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| The Rolf Synod sojourned with ELDONA for a long time, but Rolf went back to the LCMS, after suitable penance - and the Rolfians crawled back to the ELS. |
President Moldstad may have acted precipitously in suspending Rolf Preus | Norman's Demesne:
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JUL 21
President Moldstad may have acted precipitously in suspending Rolf Preus
I have learned from a reliable source that President John Moldstad did not do much consulting when he suspended Rolf Preus from the ELS a few months back.
Moldstad had first suspended Preus on the convention floor of the 2005 ELS convention. That suspension was quickly revoked when Erling Teigen (full disclosure compels me to say that Prof. Teigen is my cousin) asked every one to stop and to withdraw the statements of the previous several minutes.
In February after a series of some meetings (I don't know how many, or whom was in attendance) Moldstad suspended Preus. Moldstad has authority to suspend, but having the power and using it wisely are two different things.
My source (not a family members) tells me that Moldstad did not consult with the faculty at Bethany College. Moldstad might have been wise to do so as there is a reservoir of talent and experience there that would have helped him. The faculty consists of bright men and women with experience in civic work, military service, academics, and synodical board service.
I think that the suspension power which Moldstad has under the by-laws of the synod would necessitate that an emergency be present. No such emergency existed, as I understand emergency. No one was denying the Trinity or any essential doctrine of the Church.
Preus said that he did not agree with what the synod had done the previous summer and that he would not be bound by the resolutions. It was that that prompted his suspension by President Moldstad.
There may have been a personal animus between the two men. President Moldstad comes from the yeomanry of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The yeomen faithfully serve the congregations in which they are called to serve. The yeoman may not have felt comfortable with a man who came from a family of lords, spiritual and temporal.
To further indicate to me that it was not an emergency, I consider that the synodical resolutions did not pass the 2005 convention with an overwhelming majority. In fact, the vote was close. Furthermore, Preus was not the only one to object to the resolutions. There are some 25 other pastors and 15 laymen who have publicly stated their disagreement.
President Moldstad was not unanimously elected to the ELS presidency in 2006 and this would further suggest that the Evangelical Lutheran Synod is less than unanimous on the issues and personalities of those involved in the present case.
President Moldstad probably consulted with people who encouraged him to suspend Preus. These people were not the academically trained of the Synod. I think that President Moldstad probably consults with people that he feels comfortable with. He probably consults with people who have had the same educational experiences as he has had.
He would also consult with others who have supported the past administration of the ELS. These would not be the academics from Bethany College.
There is a topographical divide on the Bethany Campus. On one side of the divide, the Elm Street Hill, is the Seminary and the Synod HQ on Browns Court. On the other side of the divide is the College. The two campuses are linked by Browns Court Road.
For many years the Seminary did not have any of the professors teach in the Seminary, even though they were fully qualified to do so. This was something of a scandal since there were Bethany College professors who were more qualified to teach in the Seminary than some of the seminary professors.
One of the glaring examples of this deficiency was Professor Dan Metzger. Metzger had a PhD from Marquette and should have been teaching in the seminary. He wasn't because, I believe, he could not be counted on to promote the specific interests of the administration. Metzger is now gone.
In recent years the Board of Regents, after President Moldstad had moved from the Seminary faculty to the synodical Presidency, took a firmer control of the situation so that college professors are no longer excluded from teaching in the Seminary.
Had President Moldstad done some consulting with the faculty of Bethany College, he might have learned that suspension was not the only way to proceed with the problem. I think that the ones who advised Moldstad were those who shared his vision of what the Synod should do and how it should proceed. I think that the pastors of those congregations who so quickly voted recommendations of support for President Moldstad were those who advised President Moldstad to suspend.
I continue to believe that President John Moldstad is a faithful Christian pastor and administrator who is deserving of the highest respect. I believe that Pastor Rolf Preus is also a faithful Christian pastor.
It is most unfortunate that this situation should have developed within the Evangelical Lutheran Synod at this time.
Posted 21st July 2006 by Norman Teigen"
'via Blog this'
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GJ - Norman Teigen was ordered to stop blogging, and he definitely had the most interesting blog around. Paul McCain had a special laser beam of hate aimed at Teigen, a retired teacher. Infallible popes do not like the truth.
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| Note the reference above to Pope John's education - minimal, not even a bachelor's degree when he was called to teach New Testament at the Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie. Readers - name another UOJ fanatic with no college degree. Answer - Bishop Martin Stephan, STD, founder of the LCMS. Pope John finished up his BA degree, so he does have an undergraduate degree. Whew! |