The Issues behind Issues

The real story behind the death of Issues Etc. has come out, and it’s not pretty.

As I expected, the famous LCMS blogger Mollie Z. Hemingway (of GetReligion.org) knew what was going on, and she published the answers in the Wall Street Journal’s Friday “Houses of Worship” column. (Also available at the Religion News Blog). I didn’t know Mollie was a former LCMS communications leader, which makes it even more clear why she was able to find where all the bodies were buried.

To make a long story short, the LCMS has been getting ready to split for a decade or more. The traditionalists (known as "confessional Lutherans”, i.e. ones who believe what Luther believed) long had the upper hand, but since 2001 the denomination has been led by the church growth (pop culture) faction. Rev. Todd Wilken and his Issues Etc. show was strongly identified with the former (which is why I recommended it), so now it’s toast.

Perhaps this will hasten the inevitable split of the LCMS, or at least rally some of the faithful to reassert control of the LCMS leadership. I imagine that many LCMS types (like conservative PECUSA types) will be scared to leave the institutions behind, but — as with us Anglicans — it’s long since clear that the world-views cannot be reconciled.

Updated Thursday April 3: The best sites for tracking this story seem to be:

• Augsburg 1530
  
• Bring Back Issues Etc.
  
• Save the LCMS
  
• Kyrie Eleison