Attorney Jim Runzheimer, who has studied and followed the situation down at Concordia, Texas has written the following paper to address the situation from an Ecclesiastical Supervision point of view. Time For Ecclesiastical OversightDownload https://steadfastlutherans.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Time-For-Ecclesiastical-Oversight.pdf ..read more

Preliminary Note: This essay is critical, and severely, of the theology of an event recently held at Concordia University Wisconsin. It is important, however, to make plain beforehand that the theology faculty at the university, the new President, and some other faithful leadership at the university are not intended to be critiqued in this essay. While we must pursue First Commandment loyalty to Christ as will be addressed in this essay, we must try to avoid injuring innocent allies with “friendly fire.” Outside of the Concordia International Center itself, please do not interpret this essay a ..read more

Introduction The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod filed a civil lawsuit against Donald Christian, Christopher Bannwolf, and Concordia University Texas, Inc. on September 1, 2023. As with most court cases, the filing of the complaint that begins the lawsuit is not the beginning of the story. It is a step in the middle of the story. The endnote[1] lists my essays and interviews about the context leading up to the filing of the complaint A majority of the board of regents of the university, under the leadership and influence of the board chairman and the university president, threw off the control ..read more

How I Became an Antinomian—Rev. Todd A. Wilken *Register for “The Faith of Our Fathers: The Law of God Is Good and Wise” conference here. Rev. Wilken will discuss the theological misconceptions and errors that made him an antinomian, how he fought to remain an antinomian, and how God’s Word and the Lutheran Confessions forced him to stop being an antinomian. Todd Wilken has hosted the radio program Issues, Etc. since 1998. Wilken serves as assistant Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL. He and his wife have two children and three grandchildren. Wilken is a graduate of Concordia S ..read more

Why Should Lutherans Be Interested in Virtue?—Rev. John E. Hill *Register for “The Faith of Our Fathers: The Law of God Is Good and Wise” conference here. The antinomian wave that has washed over all of us has blinded Lutherans to the teaching and cultivation of Christian virtue and piety. Evidence can be found throughout school and college curricula and culture, marriage and family dynamics, and congregational culture and catechesis. This paper will especially assess the Biblical teaching of virtue and piety. Rev. John E. Hill is the husband of Angela, father of five married children, and gra ..read more

How My Preaching Has Changed— Rev. Dr. David H. Petersen *Register for “The Faith of Our Fathers: The Law of God Is Good and Wise” conference here. There is a false idea, often repeated, that there is a great distinction between preaching “about” the Gospel and preaching the Gospel. There is a sliver of truth in it, but also some easy misunderstandings. If it is misunderstood it can denigrate the actual preaching of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels which is blasphemous. It can also lead to cliched preaching rather than textual preaching which denigrates the Bible. Finally, it can fail to see d ..read more

Diagnosing the Allure of the Radical Gospel—Rev. Dr. Peter J. Scaer *Register for “The Faith of Our Fathers: The Law of God Is Good and Wise” conference here. Why is the allure antinomianism so strong right now? Why are believers powerfully drawn to avoid the wisdom and teaching of the Lord in his Word? In his presentation, Prof. Scaer will delve into the question of why the temptation of the so-called radical gospel is particularly prevalent at this moment in time. Dr. Peter Scaer joined the Concordia Theological Seminary (CTSFW), Fort Wayne, Exegetical Department in 2000. He serves as profes ..read more

The Antinomian Distaste for the Particularity of the Old Testament —Rev. David P. Ramirez *Register for “The Faith of Our Fathers: The Law of God Is Good and Wise” conference here. Rev. Ramirez will address the antinomian uncomfortableness with particularity. Using the Old Testament as a prime example, he will show the inability of antinomianism to adequately wrestle with the specificity of the Word of God. This deficiency in preaching and teaching not only endangers the proclamation of the Law, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ itself. Rev. David P. Ramirez is the pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran C ..read more

Concordia Ann Arbor:  A Response, Part II There are different ways to measure the financial health of a university.  One can look at its “operating income”, or one can look at its “net assets” from year to year.  Those two different metrics can each be accurate, yet tell very different stories. Say in 2020, you owned a home worth $250,000, and earned $50,000 a year.  Your net assets were $250,000 and your operating income (salary) was $50,000. In 2021, your home value increased to $300,000, but your salary stayed the same.  Your net assets increased from $250,000 to $3 ..read more

Soft Antinomianism: The problem in Lutheran Preaching—Rev. Mark P. Surburg *Register for “The Faith of Our Fathers: The Law of God Is Good and Wise” conference here. Rev. Surburg will address problems in current Lutheran preaching. Lutheran preaching today is plagued by an inability, and even a refusal, to exhort, admonish and teach in sermons about how Christians are to live because of what Christ has done for us. This does not reflect what is found in Scripture, in the Lutheran Confessions, or in Luther. The Rev. Mark Surburg is pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Marion, IL. He receive ..read more