I am so excited for the return of Issues, Etc. I’ve been a fan for many years. I was devastated when it was inexplicably canceled by synodical officials. I was sick that Todd and Jeff were fired.
But now I’m just giddy! I can’t wait for them to be back on the air. Hunger is the best appetizer and I’m hungry for solid, confessional Lutheran teaching.
Anyway, I wanted to mention that I will be blogging at a new location beginning in a couple of weeks. You can read all about it here.
A new lay society, called the Brothers of John the Steadfast, has formed to support confessional Lutheranism in general and the new radio program in particular. You can read all about the society at Laymen with Issues, Etc.
While you’re there, be sure to check out Dr. Martin Noland’s essay on this John the Steadfast character.
Filed under: Updates
Mollie, since I can’t reach you on WT or Facebook (I’m behind the corporate firewall for another 17 days), I thought you might be interested in another statement from OH DP Cripe.
Also, could you please fire me an email addy I can reach you at? Got an offline question for ya. TIA.
I just read DP Cripe’s new statement.
I can imagine that one of the first things Wilken will do in the new broadcast is to explain tuse of the P-word.
While I welcome that, It seems unwarranted to assign meanings–and intentions!–to it–or even speculations–it’s pretty ambiguous on its face–without practically assigning sin to Wilken and Schwarz.
Mostly, it just seems like having fun, and after several months of a fun-drought.
Susan R,
I’m with you.
I find people who try and take words, titles, and symbolic things like show titles overly seriously or literally to be ponderous and boring.
Give me a break.
I’m with you — ready for some fun!! And I think that’s all the title means, if anything.
I meant to say, I find these kinds of thoughts to be ponderous and boring — not the person him or herself.
I can be pretty analytical myself, but I think pirate radio is just funny. Who knows if the 20 other names they wanted weren’t taken already.
Sometimes it’s just not necessary to overanalyze.
Arrrrr!
I think they mean that this kind of radio is become almost illegal in our circles. It is a kind of radio that will call into question many practices currently all the rage in our Synod. The website may be called pirate Christian radio but it is also known as Lutheran Public Radio.
Mollie you are right:
The domain lutheranpublicradio.org is blacklisted. That is why they probably could not use it. Just Google lutheranpublicradio.org
Firing Todd and Jeff is turning is the biggest mistake the Kieshnick administration has ever made. Instead of getting rid of what they thought was a nuisance that no one would miss, they’ve provoked a true ‘movement’ in the church, rather than a contrived one.
Must be the time of day, the previous post should have said “is turnig into the biggest”
It has been said that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. God in His infinite wisdom sends individual men into certain situations to do His work. Let’s paraphrase from Acts, “If it is of God it cannot be stopped, If it isn’t it won’t last.” Because it will be existing on voluntary contributions, Issues, etc. will be far more accountable then the Pharasites http://user.txcyber.com/~wd5iqr/tcl/rusert.htm who inhabit high office. Wilken and company need our support not amateur easy chair quarterbacking. MR
Welcome on board, Mollie! (I’m one of the writing grunts for The Steadfast Journal.) And thank you very much!
Haha! So much for Pr. Wilken waiting even for the first Pirate broadcast “to explain the use of the P-word”! He’s already written a Pirate journal preview on it:
http://www.piratechristianradio.com/Playing the Pharisee Card 2008.pdf
Excellent.
Oops, the link didn’t quite work since is has spaces in it. Let’s try doing that a little different:
http://www.piratechristianradio.com/Playing%20the%20Pharisee%20Card%202008.pdf
DP Cripes statement struck me as more of the abuse of the 8th commandment we have consistently seen in response to the Holy Tuesday massacre. The intent is to take attention off the real issue and suggest that any criticism is unchristian. How pharisaical….
Arrrrgh! Maybe somebody in the Scurvy Palace can explain why an official organ of the LCMS (Lutheran Witness, Vol. 126 No. 6, June-July 2007, page 7) used another p-word (”popular”) to describe the Issues, Etc. program. Did it suddenly become “unpopular” less than a year later?
Shiver me timbers! Maybe it’s time for somebody to “walk the plank.”
Is there a problem with the website for piratechristianradio? I can’t get the site posted by aaron nemoyer to work.
There definitely needs to be a name change!
But it’s the names after “Synodical President”, “BCS Executive Director”, and “Members of the CCM” that need to be changed in 2010 (if not sooner).
Rocky;
Go to piratechristianradio.com, scroll to bottom of page.
Link to article and to slideshow of studio.
There’s also a “Christian Pirate Radio” apparently.
