Minister's suspension exposes debate on interfaith relations

The Journal News ^ | July 23, 2002 | Gary Stern

[Charles Henrickson]

Many New Yorkers were stunned when a Lutheran minister was suspended recently for praying alongside non-Christians

[A. Pole]

Regarding this issue, I feel we should ask ourselves, "What would Jesus have done?" He was roundly criticized by the Pharisees for consorting with "taxpayers and sinners" and yet he repeatedly stated through his actions and words that that was exactly where his ministry was intended to be.

Christ never participated in Greek, Samaritan or other non-Jewish prayers. Even to consider such possibility is blasphemous. You have right to pray to Zeus, Shiva, Allah, Great Architect of Universe or some generic syncretic god but do not claim to be a Christian, "right wing religious fanaticism" notwithstanding.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Thank you.

You're welcome.

[Charles Henrickson]

It was a prayer service. . . .

You have just acknowledged something Benke and Kieschnick continue to deny, namely, that it was a service. They maintain that it wasn't a service, in spite of the fact that it was consistently referred to and reported as an interfaith prayer service, and that's what the content of it primarily was.

I don't have the text of Benke's comments/prayer but I'm sure it contained nothing but uplifting Christian sentiments that flowed straight from the Gospel.

That's what I guessed. It is my experience that almost all of those who rush to Benke's defense have not read or seen or heard his actual words or what took place at "A Prayer for America." But later in this post I'll print them for you and give you a link where you can see and hear the complete prayer service.

But for now I just don't get this fear of "mixing" with other faiths.

Are you aware that such mixing with other faiths (syncretism) has been prohibited in our synodical constitution ever since the synod's founding (1847)?

Are you aware that on October 22, 1998, Benke signed a public apology stating that his participation in a September, 1998, interfaith prayer service was wrong and a direct violation of Scripture, Confessions, and Constitution? And that he assured the Synod that he would never do so again?

I disagree that by participating in this event that he affirmed the "ministrations of pagan clerics"

He said, "Oh, we're stronger now than we were an hour ago." He called the whole assembly, including the representatives of the non-Christian religions, "my sisters and brothers." He invited them all to join him in prayer "on this 'field of dreams' turned into God's house of prayer."

. . . to the contrary, he showed the gospel to be in stark contrast to the hopeless and bizarre Hindu, Sikh, etc. proclamations. Thereby perhaps enlightening some who would not otherwise have been reached. Should we abandon the stage to the pagans? Or try to stand in stark contrast to them in the same arena?

There was no "stark contrast." Show me the "stark contrast." Show me where he exposes the bankruptcy of the false gods, the false religions. Show me the "Christ-alone" language. I've been looking for ten months and still can't find it.

Here are Benke's actual words (to be distinguished from the inaccurate version posted by Benke and Kieschnick on their websites):

Oh, we're stronger now than we were an hour ago. And you know, my sisters and brothers, we're not nearly as strong as we're going to be. And the strength we have is the power of love. And the power of love you have received is from God, for God is love. So take the hand of one next to you now and join me in prayer on this "field of dreams" turned into God's house of prayer:

O Lord our God, we're leaning on You today. You are our Tower of Strength, and we're leaning on You. You are our Mighty Fortress, our God who is a Rock; in You do we stand. Those of us who bear the name of Christ know that You stood so tall when You stooped down to send a Son through death and life to bring us back together, and we lean on You today.

O Tower of Strength, be with those who mourn the loss of loved ones; bring them closer to us day by day.

O Heavenly Father, we pray at this time that You might extend Jacob's ladder for those who ascended the stairways to save us, as others escaped the fire and flames.

O Tower of Strength, open innocent and victimized hearts to the sacrifice of the Innocent One; pour Your consolation upon the traumatized, especially our children.

O Heavenly Father, un-bind, un-fear, un-scorch, un-sear our souls; renew us in Your free Spirit. We're leaning on You, our Tower of Strength. We find our refuge in the shadow of Your shelter. Lead us from this place--strong--to bring forth the power of Your love, wherever we are.

