LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 65

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
“Leadership Corner,” then under the subheading,
“Statements.”
Nevertheless, it is clear to me that controversy and
disagreement concerning this entire subject still exists
in our Synod. In keeping with the President’s constitutional duty to “conscientiously use all means at his command to promote and maintain unity of doctrine and
practice in all the Districts of the Synod” (LCMS Constitution, Art. XI B 3), I am writing this memo to do just
that. In the process, I cannot help but “show my heart.”
Essentially, I wish to share with you two basic
points. First, I agree with the position of the LCMS, as
referred to above, that pastors of our Synod should have
the freedom, tempered with the accompanying responsibility, of “offering prayers, speaking, and reading
Scripture at events sponsored by governments . . .” if
the organization in charge does not restrict a Christian
witness, and if this can be done without any compromise of our Scriptural, Confessional, and constitutional
commitments.
Along with this decision-making freedom there must
be a climate of trust in the Synod, especially in and
among our synodically trained pastors. For The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to be functional and
healthy, we must be able to trust that our pastors can
and will make God-pleasing decisions in day-to-day circumstances, as well as in exceptional situations. In
turn, this trust will enable a healthy, faithful, and bold
public witness to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is clear to me from Holy Scripture that public
Christian witness is God-pleasing and can be eternally
life changing. Biblical examples abound, including the
three men in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3); Daniel in the
lions’ den (Daniel 6); Elijah and the prophets of Baal
(1 Kings 18); Peter, John, and the apostles (Acts 4–5);
and Paul before Agrippa and Festus (Acts 26). These
are powerful examples of many stories in the Bible of
God-fearing people who literally risked their lives by
testifying publicly to the truth that there is only one
God, who has revealed Himself in Holy Scripture as the
Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In the case of the Yankee Stadium event, the United
States of America had only 12 days earlier been devastated by terrorism of previously unknown proportions
on our own soil. The nation was in grief, gripped with
fear, disbelief, terror, confusion, anger, and uncertainty.
We are still under terrorism alerts as I write this
memo, almost two-and-a-half years later.
The people of our nation during and following 9/11
were united by the emotions listed above. We were not
then and are not now united as a nation in our understanding and belief about the nature of God and the absolute necessity of saving faith in His Son, Jesus Christ
our Lord. People of various faiths gathered in Yankee
Stadium, with radically different understandings of
God and salvation. Those differences exist in almost
every community in our country, including yours.
Does the Christian faith have anything to say to
people, both Christian and non-Christian, in such
times? Of course, it does! Do we Christians have the
God-given responsibility to share our faith, with both
Christians and non-Christians, in such times of difficulty and disaster? Of course, we do! Will God-fearing
Christians differ in their understanding of how, when,
and where such faith sharing should occur? Quite obviously, yes, indeed!
Painfully mindful of these different understandings
and respectful of those who hold them, I believed then
and I continue to believe now that Dr. Benke’s decision
to accept the invitation to pray at Yankee Stadium was
in keeping with the guidance given by The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod on the basis of our understanding of the teaching of Holy Scripture.
The second point I wish to share in this memo is my
unwavering conviction regarding the absolute necessity
of being prepared to share our faith in all circum-

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stances, especially at public gatherings, in a way that
leaves no doubt or question about the nature of that
faith. There must be no compromise, no apology, no confusion about our Christian witness whenever we have
the opportunity to share it by “offering prayers, speaking, and reading Scripture” in public gatherings.
Here is where I believe clarity is especially necessary regarding the basic issue in the Yankee Stadium
controversy. Dr. Benke’s prayer could and should have
been a stronger articulation of the truth of Holy Scripture regarding the absolute necessity of faith in Jesus
Christ as the only way to eternal life. This is not a new
articulation of this conclusion. Here is what I said to
the Synod, almost two years ago, in my memo of Feb.
11, 2002:
Some from among both those who agree and
those who disagree with Dr. Benke’s Yankee Stadium participation have expressed the view that his
prayer was lacking in clarity and did not provide as
clear a witness to the Gospel as it might have. I
have spoken with Dr. Benke about this matter. It
should be noted that he has expressed his own
agreement with the view that his prayer could and
should have been more complete in its expression of
faith in Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation. In
his response to the charges against him he has admitted this deficiency and has asked for the Synod’s
forgiveness.
Here are the exact words of Dr. Benke himself, originally posted on Jan. 4, 2002, online and in print since
that date, and referenced in my memo to the Synod almost two years ago:
I made a pledge very early on to take seriously
those who differed with me. So in the area of specific
wording, to whoever has had problems and criticisms, I am sorry that I didn’t get the words out more
clearly or accurately or completely. Although it was
never intentional, I know that my words have offended some in my denomination, and for that offense I apologize, sincerely, and ask for forgiveness.

David H. Benke
January 4, 2002
In my memo of Feb. 11, 2002, I went on to say:
“We in our Synod clearly confess that Jesus Christ is
the only way to salvation.
We are not saying that only LCMS Lutherans will be
in heaven. We do confess the Scriptural teaching that only
those who trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior are assured
of eternal life. On this the Scripture is clear:
• Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life; no
one comes to the Father except through Me” (John
6:14).
• Peter confessed the name of Jesus saying, “There is
salvation in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given among men by which we must be
saved” (Acts 4:12).
• John states the same confession in very clear terms,
“This is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has
life; he who has not the Son of God has not life” (1
John 5:11–12).
“On the basis of these and other passages of Scripture,
we are clear and correct in holding that the beliefs of
Islam, Hinduism, etc., are false. While we believe that the
eternal destiny of each individual person is in the hands of
our almighty God, we nevertheless believe that Scripture
states that those who do not believe in Jesus Christ as Savior will not spend eternity with Him in heaven. Therefore,
we are called to proclaim Christ to all.”

The memo continues:
“There is one God. He is not the god of the Muslims, but
the one God who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy

2004 Convention Proceedings