In any case, isn’t it amazing that synodical officials will complain about the name “pirate” as if it’s a horrendous crime, while they allowed Wilken and Schwarz to be waylaid . . .
The scurvy scalawags tried to feed Wilken and Schwarz to the sharks, and send Issues Etc. down to Davy Jones’ Locker (isn’t he one of the Monkees?). And they’re worried about the name “Pirate”?
there is a link on my blog that works…
http://www.rebelliouspastorswife.blogspot.com. Scroll down a few posts. I haven’t put it in the sidebar yet.
but it is http://www.piratechristianradio.com
Maybe Todd and Jeff would not get so much grief from synodical and district bureaucrats if they had named it “SyncreticReligiousRadio”.
“Firing Todd and Jeff is turning is the biggest mistake the Kieshnick administration has ever made”
Or a close second to Jerry’s approving Benke’s blasphemous participation in the YS syncretic prayer service.
The weight of the albatrosses hanging around his neck is staggering… as well as around the necks of the convention delegates who voted for him (you know who you are!).
Arrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Carl,
Yes, but unlike the Yankee stadium flap the Kieshnick administration cannot play the 9-11 card and make those who disagree sound like they’re heartless and unsympathetic. Every time the Kieshnick administration steps in it up to their necks, we’ve been told to be charitable and patient, to the point to the most patient and charitable among us its sounding like an excuse for incompetence or a way of covering one’s backside.
The Yankee stadium controversy cut across all the usual political and theological lines in the Synod, ( for example the former host of Issues Etc. was sticking up for President Benke as I recall). The cancelling of Issues Etc. and the firing of Jeff and Todd has had a similar but opposite effect in that people of all doctrinal and ecclesiastical persuasion liked the show and appreciated Todd’s approach to the many issues of the day. And so theological liberals, moderates and even non Christians are in Jeff and Todd’s corner, because they were treated fairly and respectfully when they were on the show, because Todd’s approach was clear and true Scripture but not mean or Pharisaical.
I too do wonder about those delegates. I wonder how many proudly signed their names to the Jesus First list, and now have doubts about it all, wondering what they have wrought by empowering this particular political action group. After all, even liberals (or as we say in Missouri “progressives” ) have conciences. I don’t mean to sound condescending with that statment, but I’m sure everyone who voted for Dr. Kieshnick back in 2001 had a vision of what they wanted to happen in the Synod, there was a direction they wanted our church to go. I doubt all, but I hope some are thinking “is this the way I wanted to achieve my vision for the church?” Some don’t care, because they see doctrine as an impediment, but I think many do care that the heavy hand on the tiller has not turned the ship around but has threatened to capsize her.
The position to take in the next election really is to point out the debt, the fact that we’ve been calling our missionaries home and requiring them to raise $120,00 per year while continuing to work in the field; the fact that money that is donated to help the poor and those in crisis isn’t getting to them before first waiting a wihle to earn some interest first. That pastors have been fired despite having a divine call.
A good portion of the lay delegates are not going to be knowledgeable about the confessions or other aspects of Lutheranism to understand the worship debate. Unfortunately, some won’t know their Bible well enough to understand some of the issues the confessionals are usually talking about and divided about and sometimes pretty harsh about.
I am not saying those issues aren’t important…they are critically important, but we do need to unite behind one candidate, and make a unified argument that all will understand, that is conveyed with love and concern. I am also not saying to avoid the theological issues and avoid them or pretend not to care about these other issues…but EVERYONE cares about whether or not their money is getting used for the intent that they donated it. Very few people in Synod would like to see Ablaze succeed at the expense of our mercy outreaches or the missionary field. Whether people passionately care about the liturgy or not, most do passionately care about God’s Word getting spread. Nobody really likes an increasingly expanding bureaucracy. Any Christian does not like to see a pastor have his call revoked when he is doing a good job sharing God’s Word. These issues do unify us, at least in an election.
A solid synod that is putting out confessional materials and is working to strengthen those in the parish will help with many of the other issues that divide us, or at least allow us to focus on them without the distractions of the other things. We must do what we need to (without sinning) in order to restore this.
How about Mohammed’s Radio in honor of Warren Zevon and the Yankee Stadium controversy?
Chuck –
I don’t get the Zevon reference.
He wasn’t at YS, was he?
Mohammed’s Radio is the title of one of his songs. Such a title would both honor Warren and acknowledge the spirit of YS. Most appropriate.
While Zevon was not at YS, I almost wish that Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner was present.
