A friend of mine, who is a pastor here in the middle-western part of the United States, forwarded a copy of a letter that Rev. Matthew Harrison, the President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, sent to the Synod's Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR). The letter was sent in September 2011. "Larry" and "Joel" are respectively the asociate executive director and executive director of the CTCR.
I do not know how my friend got this letter. It was shared on Daystar last month, so more than 1000 people have read it there, as did I.
This letter helps to explain why the CTCR acted so quickly to condemn my dissent--without actually engaging its specific contents. They received direct pressure from the Synod President to do so. After all, why bother with the specifics when you are told, rather papally, "from above": "The question [Becker] raises are anything but new. They have been decided clearly and definitively by the Word of God and affirmed by the Synod on numerous occasions."
Naturally, the presupposition of these sentences is that the Synod cannot err in its collective interpretation of the Scriptures on the matters I raise in my dissent.
The CTCR issued its public condemnation of my dissent just two months after receiving this letter from Pres. Harrison. That has to be a record for the CTCR! (Remember that the CTCR has NEVER officially responded to a similar dissent brought to the CTCR by fellow LCMS clergyman, Arnie Voigt.)
I think the letter is instructive, as it indicates the mindset of the current Synod president (and the majority on the CTCR) about matters that he/they may feel have been "clearly and definitively" decided by the word of God, but about which others in the Synod remain unconvinced. The CTCR has certainly not convinced me and many other synodical members that the contents of my dissent are contrary to the Word of God.
Until I read the letter I had no idea that Pres. Harrison thinks I've been "abusing the dissent process." No one has indicated this to me, not my circuit counselor nor my district president nor the few members of the CTCR with whom I met last year.
Finally, it pleases me that my fellow LCMS clergyman, Bob Stuenkel, who was the subject of the first part of this letter, was fully exonerated on appeal. President Harrison did not get what he wanted in that case. Bob remains in good standing on the Synod's roster of clergymen--as do I, for that matter.
Here's the letter:
Thursday of Pentecost XII, AD 2011
September 8, 2011
Dear Larry, Joel,
and members of the CTCR
Grace and Peace
This is a brief note
requesting of the CTCR the quick dispatch of two matters
which have to do
with the Commission's role in assisting the President of the
Synod in
maintaining doctrinal unity in the Synod (Bylaw 3.9.5.2)
1. I hereby
request the CTCR provide a clear, brief, and forthright answer ("NO"
would
suffice) on whether or not it is proper for an LCMS clergyman to be
communing
at an ELCA altar. This matter of course has to do with President
Golter's
continuing challenge with a pastor in his district. I know the details
of
this case and know too that it has been handled with great care and
pastoral
concern. I support President Golter completely, and it is past time
for all of
us to support him and be clear about it.
The Constitution
of the Synod is clear in Article VI which calls for
"Renunciation of unionism
and syncretism of every description, such as:.... b.
Taking part in the
services and sacramental rites of heterodox congregations or
of congregations
of mixed confession..."
Also note that among the wealth of documentation
which be amassed for this
question, I simply wish to provide Article VIII on
the church from Walther's
Kirche and Amt, which (thesis and the entire book)
was re-affirmed as the
Synod's doctrinal stance at the 2001
convention. Thesis VIII states that no Christian should be communioning at a
heterodox altar:
Although God gathers for himself a holy church
(Kirche) of elect also His Word
is not taught in its complete purity and the
sacraments are not administered
altogether according to the institution of
Jesus Christ, if only God's Word and
the sacraments are not denied entirely
but both essentially, (wesentlich)
remain, nevertheless, every believer must,
at the peril of losing his salvation,
flee all false teachers, avoid all
heterodox congregations (Gemeiden) or sects,
and confess (bekennen) and
adhere to orthodox congregations and their orthodox
preachers wherever such
may be found.
A. Also in heterodox and heretical churches there are
children of God, and also
there are the true church is made manifest by the
pure Word and the sacraments
that still remain.
B. Every believer for
the sake of his salvation must flee all false teachers,
and avoid, fellowship
with heterodox congregations or sects.
C. Every Christian for the sake of
his salvation is duty bound to acknowledge
and adhere to orthodox
congregations and orthodox preachers wherever he can find
such.
2. I
request that the CTCR give a quick and decisive opinion on the
dissent
recently submitted by Matthew Becker. The question he raises are
anything but
new. They have been decided clearly and definitively by the Word
of God and
affirmed by the Synod on numerous occasions. It is necessary for a
quick and
immediate response because Rev. Becker is abusing the dissent
process and both
aggressively advocating his errant views and acting upon
them (participating
most recently in the installation of a female chaplain at
Valpo).
While I have and will continue to publicly advocate for dialogue
and work toward
growing consensus where there are differences in Synod, I
will not and cannot
suspend Synod's doctrinal positions. Nor can the Koinonia
Project hope to bring
consensus with those who, openly, intentionally, and
with determination preach,
teach, and act against the clear word of God and
our public confession. Your
quick action will assist me in the next steps I
need to take in trying to
resolve this unfortunate situation according to the
Constitution, Article XIB.
Thank you for your work. It's a pleasure to
work in the office with both Joel
and Larry.
Matthew C. Harrison,
President
The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
