Signatures for the Manifesto are Slow but Website Activity is Brisk

We have had “A Lutheran Manifesto” up for 24 hours and there aren’t many signatures on the petition  but it has created a lot of activity on the website.

We had over 1,000 visits yesterday which is the most we have had in the last two weeks and is  the busiest Thursday we have had in several weeks. More importantly we had over 300 brand new visitors yesterday and that number will continue to grow in the next few days due to the Manifesto and the articles from our excellent bloggers and columnists. (Pastor Preus has prepared a new series of posts on communion fellowship which will be coming  soon.)

The primary goal of the Manifesto is to educate us and stimulate discussion and is not so much about getting signatures. Since Dr. Baue invited people to signal their approval if they desired, we decided to attach a petition to it.

We encourage people to sign the petition. If you agree with the document take a moment and show that agreement with a few keystrokes. If you do not agree, do as some have already done and share your comments with Dr. Baue on the original post (or this post if you wish).

Why are signatures slow to come in? I am not entirely sure but it is probably due to the length of the Manifesto. It is longer than what we have become  used to reading on websites. Among other reasons is that some  believe that there is no need for another such statement and instead are calling for action. We believe in action as well and encourage all of our readers to get involved in their local congregation, circuits and districts to make a difference. We believe that the Manifesto is a great, simple, asserting/rejecting document of confessional theology that you can use to call your pastor, fellow members and district to the cause of restoring the Lutheran Confessions as the fundamental basis for how we preach, teach and confess the faith. It also does an effective job of addressing current challenges such as the church growth movement and “contemporary” worship in a clear and simple way by applying the Augsburg Confession to these blights on the church. Imagine the progress that could be made if our 1,000 website visitors from yesterday took the Manifesto and showed it to their pastor or fellow congregation members and asked them if they agreed with it. Of course much of that progress would come by way of conflict and disagreement – but even identifying that disagreement is the first step toward resolution.

We encourage you to read the Manifesto, wrestle with it, sign the petition if you agree with it and most of all, use it in your parish as a means of bringing people back to the Augsburg Confession and the full Book of Concord.

May God bless us in Christ Jesus and may the Holy Spirit keep our eyes fixed on the cross as we continue to fight the good fight.

Pastor Rossow

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.