Chuck
Hey, Chuck –
Is the rumor true, that you’re ordering a big shipment of mourning benches for LCMS synodocrats who’ve just had it with traditional Lutheranism?
Vehse writes: “But it’s the names after “Synodical President”, “BCS Executive Director”, and “Members of the CCM” that need to be changed in 2010…”
2004 didn’t do it. 2007 didn’t do it. The real list, of names that needs to be changed, keeps growing. There’s the VP’s, people in control of the seminaries, the so-called missionaries in the field, DP’s, Vice-DP’s, etc.
It seems that a lot of folks have already been forced off the plank.
Pirates are what’s needed to get the boat back.
Is a sunken boat worth getting back?
Reminds me of that cartoon I saw in The Christian News a few weeks ago. Let me see if I can find a copy.
http://api.ning.com/files/zJrR57boQ1z8sYzLfJ304UzqBB4dmcyCW*9pMgfQg73pNxQPbGNMjS8PKjs1mxdg82aEevcyWif*AgrISm-UOWvs5ezy3sH-/FullSpeedAhead.png
Here it is (Found it on Wittenberg Trail).
http://i28.tinypic.com/2822ttk.png
Maybe the synod officials won’t mind:
it’sOKtohaveIssues, Etc.radio.™
Pirate Christian Radio is a poignant name, and funny! DP Cripes and others need not waste any more time worrying over it.
They are anxious benches. Their anxiety is evident. The church must change or die. They are able to see while you remain blind. Thus, you are calm and collected. If they don’t do something soon, then the gates of hell will prevail. If they don’t take action, the church will disappear. If they don’t engage in new measures and excitements, then there will be no LCMS. They are right to be anxious. Their theology and mine demands it! You need to get on board-
Chuck
Kieschnick AND Benke have complained in the past that they hadn’t been invited to be guests on Issues, Etc. Maybe they should be invited now. :)
Oh, sorry, Chuck. I heard it was some type of bench. Thanks for setting me straight.
To anyone worried about the “Pirate” in “Pirate Christian Radio”, please. Relax. Real Pirate radio is run on very minor frequencies, usually within a few blocks, and no one got shot or killed from doing so. It’s basically a joke.
And obviously, this is a play on words anyway.
Have a shot of green fairy already. And pour me some.
Ye mean we be not actually keel-haulin’ no scurvy Scarlet Skyscraper scalawags? Thar be disappointment!
Floyd-
That image is a bit blurry and I can’t quite make out all the text in the cartoon.From what I can make out, it looks pretty funny!
Yeah, that guy didn’t do a great job of scanning it. But it was the only online copy I could find.
Someone should edit in a giant pirate ship with Capt. Todd Wilken and First Mate Jeff sailing in the opposite direction and waving at them.
Lucciola,
No green fairy in these parts…how ’bout some Baronjaeger? :D
Arrrr, no Green Fairy, ye maties. Rum is the drink, yo ho ho!
The cartoonist you are referring to will be drawing for the Brothers of John the Steadfast. He has already submitted a caricature of Luther and Ole’ Johnny Boy for our first quarterly journal which is on target to be released on June 25, the day of commemoration of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession.
For more info on the Brothers of John the Steadfast you can check out http://www.laymenetc.org .
Rossow-
This is the first I have heard of the BoJS journal. I am not seeing it mentioned on the website. Is this to be a mailing or online publication?
Thanks!
SimDan
We have not unveiled all that we are doing, not so much to keep it secret but because we are so busy trying to get it done. We constantly have to remind ourselves to put out posts. We should be a little more proactive about announcing the whole plan. If you go deep into the laymenetc.org site you will notice a post on April 25th introducing Pastor Fritz Baue not only as an advisory board member but also as the editor of our magazine “The Steadfast Quarterly.”
The journal will be both on-line and hard copy. It will be mailed quarterly to every member of the organization but we figure that if it has good confessional material we should allow people to see it “in toto” on line.
The first issue has a letter from Pastor Wilken, a historical article by the synods ex-chief historian Martin Noland on John the Steadfast, a regular feature of the Steadfast parish of the quarter starting with Pastor Weedon’s parish in Hamel, Illinois, the cartoon mentioned above and more goodies.
By the way, we like to keep reminding people that as much as we want people to support John the Steadfast once it is rolled out later in June, the first financial priority for all of us should be to contribute directly to the radio show.
Thanks for the question. Keep ‘em coming and we will try to do a better job in the next week or so to get a more comprehensive post about our work.
Pastor Rossow
I could do the rum. Mr. Jaeger might be too much of a hit in the head, though!
Absinthe is available in Bev Mo! by the way.
