Glendale, Arizona 85304-2419

Introduction

I asked Pastor Kevin Hastings if I could reproduce his comments about Dr. Martin Marty (ELCA) being invited to speak at Wisconsin Lutheran College. I recall that Church Growth enthusiast David Valleskey was on the WLC board when Annie Herring gave her concert and led the audience in prayer. He walked up to a pastor who questioned this and threatened to investigate HIS congregation.

One LCMS reader asked how I could claim that WELS and Missouri were involved in ELCA homosexual activism. I thought I proved this beyond a shadow of a doubt, but I will review the facts once more. WELS and Missouri leaders work with ELCA all the time, as shown in various periodicals by: the Snowbird leadership conference, the joint cross-cultural ministry effort hatched at Snowbird, the Church [Growth] Membership Initiative, the Orlando Church Growth conference (where Marty spoke, about 1993), the Joy religious radio show, joint American missions conferences, WELS-ELCA cooperation on the WELS hymnal (even worse than ELCA’s LBW), Lutheran World Relief, and James Tiefel’s famous pan-denominational WELS worship conference at ELCA’s Carthage College (taught by LCMS leaders, an ELCA staffmember, an Episcopalian staffmember, a ROMAN CATHOLIC, a Wheaton graduate, and five WELS women who taught men about worship). WELS is only in fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and not one ELS pastor was deemed good enough to teach at that gathering. The ELS leaders said nothing.

WELS and Missouri have been in bed with ELCA for a long time. What WELS and Missouri say against ELCA is pure hypocrisy. WELS and Missouri should admit that they are pro-sodomy, pro-lesbian, pro-abortion, and secretly agitating for women’s ordination, by virtue of their constant and uncritical participation in joint religious work with ELCA.

FROM HASTINGS

Dear Greg,

A person can easily understand how a fellowship principle can be broken on occasion in weakness, ignorance, or the suddenness of a moment. That is not the case at Wisconsin Lutheran College at all. I believe it started with the Annie Herring concert about seven years ago when she not only sang, but then led the assembly in prayer. Many squawked, but there was never any public renunciation of the folly of inviting her to perform.

Since then WLC has gone political and sensational. Cal Thomas, Congressman Neumann (WELS), Mayor Norquist, Charlton Heston, etc. While we might agree with what these men stand for, the church is not their forum. Is WLC church? Gurgel once claimed WLC wasn't WELS in the sense that the synod doesn't run the school. That was a simplistic excuse for avoiding decisive action.

Dr. Greenfield, who arranges these things must commune at some WELS church (St. John's in Wauwatosa is my guess). One wonders if he's a member in good standing after all this. WELS is grossly guilty of the same unionism it chided LC-MS for in the thirties. Didn't mind being in bed with her, but didn't like another sneaking in on the other side. Now WELS and ELS are going through the same thing, apparently with numerous partners, spiritual and political. At least you see a (lost?) fight in Missouri.

Wisconsin remains one happy family, which is what happens when you venerate an institution. The WLC situation is not an isolated 'problem'. It exists and flourishes amid the highest concentration of churches, pastors, and teachers in the synod. It is no isolated cult in a wilderness. Its guilt becomes the guilt of all as they support it. Besides, I seem to read "Wisconsin" and "Lutheran" in its name - now whom could that be a part of?

Pastor Kevin Hastings

St. John Lutheran (independent), Milwaukee