In the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Here is a link to the online C-SPAN video of the New York City Prayer Service (09/23/2001).

(President Benke is introduced at the 2:05:22 mark.)

[Sweet Hour of Prayer]

"He said to love them; not to pray with them when you know they are bowing before a false God. The First Commandment was and still is the most important commandment.That's why it was first."

I think you misunderstood my earlier reply. Another poster asserted that Christians are not to associate with pagans unless they're trying to convert them. That's why I quoted the "love thy neighbor as thyself" passage.

I do not advocate most ecumunical exercises. God calls his people to be separate and worship the One true God. When we participate in "worldly" definitions of "love" and "wisdom," we're arrogantly scoffing at the Holy Creator. I have no use for these grand-standing, media events that pull representatives of all faiths together and and have them pray, as if we're all addressing the same equal God... I guess they really don't understand how offensive this is.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Thanks for your post. I agree with you.

[egarvue]

I don't have the text of Benke's comments/prayer but I'm sure it contained nothing but uplifting Christian sentiments that flowed straight from the Gospel.

This is just FYI - there are three different verisions of Benke's prayer at the YS event: What he said transcripted word for word, what is being reported on the synodical president's website (and one of two versions on the Atlantic district website), and the other version posted on the Atlantic District website in documentation posted in Benke's defense. Notice the differences.

I too am an LCMS layman, and my attitude over the whole thing was pretty much like yours, why all the fuss? But then I read the Shultz decision in its entirety, and with an open mind. I linked to and downloaded the video clip (Realplayer) of the service, and I've read the transcript in its entirety. I agree the service is nice, emotional, and uplifting. But in my opinion, Benke did not show "the gospel to be in stark contrast to the hopeless and bizarre Hindu, Sikh, etc. proclamations." Instead, it was a weak, insipid prayer that did not witness to the saving power of Jesus Christ; it confined the Gospel to only, in Benke's prayer, "Those of us who bear the name of Christ." It was not a Gospel witness, as many would have us believe, but merely what you said, uplifiting Christian sentiment.

I am not attacking you, and I too wish that this storm would pass within our synod. But I encourage you to start looking aroudnd the web (and do some searches here on FR, especially for Rev. Charles Henrickson's posts) to get some more information on the issues involved. It opened up my formerly complacent eyes.

[egarvue]

I have no use for these grand-standing, media events that pull representatives of all faiths together and and have them pray, as if we're all addressing the same equal God... I guess they really don't understand how offensive this is.

Excellent! You've hit the nail square on the head.

[Charles Henrickson]

I encourage you to start looking around the web (and do some searches here on FR, especially for Rev. Charles Henrickson's posts) to get some more information on the issues involved.

You could look for my posts and links on these FR threads:

Interfaith Is No Faith

Participating with pagans: Hal Lindsey shows the God of the Bible cannot be the god of Islam

Lutheran pastor suspended for participating in interfaith service

Lutheran minister suspended over interfaith service after terrorist attacks

[nanny]

As long as we are praying to God, with a capital 'G'.

[RnMomof7]

sink you are very generous with your willingness to have Protestants pray with the heathans ...I have asked you before and you have not answered ...are you willing to open communion to them? To the dr or GWB or me?

Your silence indicates that you do have a place where you draw the line..so do we!

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Excellent observation.

I was in a wedding party once, and the priest informed the non-Catholics to bow our heads while we all knelt at the alter, and not eat of the wafers as they were being passed.

My head must not have been down far enough, because he inadvertently put a wafer in my mouth.

Since I wasn't expecting it, I choked and sputtered.

"Don't worry," the smiling priest whispered, "it won't kill you."

And he was right.

[Codie]

...are you willing to open communion to them? To the dr or GWB or me?

You don't believe in transubstantiation,how would it benefit you to take communion with us?

[Codie]

And your point is?

[RnMomof7]

You don't believe in transubstantiation,how would it benefit you to take communion with us?

We do not pray to the same god the Muslims or the Hindus. do....so why would we want to pray with them?