(My goal, to get all Lutherans sloshed on the fairy…)
“By the way, we like to keep reminding people that as much as we want people to support John the Steadfast once it is rolled out later in June, the first financial priority for all of us should be to contribute directly to the radio show.”
Pastor Rossow,
Shouldn’t our first financial priority be giving to support our local parish? Any support for Issues, Etc. and John the Steadfast should be over and above that, no?
Pr. Landskroener
Pastor Landskroener,
I’m supposing you are not trying to be snarky, so let me presume that you are developing in your understanding and use of English. Perhaps you are not a native speaker; perhaps your skill set lies more on the mathematical side.
At any rate, regarding your last post to Pastor Rossow, please note that it is common in English to have predicate phrases assumed by the writer, reader, or speaker -especially in informal writing or casual conversation. These assumptions are based upon the context of the conversation. So, when you read Pastor Rossow’s comment, “as much as we want people to support John the Steadfast once it is rolled out later in June, the first priority for all of us should be to contribute directly…” you should have inferred that the context was precisely about the kind of giving people do outside of their tithe. The “first priority” here was within that context.
So, Pastor Rossow was simply trying to remind people that BJS prefers that people give to Issues before they pay their membership dues or make a special gift to BJS. The regular tithe, proper care for one’s family, charity towards neighbor, etc., is all assumed.
Given the context of the community writing on this blog, I think that was a fair assumption on his part.
Hope this helps!
OK – I clearly had too much time on my hands today.
MY APOLOGIES, Pastor Landskroener, for the “counter-snark”. My “best construction” regarding your English skills was clearly beyond the pale.
I should have asked you to clarify your intentions before assuming you were putting a bad construction on Pastor Rossow’s comments.
I just get tired of all the nit-picking amongst conservatives. It takes our eyes off the ball.
We need to keep focused on the task at hand. That’s what BJS is trying to do. Hopefully I’ll do a better job of doing that in the future.
And I hope you will do the same!
In Christ,
phil
Phil,
I forgive you.
I certainly was not trying to be snarky. I was merely asking a question that I thought might be worthwhile to consider. Perhaps I’m wary of assuming too much.
Thank you for the clarification.
Pr. Landskroener
Okay, so now we have the Brotherhood of John the Steadfast. Yippee.
We already have:
ACL
Ballast
Affirm
Consensus
and also the newly-formed CLCC
And there are probably more.
I’m sorry — call me a kill-joy — but I just don’t get terribly excited about another new group. And tell me why this is any different than:
Augustinians
Franciscans
Jesuits
Cistercians
Dominicans
When you find something that gets everybody on the same page, let me know. My adrenalin would get up for that. I think that the last time we had any real unity was when Robert Preus was alive. Everyone looked up to him – if that’s not an over-generalization.
Joel,
I hope this explanation helps. First, I would ask you to clarify what there is you have heard about the Brothers of John the Steadfast that is actually similar to the Augustinians, Franciscans, Jesuits, etc? The only similarities that I see are rather generic, i.e. they are men and they are organized.
I would invite you to think of the Brothers of John the Steadfast as HIgher Things for adults, but based on your extremely pessimistic post above with its rather loose analogies you probably equate Higher Things with the Hitler youth.
Another good way to think of the Brothers of John the Steadfast is like your grandfather’s LCMS laymen’s group back when it was actually concerned about the pure Gospel rather than associating it with a bunch of inwardly looking clergy in a monastry somewhere.
I would also ask you to consider this difference. How many of the confessional groups you listed above ever formed chapters in local congregations? The Brothers of John the Steadfast has not even opened for business and we already have 25 congregations taking motions to thier voters and elders to form a local chapter. How many of the organizations you listed above actually rasied money for projects beyond thier own publications? How many of them made it a priority to provide help for men to be better heads of the household?
Besides, we actually like all those confessional groups you listed above and believe they have been warriors for the cause of confessionalism. We have already asked two of them to join our list of a dozen or so confessional groups that will be writing regular columns for the John the Steadfast website. Instead of complaining about a lack of unity in the confessional world we are actually doing a little something to bring groups together,
In addition, the pastor who proceeded you in the parish you now serve will be writing a column for the website titled “Your Grandfather’s Church” and the Senior Pastor of the church you serve will be writing a regular column called “It’s not all a Bed of Luther Roses Out There.”
We are optimistic about our little group but know that it is all in the Lord’s hands. We hope He will bless it and we also pledge to you that if we ever become a nature worshipping, works righteousness mongering order like the Franciscans that we will fold up and let Christ’s Gospel have its way with His Church.
