By David Domsch 1 a obsolete : an act of stumbling b archaic : a cause or occasion of sin : stumbling block 2 something that outrages the moral or physical senses. (Merriam-Webster.com) In recent weeks the President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod tried to prevent a recurrence of the conflict that emerged when charges were brought against Rev. David Benke because of his participation in…
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By David Domsch Last fall an initial article lamented the fear that seems to drive far too much in the LCMS. A young pastor questioned how I could continue in the LCMS under the situation described. That led to a second article in the spring of 2012. Although I had hoped to establish an ongoing dialog…
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By David Domsch A young pastor who I know well, Ryan Wendt, raised questions and concerns about the article Fear that I wrote for the Fall 2011 Daystar Journal. Unlike my experience on several websites, the questions and comments that Ryan offered are civil. They deserve a response in kind. Though Ryan’s thoughts were posted on Facebook, that is…
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By David Domsch Lutherans have a long and complex relationship with fear. Luther was famously fearful as a young man – fearing that no matter how hard he tried, he could never be sure that he was living up to what God expected of him. In a very real sense, the Reformation is a direct result…
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By David Domsch We all like to be in control. It’s only human – as is the urge to extend our control beyond ourselves to include other people and situations. That can and does lead to conflict – often serious conflict. Three years ago, before he was elected President of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Rev. Matthew Harrison…
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By Eugene Brueggemann Wayne Saffen is one of those unsung heroes in a lost cause whose contribution to that cause was worthy of note. The lost cause was defending the Missouri Synod and its St. Louis seminary from the swarm of cultural and theological conservatives who triumphed at the Denver convention in 1973. He was…
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By Eugene Brueggemann One of the most important speeches I ever heard was delivered at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, on the occasion of my graduation from grad school in 1951 –and I thought it was a terrible speech. The speaker was Dr. A.H. Grumm, a Vice-President of Synod. He had three books at the podium as…
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By Ron Biel Attending my fourth (and last) LCMS Convention this summer, I left feeling hurt as again witnessing what goes against my Gospel Grain. New laws and rules and regulations – who may we exclude from the Sacrament which Jesus offers to all who have need of it, and for us to thereby remember…
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By Matthew Becker Some years ago a Lutheran editor of a church newsletter asked me to write a brief essay that would answer the question, “What good is theology?” At the time I thought it a bit strange that a Lutheran who writes about and for Lutherans would ask that question. Don’t Lutheran Christians have…
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By Dr. Matthew Becker Next summer will mark the fortieth anniversary of the adoption of a controversial and divisive document at the 1973 Convention of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). “A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles” appeared in 1972 and was adopted by a slim majority of LCMS convention delegates a year later. When…
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