great respect for you and your ministry, I must tell you that your
brothers and sisters in Christ are upset, discouraged and angered by your decision to suspend Dr. Benke. We are praying that you will change your decision, as suggested by President Kieschnick. By decision of our
congregation's Board of Servant Leaders, I have been requested to send this letter asking you to reverse your decision.
Our Church's Proximity to the Pentagon
While our LCMS church is one of thousands that dot the map of the United States, Prince of Peace is one of a few LCMS churches that falls within the
shadow of the Pentagon. God's guardian angels shielded the people of Prince of Peace who work in the Pentagon so that not one of our people died on September 11. Many of our people, however, lost dear friends and
work associates that day, either here or in New York City. We gathered in a Prayer Service on September 11 in our sanctuary crying tears of both pain and thanksgiving.
The Reason for our Deep Concern
When President Benke appeared at the Yankee Stadium and offered his prayer, our people were touched to hear the name of Jesus in that national forum. The fact
that a Missouri Synod Pastor was present to minister to wounded and grieving hearts was celebrated. Hearing that fellow Missouri Synod Pastors condemned Dr. Benke's decision our people felt confused, betrayed, and
embarrassed. Your decision caused further sadness and great upset for us.
But to us this is more than an emotional issue. This is an issue of missional theology that is established through Paul's missionary activity.
Paul's incarnational model brought the Gospel to the people, even in their religious environment. If Dr. Benke is found guilty, surely St. Paul would have been accused of syncretism if he lived in this time and
place. For the sake of the Gospel, Paul finds himself in public places, synagogues, (Acts 13:13-52) and even in the meeting of the Areopagus, the environment of pagan worship. (Acts 17:22)
Those who are missional will take every opportunity to intentionally and boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus. If we would hope to touch our world
with the love of Christ our church body will need to trust Pastors in their decisions to exercise their public ministry with Confessional integrity. Our synod seemed even to foresee these situations in the
Resolution 3-07 of the last synodical convention.
Rather than seeing someone who is making a questionable pastoral decision that might compromise their faith or give a negative witness, Prince of
Peace people applaud that a Lutheran Pastor is proclaiming the name of Jesus to the world, especially in a moment of national tragedy.
"Bringing Christ to the Nations"
Dr. Schulz, the irony of the moment is that you have dedicated yourself to a ministry of "Bringing Christ to the Nations". Prince of Peace is
a Great Commission church that strives to bring the Gospel to the people of our community. Your decision to suspend Dr. Benke has made our ministry much more challenging. When people from the community hear that one
of the leaders of our church has suspended another leader of the church for his pastoral decision to use the name of Jesus in a prayer heard by the nation, they question being involved in our church.
Our Hope
It takes courage to reconsider a decision. We pray that God's Holy Spirit will give you that courage. For the sake of the mission of the Gospel and the peace of
the church we believe that if your decision is reversed that the body of Christ will be edified and God's name will be glorified.
In the royal service of the King,
Pastor John R. Denninger and The Board of Servant Leaders
In Behalf of the People of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Back to "It's OK to Pray"...The SPIRIT Page
|
