It came out during the North Dakota District Convention that the case against Rev. Dr. Matthew Becker, an LCMS clergyman who teaches at Valparaiso University has ended with the result that he was exonerated of any charge of false teaching.
President Harrison informed the District Convention of the results. He and his administration have been working hard on the Becker case for some time (since taking office). The
CTCR has also been working on the dissents that Dr. Becker filed (dissenting to the Synod’s stance on women’s ordination and evolution). In the end, the process has failed to discipline one of the most flagrant dissenters to official LCMS doctrine.
A committee formed by the Dispute Resolution Process has now exonerated him. The District President of the Northwest District (where Dr. Becker holds membership) has refused to take action against him. President Harrison has gone on record as speaking against this and expressing his own frustration that he has run out of options as Synod President to discipline him. The Synod’s legal documents and opinions forbid the Synod President from dealing with an individual member (CCM ruling after Newtown made sure of that).
The chief remaining action is to of course report it to the 2016 Convention of the LCMS and ask for the Convention to take action.
As for me, the Becker case has been a sort of litmus test on how the LCMS can handle things with regards to false doctrine. This is sad, but shows how utterly broken the Synod is to handle even the most open and shut cases. Why has FiveTwo not been taken up the Dispute Resolution Process – this is why.
The Synod in Convention can choose to do nothing. The Synod will then become an umbrella overarching various theologies, one true, many false (which it apparently already is). This of course does not glorify God or hallow His Name.
The Synod in Convention needs to realize that the mechanism which it has to deal with these issues is utterly broken.
Pray for those involved. Dr. Becker, evolution and women’s ordination has won in LCMS Inc.’s court. Lord have mercy.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. – James 3:1
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. – 2 Peter 2:1-3
The sniveling, whining crybabies of Steadfast have been so far up the Purple Palace that they could see the soles of Paul McCain's Gucci loafers.
, but they are more like the palace eunuchs of the Muslim glory days in the Ottoman Empire, lolling about, physically decayed, morally corrupt, easily angered by threats to their honor and income.
