Q: The choice of words that President Kieschnick used to complain about your story was troubling. He expressed “extreme disappointment over the column” while portraying you as painting a “false and misleading picture” of the LCMS as a “deeply divided church.” Pursuant to Resolution 4-01A of the 2007 convention of Synod, Synod officials (COP and BOD) met during November 2007 to “identify those issues in the Synod thought to be causing the greatest discord”. One of the twenty issues identified was “Failure to recognize the severity of the division in our Synod.” Apparently, the Synod wants to now move “from discord to concord” by developing a “strategy towards harmony that demonstrates how this great church body can provide a God-pleasing witness of our confession and practice”. For more information, see LCMS Board Briefs – January 2008 here. In light of these facts, do you feel that President Kieschnick’s criticism of you was inappropriate?
Hemingway: Of course. Also, I think if you have to write a response to a member of an LCMS congregation, saying that you strongly disagree with her statement that the synod isn’t in agreement, you pretty much automatically lose the point.
Filed under: Updates
52% to 47% (or whatever the Presidential vote was) is about as deeply divided as you can get, no?