Yeah, I know...I posted while I was angry. I apologize to the LCMS Freepers and Benke for calling him scum - that wasn't very Christian of me. But throughout this whole mess, Benke and his supporter's actions are speaking much louder than their words, and this was just another case in point.
I am the pastor of Emmaus Lutheran Church in Ridgewood, Queens. We are located about 2 miles from the site of the former World Trade Center. On the morning of September 11, I was in the parish hall setting up for a Winkel. When the first tower fell, not only did I hear the collapse, but (because we are so close to "ground zero") the church building itself "shuddered." My secretary immediately turned on the radio to hear what was going on. We knew that something terrible had happened because the "M" subway train that runs past the church had stopped running. Everything was eerily quiet -- an uncommon thing in Ridgewood!
Four of my members escaped that day from the devastation in lower Manhattan. I will not here recount their trauma, but suffice it to say that our parish has been forever changed by the events of September 11. On Friday of that week, in response to Pres. Bush's request, we held a prayer service, and invited the entire Ridgewood community.
Several weeks afterward, one of those in attendance at the service began coming to worship at Emmaus. He indicated a desire to become a member of our congregation, and I enrolled him in our "Inquirer's Class." In the meantime, "A Prayer for America" had been broadcast, and my new catechumen watched it on television.
Several weeks into the course, we came upon question 196 in the new "blue catechism": "Whose prayers are acceptable to God?" The answer -- "Only those who believe in Jesus Christ may pray and to God and expect to be heard" -- gave my student great offense. Citing Pres. Benke's appearance at Yankee Stadium, he wanted to know if I believed that only the prayers of Christians are heard by God. I answered that this is indeed true. He then demanded to know why, if this is so, a bishop of the LCMS could appear on the podium with clerics of many other religions and imply that the prayers of all people are heard. He himself firmly held to that opinion, and asserted that my position (as opposed to that demonstrated - as he believed - by Pres. Benke) was narrow and sectarian. Even though we engaged in several hour-long discussions about the fact that Christ alone is the Way and the Truth and the Life, my student finally withdrew from the class. He could not accept that the worship of other gods is sinful, and sadly (and with much regret) stopped worshiping at Emmaus. I am able to share this story with you because my former student shared it with members of my congregation; I am therefore not violating any confidence.
Now . . . about what we are doing to reach out to the lost: We -- at a small, struggling parish in NYC directly affected by the disaster -- are attempting to reach the lost with the Truth. And that Truth is Jesus Christ our Lord. We will not dilute or becloud that Truth with any falsehood; that is, with any suggestion that all religions are the same, and that they all lead to salvation. The example cited above is indicative of much of what has happened here since 9/11/01. Many people are searching for the answers to life's questions, but few indeed are willing to hear them. We at Emmaus proclaim in Scripture, Sacrament, liturgy and song that Jesus Christ alone is Lord. This faith has sustained and strengthened those members of our parish who endured first-hand the events of 9/11. And they would not have it any other way.
The Rev. John A. Stoudt
Pastor of Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church
Counselor of Circuit 7
Atlantic District, LCMS