I am having an experience which repeats many others. On Facebook a Missouri Synod pastor posted some satire about the difference between Missouri and ELCA. I was working on that with Patsy Leppien when he was still on a trike.
I said it was funny but why stay in fellowship with ELCA? That set off some initial denials from the animation pastor and another Missouri pastor, plus some mocking and accusing statements. I pointed out what Missouri supported by virtue of working with Thrivent, ELCA, and LWR.
Next came the accusations. I was not allowed to say that about abortion and working with ELCA unless I could prove what they should have known as pastors.
Readers know about WELS and Missouri working with ELCA from many different previous posts. I am going to copy and paste so all the content is here for people to read.
WELS Lutherans for Life and Dating Service offered this:
Lutheran Brotherhood Drops Contest That Awarded Pro-Abortion Letter
[Source: LifeNews.com, June 20, 2001]
[Pro-Life Infonet Note: In the April 23, 2001 edition of the Pro-Life Infonet (#2411 ), we reported on an essay contest sponsored by the Lutheran Brotherhood. One of the winners of this contest was a Washington state teen who authored a letter to pro-abortion U.S. Rep. Jennifer Dunn. In his letter, the boy lobbied Dunn to permanently legalize abortion so that parents would have the right to abort unborn children that, through genetic screening, are found to have severe illnesses or disabilities. Hundreds of Pro-Life Infonet readers flooded the Lutheran Brotherhood with calls and emails to express their outrage.
We're pleased to include the following letter from Brad Mattes to the Pro-Life Infonet after tremendous follow-up with Lutheran Brotherhood on his part. Mr. Mattes reports that the Lutheran Brotherhood will no longer participate in the contest in which this student won. Please contact the Lutheran Brotherhood and thank them for taking this action: Lutheran Brotherhood, 625 Fourth Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 1-800-990-6290, or email www.cic@luthbro.com or see their web site at http://www.luthbro.com.]
From Brad Mattes:
Sometimes justice and good win out. That has been the case with Lutheran Brotherhood. Perhaps you remember that LB awarded a student a statewide honor for his essay promoting abortion for handicapped babies. The student and his mother were flown to Washington, DC to learn how to lobby on behalf of his pro-abortion political agenda.
Public outcry was substantial and swift, especially on the part of fellow Lutherans. LB was inundated with calls and e-mails condemning this action. As a long-time client of LB, I spent the next several weeks in phone conversations with David Rustad, Manager of Public Relations for LB During those conversations we discussed how their motto, "Linking Faith Values and Money", was not compatible with their latest action. I explained that there would be an aggressive boycott of LB because thousands of us felt betrayed, and, more importantly, their action was contrary to God's will. Several corporations have made the grave mistake of underestimating their customers' dedication to the plight of unborn babies.
I am very happy to report that LB has terminated the controversial program, RespecTeen, as of June 15. LB's reaction was exactly what was asked of them by their pro-life customers. David's letter [to me] reflected a proper attitude on behalf of the company - repentance for their sin. We can, in good conscience, do business with LB, knowing that they now understand the importance of the issue of abortion, as well as other potential controversial issues.
Thanks to all of you who contacted LB. There is no doubt in my mind, after talking with LB representatives, that this truly made the difference! THANK YOU!
Please share this e-mail with those who are aware of LB's mistake, letting them know that LB has made good.
Sincerely for innocent life,
Bradley Mattes, Executive Director
Life Issues Institute
[LifeNews.com— June 21, 2001]
Reprinted with permission by LifeNews.com.
Michele Malkin, a dependable conservative, wrote this:
President Bush posed for pictures this week with a group of politically active teenagers. They were winners of a nationwide letter-writing contest called "RespecTeen Speak for Yourself." The youths received free trips to Washington, D.C., and a chance to meet with members of Congress to push their pet causes. If President Bush had actually read some of the letters from the teen lobbyists-in-training, he would not have had much reason to smile. The award-winning essays supported gun control, opposed educational vouchers for poor children and decried drilling in the Arctic refuge. One of the most disturbing letters came from an eighth-grader in Washington state who pleaded with his congresswoman to make abortion "a guaranteed right." Fourteen-year-old James Humphrey's letter to Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-WA, was chosen for its "quality and clarity of thought, argument, supporting data, expression, sincerity and originality." He may have been sincere, but his arguments are far from original. I requested a copy of Humphrey's letter from Lutheran Brotherhood, the contest's sponsor. Here's what he wrote: "Abortion needs to be a guaranteed right. New research being conducted in the field of genetics will soon make it possible for a parent to know whether their (sic) child will be born with a serious disease or disability. In the past, this was possible for only a few diseases, but groundbreaking discoveries in the last six months are opening doorways for 'early warning' for devastating diseases." Humphrey goes on to describe the plight of a friend whose young sister died of Rhett's Syndrome. "She couldn't walk, or talk. She had constant seizures, frequent pneumonia, and hardly slept at night ... Her family loved her, but life was exhausting and heartbreaking." Humphrey's friend, he says, "should have the right to decide whether she wants to give birth to a daughter with the disease. I also expect to have the right to make this choice with my future wife. I have an autistic brother ... No one should tell me I have to have a child with this disorder." The letter concludes: "I call for action on your part to help permanently legalize abortion so tragedies like these can be averted and more people do not need to live like this." The pro-abortion movement and the self-centered language of "choice" have so dominated the public conscience that it seems mean-spirited to question the boy's dangerously misguided compassion. We have become obsessed with quality of life at the expense of the sanctity of life. But championing abortion as a government-sponsored method to "avert tragedies" -- that is, to kill undesirable babies -- is not the sign of a merciful society. It is the sign of a cruelly utilitarian one that views "less-than-perfect" human beings as burdensome and disposable.
***
GJ - The responses, within a short period of time, have been, "Life insurance fellowship. Oh noes." And there is the familiar - that was a long time ago, and it was LB, not Thrivent.
Amnesia is a great argument. On TV, they are investigating unsolved murders from 20 to 40 years ago, as cold cases. In the "conservative" Lutheran synods, a church worker murdering his wife is "old news."
LB merged into Thrivent years ago, so that does not count. The boy got his award years ago, so that is irrelevant.
What matters is maintaining a superior attitude toward ELCA while partnering with ELCA in every possible way, staying silent because they are very touchy about criticism.
When Patsy Leppien's book, What's Going On Among Lutherans?, came out, a local Christian book store featured it.
The ELCA pastors saw that and said to the store owner, "If you handle that book, we will stop buying here." The store owner bowed to the boycott.
The "conservative" Lutherans would never do that, because they prefer sanctimony to sanctification.