[George W. Bush]

If it would lead to a bullet through the back of his head, yes.

Yeah, we all feel this way but the Bible and our traditions firmly instruct us on letting magistrates uphold the law and punish murderers and lawbreakers.

[George W. Bush]

I as a near atheist would be happy to join in such prayer to enjoy savoring the joy and hope others derive from the expresson of their faith.

Kind of a cross between a hypocrite and a spiritual vampire then. What a surprise.

I suspect none of this makes any sense to you.

Well, no. But nothing else you say does either.

[Codie]

We do not pray to the same god the Muslims or the Hindus. do....so why would we want to pray with them?

"I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right" (Acts 10:34-5).

[George W. Bush]

Huh? I don't think that verse made it into my Bible. Where is it in yours?

Of course, we Baptists love to offer scripture to earnest inquiry.

2 John 1 KJV
⁹   Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
¹⁰   If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
¹¹   For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

I'm sure you'll find it in your Bible. This has nothing to do with the Apocrypha and the Douay isn't too bad. I don't know about the New Jerusalem (isn't that your more modern version?) but I doubt they have any doctrinal reason to alter it.

(And don't even get me started on who set whom up as a judge of another's "unsound doctrine" ...)

You are considered responsible to know your own doctrine. I find it ultimately in the Bible and through prayer. You find it in your tradition and the authority of your pope and his hierarchy and through prayer. Given our profound convictions on doctrine, we probably could not bid one another godspeed. This would not mean I have concluded that you have no salvation. But I have to consider my own religious convictions and my own obedience to God in such matter even though it would be much easier to just get along and go along with whatever. But that isn't why God sent His Son, is it?

[Charles Henrickson]

The problem is, What would it take to override the overarching message of an interfaith prayer service, which is, that all these religions are just jim-dandy, all give real hope, all provide access to "God"? How do you break through that? Even if you say a lot of right stuff about Jesus, it can be dismissed with, "Well, that's fine for you guys. That's your 'truth'." Participating in an interfaith prayer service feeds that notion.

The only way you could MAYBE overcome that would be to expose the bankruptcy of the false gods and false religions and point people to Jesus as the ONLY Savior, Christ ALONE. But to do so would be to go to the interfaith prayer service under false pretenses--it wouldn't be honest--for they never would have invited you if they thought you were going to do that.

Better to not go at all. This is why we don't do interfaith prayer services. And we're not the only church body that has that policy.

I've written further on this subject in The Underlying Premise of Interfaith Prayer Services.

[George W. Bush]

"I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right" (Acts 10:34-5).

Act 10: 34-35 KJV: ³⁴Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:³⁵ But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

The key point is whether Jehovah, the God of the Bible and the only true god, is the same as the moon god Allah or the demonic Hindu gods.

They're not.

And if you read all of what Peter wrote, he will tell you over and over that Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Light and that no man comes to the Father but by Christ. Just as Jesus Himself taught in the Gospels. Peter lived and died an orthodox Christian.

Remember when reading scripture that when ancient Jewish Christian writers said "world" or "all" or "all nations" or "all men", they were very often teaching over and over that Christ was not merely the Jewish messiah but the savior of all mankind. They dealt with farflung fledgling churches largely dominated by Jewish Christians. They had to contend over and over with Judaizers since so many early Christians were Jewish. It's a key point in scriptural study that is overlooked surprisingly often in churches of all kinds. To ignore this basic history results in anachronistic readings. It makes the Bible read very strangely when you ignore the historical and cultural history of the early church. And if the Bible is the Word of God, then it isn't just some Ouija board and original intent is important. There is such a thing as original meaning and context and it was valid and holy instruction. And there is also universal application of that same scripture for the church throughout time, just as much for us today as in any other era. When read properly, it's a wonderful thing to see the unity and wisdom of the Bible as it guides the church of Christ in all ages.

Just some things that I wanted to mention because Bible study can be such a rewarding pursuit in understanding the lives of Christ and the apostles and the ancient church.