Here are some of the things that came out this week.
A petition for the reinstatement of Rev. Dr. Schulz got a lot of attention. Consider signing it.
As the COP met earlier this week, we saw many statements…
Interim President Cario of CUW 2/24/22:
Synod President Harrison:
South Wisconsin District President Wille:
English District President Hardy:
We Love the Concordias Group Statement:
A prayer service is planned at Peace, Sussex tomorrow:
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ of the South Wisconsin District, members of the CUWAA community, Pastors, Commissioned Ministers, and concerned members of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod:
Lord, have mercy upon us! Christ, have mercy upon us! Lord, have mercy upon us! I write to you out of concern for the Confessional faithfulness of Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. At times of great unrest in the Church, we are all called to repentance and to invoke the Lord’s help that we might be preserved in faithfulness to Christ and in fervent love for one another. Events of recent months revolving around the Presidential search at CUWAA and brought into the public arena with the suspension of Dr. Gregory Schulz from CUW, has driven many of us to our knees to cry out to our Lord for His deliverance and for the preservation of our beloved Concordia.
Ultimately, the issue is not about a single individual, but about being faithful to Christ and the Word of God. We turn to Christ and God’s Word as we seek to preserve and strengthen the confessional integrity and faithfulness of His university, and to be a faithful witness to world enslaved in the darkness and false hopes of anti-Christian dogma.
Peace Lutheran Church, Sussex, Wisconsin is inviting you to attend “A Service of Prayer and Preaching for Confessional Faithfulness: A Call to Repentance, Supplication, and Intercession for Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor, at 11 a.m., Saturday, February 26, 2022.
A Service of Prayer and Preaching for Confessional Faithfulness
A Call to Repentance, Supplication, and Intercession
for Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor
11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 26, 2022
Every member of the Concordia Community, as well as every member of the Church-at-large is welcome to attend this service. For those unable to attend, the service will be live streamed at:
https://www.youtube.com/c/PeaceLutheranChurchAcademySussexWI
Please forward this invitation far and wide for the sake of our Church body and Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Peter C. Bender
Pastor, Peace Lutheran Church
Director, Concordia Catechetical Academy
President, Peace Lutheran Academy
262-246-3200 ext. 724
Conservative Talk Radio picked up the story
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) Letter
UPDATE.
Letter from Michigan District President Maier.
February 25, 2022
Brothers and Sisters of the Michigan District:
Over recent days, a very public situation has developed at our Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor (CUWAA). As you may have read elsewhere, a professor in Wisconsin has been suspended, not for publishing a concern/complaint, but for his refusal to meet with Dr. Cario. We trust Dr. William Cario, acting President of CUWAA, to work through this appropriately.At the same time, old complaints have also surfaced about the direction of the teaching at Concordia University Ann Arbor. These complaints and accusations were previously investigated and found to be unsubstantiated.
All of this is happening at a tender time when The Concordia University Board of Regents is working to identify the next President of the University (following the retirement of Pat Ferry) and continuing to build up the biblically-centered, Christ-focused ministry of this University. Things are complicated because of by-laws and procedures within Synod and a difficult and flawed initial search process on the part of the search committee of the Board of Regents.
As your District President, I pledge to you that I will do everything I can to continue to build up our Concordia so that it would remain an uncommon community of students, faculty, alumni, and staff who are gifted by grace and ever-preparing to live out our purpose to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in the Church and world according to the Holy Scriptures and our Lutheran Confessions. To that end, I will work specifically with District Presidents Wille (South Wisconsin) and Hardy (English District) and others, and also double back to meet with leaders of our Concordia. It is my prayer that our university will continue to freely proclaim the love of God for the world in Jesus and remain faithful to the core, and pure teaching of the Gospel, that a sinner is justified by grace alone (sola gratia)through faith alone (sola fide) for the sake of Christ alone (solus Christus), a truth revealed to us in Scripture alone (sola Scriptura). The inspired Scriptures are – and remain – the only source and norm of truth.As things develop, I will continue to keep the District apprised of what is going on. In the meantime, may we all continue to speak “the truth in love” (Ephesians 5:15) and heed the additional admonition of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 4:29-32: 29Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.Please keep us in your prayers.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. David P. E. Maier
President, The Michigan District
I find it funny that all of the letters from presidents sound like they were adapted from an original form letter. They have almost identical language.
Pr. Beisel, of course they are. Happens all the time. That can be good, that can be bad, depending on whose ox is gored. When people come together with similar thoughts, why reinvent the wheel? Through a collaboration and proofreading, a clean and clear message can be developed. When it comes to Convention time, this actually helps streamline the process. Similar if not identical overtures can be lumped easily together into one resolution. Seeing how many times it comes in and from how many places can give the idea strong momentum. A downside would be the politicization, as seeing who rallies, one can infer ideological allegiances. Personally I like this openness. Helps make the concern transparent so all can have a more informed understanding of what is going on. Hopefully if it is not spin doctored.
I also notice the words “mind, body, and spirit” and “uncommon” are used in some of the letters which are used over and over again as part of the promotional campaign language in CUWAA publications. It seems as though it is a requirement for any communication regarding CUWAA.