wfn.org | Kuhn Says LCMS United in Spite of Noisy Minorities

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

C-01-04

July 15, 2001 #4

Contact: Bruce Kueck (314) 342-5715

Kuhn says Synod is united In spite of noisy minorities

ST. LOUIS -- The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is "far more united than it 
is divided," the Rev. Dr. Robert T. Kuhn, Synod president, told delegates 
to the church body s national convention Sunday, July 15. But, he added, 
there "are some noisy minorities, both to the right and the left," who 
might make them think otherwise.

Kuhn made his remarks as part of his president's report to the convention, 
which meets here through Friday, July 20. He had been the Synod s first 
vice president but became president in March upon the death of Dr. A.L. 
Barry, who had held the post since 1992.

The president s report came early in the first business session of the 
convention. Kuhn used the opportunity to give his counsel to the delegates 
as they prepared for a week of elections, adoption of resolutions and other 
business.

"Noisy voices advocating their agendas among us tend to drown out the 
faithful, quiet voices of those in our Synod," Kuhn told the delegates, 
"people like you from our Synod s grassroots who love our Lord and His 
Word. Kuhn did not identify the "noisy voices," but earlier in his address 
he had made allusion to two separate groups known as "Jesus First" and 
"Daystar" -- that have been critical of the Barry administration and have 
urged certain convention actions and supported specific nominees for Synod 
offices.

"Brothers and sisters in Christ, it truly hurts me that in our Synod in the 
past several years, there have arisen groups that claim to put Jesus first, 
or that they are trying to shine like stars, when it is obvious they are 
attempting to advance an old liberal theology and practice, an agenda that 
has haunted this church body since the days of Seminex and even before," 
Kuhn said. The reference was to a controversy over Scripture some 30 years 
ago that centered on the then-faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

"Delegates, my fraternal and heartfelt encouragement to you as president of 
our Synod is to beware of this agenda and how they are suggesting we carry 
it out," Kuhn continued. "It would be detrimental to head in this 
direction. This is not the path we should follow. There is a much better way."

That way, he said, is "the good path that leads us on the way God would 
have us go: the way of complete and total faithfulness to His Word."

Kuhn urged the delegates to consider very carefully the proposed 
resolutions prepared by convention floor committees. "They have done a good 
job," he said of those committees, which take proposals submitted by 
congregations, districts and others, then distill them into resolutions for 
convention consideration.

"Moving Together into the New Millennium with Confidence, Courage and 
Conviction" was the overall theme of Kuhn s report. He said that the church 
body s confidence should be in God, not in itself; that it should be 
courageous in remaining faithful to God s Word and the Lutheran 
Confessions; and that convention decisions must be made with "clear 
conviction."

PHOTOGRAPHS: Photos of convention coverage are available at 
www.lcms.org/convention/