Saturday, December 26, 2009

Al Barry Resume


LCMS President Al Barry - How Little We Know!

The Concordia Historical Institute is less than candid about Al Barry's education.

"Born: 4 August 1931, Woodbine, Iowa
Died: 23 March 2001, Orlando, Florida
Alvin Barry attended Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Illinois, finished his studies through the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Thiensville, in 1956, and was ordained the same year."

Barry also attended Bethany Seminary in Mankato (ELS) and a church basement seminary in Minneapolis. The church basement school may have been the Orthodox Lutheran Conference. I am not an expert in the mini-micro synods, which tend to splinter and scatter.

Barry vicared in the Wisconsin Synod. There is no Barry listed in the graduates of the Sausage Factory, yet he "finished his education there." Did Barry lack an MDiv? The honorary DD is listed, but no MDiv. College degree? Not listed.

His positions are listed as:
  1. Pilgrim, Minneapolis (1956-1960).
  2. St. John and Peace Lutheran Churches, Claremont, California (1960-62).
  3. Trinity Lutheran Church, Trimont, Minnesota (1962-67).
  4. Iowa District West executive positions (1967-82).
  5. DP (1982-92).
  6. Synod President (1992-2001).

We know more about Obama's educational background than we do about Al Barry. The CHI site is rather stingy with details about all the recent Synod Presidents. Note that the photo is a scan of a half-tone, really amateurish for a Missouri institution devoted to history. They cannot mail over a glossy of Barry? Perhaps they were all used up for target practice by the Kieschnick staff.


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PS - There is a Pilgrim Lutheran listed on the Net, but I am not sure if that is where Barry served. I could not find any synod affiliation at first, but I stumbled on a reference to LACE, which is WELS. The WELS acronym is built into the template, as one reader noted. I missed that. I was looking for distinctive content, and this website tended toward the generic. This could be the wrong church, but it is worth reading the websty to see how artfully the congregation has downplayed synodical affiliation and Lutheran doctrine. They have some very big money plans.

Check this out:

Ask the Pastor


Ask the Pastor



   Do you have a question about doctrine, values, denominations, world religions, church practices, the Bible, what brand of coffee we use at our coffee hours...



   Well this is your chance to have our pastor
Rev. Peter Leyrer
give you a well thought out, informative, theologically astute and plain English answer to that question that has been just nagging at you.

    Pastor Pete will be answering your questions
       during the sermon time of both services, on the first Sunday of each month. 

Just click on Pastor Petes nose to submit your question  
 If you have a question of a more personal nature or would like to make an appointment to talk with Pastor Pete please click here  

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Also, read More Fun Than Lutheran's (sic) Should Have. Am I right about Chicaneries being illiterate? Notice that the fun page is full of dumb, secular, power-of-positive-thinking quotations.