Thursday, September 13, 2007

Chameleon Lutherans


I recall Pastor Richard J. Neuhaus (LCMS, then Seminex, then LCA, then ELCA) writing in Lutheran Forum Letter about being a Confessional Lutheran. Neuhaus is a high profile Roman Catholic priest now. Leonard Klein was also a Confessional Lutheran when I met him in York, Pennsylvania. Klein is now a Roman Catholic priest.

Paul McCain and Al Barry were going to save the Missouri Synod from the howling heretics of the Left, but they passed up their golden opportunity with DP Benke. But now we can see where McCain's heart is. As publisher of CPH, he has invited his old friend Benke to write a book for the wealthy, cash-gushing publication house. Maybe Benke will call the work, It's OK to be a Confessional Lutheran. I hope so.

ELDONA, the tiny sect with the big, big name (Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America - or, Malone Texas and Adjoining Counties), left Missouri in a huff over Benke's outrageous unionism at Yankee Stadium. Nevertheless, their Niles, Michigan branch venerates a liberal, unionistic, Romanizing monastery almost as much as it does vestments. Have the bishops of ELDONA given him the Left Foot of Fellowship? No. Has the link been removed (the Ichabod effect) from the Niles website? No.

The Left is never a danger to orthodox Lutherans. (How seldom we hear that term!) Dorsal stab wounds are best delivered by those who are closest, the Confessional Lutherans who have another spirit.

One of the best ways to advance one's career in the apostate synods is to pose as a Confessional Lutheran. Looking troubled and making witty, mild remarks is crucial for the campaign. Then, when it matters most, the Chameleon Lutheran switches sides and denounces his friends, gloating while he delivers punishment in the name of his new boss. The apostates love having a convert as their lapdog or finger-puppet.