Eighth Commandment - A Price To Pay

Thou shalt not bear false witness.

Next, it extends very much further, if we are to apply it to spiritual jurisdiction or administration; here it is a common occurrence that every one bears false witness against his neighbor. For wherever there are godly preachers and Christians, they must bear the sentence before the world that they are called heretics, apostates, yea, seditious and desperately wicked miscreants. Besides, the Word of God must suffer in the most shameful and malicious manner, being persecuted, blasphemed, contradicted, perverted, and falsely cited and interpreted. But let this pass; for it is the way of the blind world that she condemns and persecutes the truth and the children of God, and yet esteems it no sin.(The Ten Commandments, #262, The Large Catechism, Book of Concord)

Martin Luther consistently taught a theology of the cross: the Word brings persecution. When people leave ELCA for a conservative Lutheran body, they are shocked by the way in which Lutherans pounce on other Lutherans. Seminarians used to be surprised after they got their first call. What they did as seminarians was lauded previously. So many would say, "I am so glad you are training to be a minister." Suddenly, a Scriptural sermon creates an earthquake.

Much of that has changed since Missouri, WELS, and the ELS began aping ELCA in filtering out candidates for the ministry. In the old days, seminarians were welcomed in all denominations if they had the basic qualifications. Then the wise guys realized that one must be very picky about the ultimate harvest. Pre-seminary interviews in the LCA allowed bad attitudes (pro-life, etc.) to come out in the open. No certification for seminary in the LCA/ELCA meant the road was blocked. The pan-Lutheran leadership gatherings let the backward synods catch on to the political value of blocking candidates.

So many stories could be told about the evil practices of today. Most of them would open old wounds in friends. Much of this comes from the top down - synod officials and seminary drones thinning out the competition. After, if intelligent and highly trained men entered the ministry with an independent spirit, what become of the addled politicians who run the show? Even the dumbest church official knows when his job is threatened. Usually, everything except abject submission threatens him.

The sad harvest of shame is this: faithful laity can hardly find shelter in an orthodox congregation. Their pastor must goose-step to the tune of "Beautiful Sunshine" (the start of McGavran's career at Fuller) or find themselves suddenly declared "out of fellowship."