This September, the LCMS’s Concordia Seminary had its annual theological symposium. Now, according to the Facebook account for the seminary, the sessions were recorded and will be available in about a month. In the meantime, however, certain things have already been made public. It is these with which this article is concerned.
In the first day, some participants chose to see the session on “LCMS Decline in the New America” by Larry Vogel. The promotion for this presentation reads as follows:
From the mid-1970s to the present, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has suffered significant membership decline. One reason for the decline is a sharp decline in U.S. birthrates. This certainly affects the LCMS. Less widely acknowledged is the fact that while the United States has become increasingly diverse both racially and ethnically, the LCMS has largely retained its homogeneity. This sectional will focus on the need for expanded intercultural outreach that emphasizes the doctrine of catholicity in LCMS catechesis and dogmatic theology.
Others chose to see a presentation by Rebekah Lukas on “Monastic Vows and Modern Purity Culture.” Why a supposedly Christian seminary would promote not only a woman, but one who is also a student, to teach theology, is beyond the scope of this article; it suffices for the Christian reader to know that this is condemned by God when He says: “Let your women keep silent in the churches”; further: “I do not permit a woman to teach.”
The next day, John T. Pless gave a presentation on Herman Sasse. In the promotional material, this denier of the inspiration of Scripture is praised for an imagined “staunch adherence to the Lutheran Confessions.”
Alternatively, some attendants may have chosen to see student Jacob Rhodes’ presentation “The Never Married: Developing a Vocabulary for and about Singleness,” in which he praised the devil’s gift of “singleness” (not celibacy, mind you!).
In the final “plenary” of the symposium, before sending the attendants to the above-mentioned sessions, Joel Biermann said, “We Christians are not in a battle with the unbelieving world.” This statement perfectly explains why LCMS President Matthew Harrison described his mission as being “to keep the LCMS out of the negative press.” For, if The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod does not exist to “battle with the unbelieving world,” as the old Missouri Synod did, then of course it seeks friendship with the world, which is enmity with God.
Altlutheraner 