Semitex
Here we go again.
The liberal cancer has come back, and the tumor needs cut out. The left wing of the LCMS is counting on us not knowing our own recent history. I suggest a review of the sainted Kurt Marquart’s 1978 Anatomy of an Explosion: Missouri in Lutheran Perspective - a concise read packed with the history of not only the personalities involved in the Missouri Civil War that came to blows in the 1970s, but also the ideas and political machinations.
Truly, King Solomon was right.
You can read about Semitex’s attempted soft secession here in the form of President Tietjen’s, oops, I mean, President Christian’s, gaslighting memo:
This was exactly Tietjen’s strategy, as Marquart quotes from a 1972 St. Louis Post-Dispatch article (Anatomy, p. 84):
“In all likelihood, there will have to be revision of our by-laws to establish that our board of control actually has control of the institution. We can’t do this without the help of the synod.”
Marquart noted (Anatomy, 84-85, new edition 121-122):
“Either the seminary president was bluffing, or else he was being very naive in thinking that the Synod was in any mood to abandon the St. Louis seminary to its own devices. When the New Orleans Convention (1973) made short shrift of such illusions, Tietjen acted boldly to create a financial base for future theological independence in the form of the ‘Fund for Lutheran Theological Education’ (FLUTE).... There is no need to pursue here every question of administrative detail or even intrigue. An official White Paper will no doubt eventually document the record of those years.... One question, however, ought to be faced. It has to do with the well-known claim of the ‘moderates’ that they represent brotherly tolerance, healthy ‘diversity,’ ‘liberating unity,’ and the like, as opposed to the ‘conservatives’ penchant for narrowness, division, legalistic conformity, uniformity, etc. In actual fact, the liberal promotion of ‘diversity’ was more rhetoric than reality, a tactic rather than a principle. It was resorted to in direct proportion to the liberals’ loss of influence. The most fervent plea for the representation of ‘the complete spectrum of permissible opinion’ in Synodical schools and agencies, by way of a ‘kind of evangelical balance-wheel operation’ appeared in December, 1972.”
Notice the similarities between Tietjen and Christian, as the latter emphasizes money and worldly success as a chip, if not a threat to engage in an expensive, drawn-out legal battle, and that Synod had better be a good boy and do what he says, and the former understood the importance of “A financial base for future theological independence” in wresting control of the institution from Synod. Notice the gaslighting of President Christian that this latest rebellion is really loyalty to the Scriptures and the confessions - which is exactly how President Tietjen characterized the rebellion at Concordia St. Louis and Seminex nearly a half-century ago. Notice the language of “engaging the broader culture.” In our context, that kind of ‘liberal-mindedness’ is not limited to biblical interpretation, but also how our universities deal with sin and sexual deviancy - with one staff member who deals with “LGBTQ concerns”, one that is “an LGBTQIA+ affirming and culturally sensitive counselor”, and another that “is an LGBTQIA+ affirming provider.” Why is a Synod-owned LCMS university using this kind of language and cottoning to the “broader culture” of casual acceptance of breaking the Sixth Commandment, while at the same time claiming to be “faithful to Scripture and the confessions” and committed to “Lutheran Identity”? And note that “this page was updated November 11, 2022.)
Distancing itself from Synod makes sense from the perspective of “engaging the broader culture” - such as normalizing LGBTQWERTY and keeping the financial gravy train rolling, especially when Synod’s confession regarding sex and marriage is something that liberals find backward and inhibiting growth.
Concordia - Texas is not coy in sharing its commitment to Wokeism. The Critical method of Biblical interpretation of the 1970s has just been repackaged as the Critical Theory that runs rampant even in our Lutheran institutions. It’s just another manifestation of the Long March Through the Institutions that once again has to be removed from both the body politic and the body of Christ.
Here is President Harrison’s and the chairman of Synod’s Board of Directors’s response:
“The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
From LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison and the Chairman of the LCMS Board of Directors
Nov. 11, 2022
On Tuesday, November 8, Concordia University Texas, Austin, Texas (CTX) President Don Christian announced publicly that the CTX Board of Regents had, the day before, “voted to adopt a structure whereby Concordia University Texas will be governed solely by its Board of Regents, rather than the historic governance directed by the [B]ylaws of Synod.” The CTX Board of Regents did so unilaterally and without either the consent The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Bylaws require of a university of the Concordia University System looking to change its bylaws or the consent they require for a university seeking to separate from the Concordia University System. It acted without proper authority and contrary to consistent advice and admonition.
All authority over Synod activities and agencies is a sacred trust granted by the Synod’s congregations to specific officers and boards in the interest of actively maintaining and furthering the congregations’ common confession and constitutional objectives in all aspects of the work of the Synod and its agencies. Our Bylaws make clear: All are to carry out responsibilities “in a manner reflecting the highest degree of integrity and honesty consistent with the Scriptures, the Lutheran Confessions, the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod.”
This precipitous action by the CTX Board of Regents not only constitutes a grievous breach of the trust of the Synod and its member congregations but also impacts students, faculty, staff, individual regents, some of whom have already resigned, and the many people of goodwill who have historically supported Concordia University Texas as a college and then university of the Synod.
The Synod President and the Chairman of the Synod Board of Directors condemn this unilateral attempt of CTX to separate from and dictate new terms of relationship to the Synod, CTX having rejected the specific means laid out by the congregations to maintain the faithfulness and mission accountability of Synod’s schools and disdained laying its concerns before the church, for the church to act together. The President and Board of Directors will continue to address this grievous situation and, even at this late date, have called the CTX Board of Regents back, in the spirit of 1 Cor. 6, to set this matter before those who do have standing in the church, to reach a conclusion consistent with “the Scriptures, the Lutheran Confessions, the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod.”
The Lord grant to all who serve his church in positions of authority to do so in the spirit of our Synod’s Preamble, following the example of the apostolic church (Acts 15), to submit all things to the Word of God and to the representatives of the churches assembled, and under His will that “the diversities of gifts should be for the common profit” (1 Cor. 12) of the whole Synod. In the midst of the great “institutions” of the temple, our Lord said, “this will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21). The Lord grant us to do so together, each within his proper calling, with urgency and with faithfulness.”
Once again, history repeats itself. Let us pray that right prevails as it did when we fought this battle in the 1970s. Reading Anatomy will get you up to speed on where this came from, and where it is going.