If it will help ease your worries I will also check in regularly with Klemet Preus, one of our two chief bloggers, and son of President Preuss, to make sure that we are doing things according to Robert’s rules.
Joel and Tim:
I’ve never been able to make sense of the alphabet soup of LCMS subgroups. I don’t think I ever will.
It doesn’t matter, the confessional revivial of the laity is under way, and has been for decades. The love of pure doctrine and practice has taken root again among Lutheran laity.
This confessional revival doesn’t depend on any of the acronyms. It depends on individual laymen and laywomen, faithful adherents to the Scripture and Confessions in their parishes and vocations.
The best efforts to dumb-down the laity have failed.
Add to this two decades of largely confessional seminary graduates, and I think the furture looks bright –if not for the LCMS, then for confessional Lutheran theology.
…And maybe, just maybe even for the LCMS.
Harrison 2010.
I can’t imagine that any of these para-groups have among their aims their own continued existence, but rather a hope for the lack of need for such para-groups.
Which is an odd human construct: a formation of a group that hopes it can someday close up shop , just go home, go to church, and not have to do so much heavy lifting for the sake of others.
We will one day be the grandfathers and grandmothers (or maybe there are grandparents among us already) of the faith, and it would be good of us to have worked our tails off, while we have the strength and as we acquire the tools–like new media– to secure the Lutheran church for our grandchildren. Mindful of the likelihood that they’ll have battles of their own.
I’d like to leave a legacy of How to Contend For the Faith When Necessary, as opposed to the sad story of the Little Church That Couldn’t–Or Wouldn’t.
PS–It is a very Lutheran, hence, a very loving thing to do. We love our church. Period.
We’re not enjoined to storm the Palace Gates, just to stand among the saints.
Last PS–I believe we’re not supposed to be confused and conflicted about it–about where we stand and for what. Isn’t that the whole point?
Joel,
Yes, I do believe that associating a confessional laymens group with Roman Catholic clerical orders is a serious logical blunder tantamount to associating a confessional Lutheran youth organization to a fascist youth organization.
You did not explain the point of comparison between BJS and the Romanist orders and so BJS is whitewashed with all that is negative about such orders particularly the monastic part of them since that is one of the major things the list you cited bears in common, in addition to the false theology of works righteousness.
Here is how the logic works:
Your assertion was:
X reminds me of Y
In your comparison X = BJS and Y = Romanist Priestly Orders.
But X (BJS) consists of laymen and is designed to lead people to Christ through the pure Gospel and Y consists of priests leading people away from Christ through works righteousness and thus destroying thier souls.
I assert that is tantamount to saying:
A (Higher Things) reminds me of B (Hitler youth).
But of course A is not like B just as X is not like Y.
A (Higher Things) leads young people to Christ through the pure Gospel and B (Hitler Youth) leads young people to support a nasty fascist regime that destroys the bodies of others.
I hope that clarifies my concern with your loose analogy.
I have great respect for you I just wish you hadn’t associated BJS with soul destroying Romanists.
I am not getting defensive about starting a new group. You offered absoulutely no scrutiny of our plans – that I would have selcomed. You associated us with Romanists. I am bothered that you would associate this new group, which may or may not be of God, time will tell, with Romanist orders. I think that is just plain sloppy logic and not very forebearing on your part.
You get the last word. I simply wanted to defend my assertions with a little logic.
P.S. I was an original signer of TTMBO. It did not fade and fold as you suggest. The TTMBO saga is not over.
Also, we have already spoken in great detail with Board Members of Higher Things in order to learn from thier successes and mistakes. If we could become half of what Higher Things is we would consider our group very blessed by God.
Are there any RC societies for laymen that have similar goals to that of BJS? Most I believe are benevolent societies. The closest might be S SPX, but that is a priestly society with the goal of preserving the Tridentine Mass among other things.
Whenever I hear the word ’society’ I think of a line from the movie “Patton.” Gen. Patton is planning the invasion of Sicily, his invasion plan differs from that of Gen. Montgomery, and he expects opposition. And so he asks his adjutant to plan a gathering of the top Generals in the theatre to persuade them to his side. “It is to be a social event” he says, and then turns to his adjutant “and by that I mean purely political.”
I commend BJS for looking to Higher Things for some advice, they’ve managed to keep to their mission and principles without becoming an LCMS political action group.
[...] in June. Mollie will provide an ongoing layperson’s perspective (read her own announcement here), and Pastor Preus will be our regular ordained columnist. They will each be posting at least twice [...]