An Act of Treason, Dishonesty and Sin
The resignation of John Fenton in the Detroit area from his call, and his announcement that he is joining an Eastern Orthodox church has elicited interesting responses across the Lutheran blogosphere. Some have expressed their "admiration" for his "honesty" and lauded his great leadership on liturgical issues in The LCMS. I have a far different perspective.
First, let it be noted that Fenton’s "spiritual journey" is of
absolutely zero consequence to anyone who truly wishes to be and remain
a confessing Lutheran Christian, other than a tragic example of what
happens when you lose your theological marbles and abandon the very
heart and center of the pure Gospel. Second, Fenton knew he was headed
East for quite a long time. It is a shame his ecclesiastical supervisor
did not remove him from office. All the hand-wringing going on in some
circles about the "root causes" and such about this are avoiding the
true root cause: a man has turned his back on Christ and His Gospel
purely preached, and the Sacraments rightly administered, and exchanged
it for a pottage of ritualistic legalisms and hopelessly
anti-Scriptural mysticism in the form of Eastern Orthodoxy! Third, his
parish helped fund his studies at an Eastern Orthodox seminary [see
comment below on this point], and it would appear highly likely that
Fenton waited to make this move until he had developed a following that
would leave with him. In a typical sheep-stealing move, he is taking 25
people out of a congregation that is so small that a loss of 25 people
is enormous in a parish that only has, on average, only 67 people in
worship on any given Sunday to begin with, out of a total baptized
membership of 267 people [see comment below].
Smells and bells, chalices and chausables, chanting and prancing,
rubrics and genuflections all have their proper place, but they are not
of the essence of the Church, and this situation shows how one can go
terribly wrong theologically either by throwing out the good order and
customs of historic worship, or in spite of retaining it all.
Fenton’s
reununciation of his ordination vows, and confirmation vows, is nothing
less than an act of treason against our Lord Jesus Christ and His
Gospel, purely taught and preached. Let that much be clear. It is a
shameful and sinful way to treat a congregation that has suffered for
years through his theological waffling and what finally amounts to a
profoundly fundamental dishonesty. So while on a human level we can
surely feel sympathy for his personal struggles, on an objective level
the truth simply must be recognized. There is nothing "heroic" or
"admirable" about what he did. It is tragic and shameful. At this point
the word to be spoken to Fenton and others who share his opinions is
simply: "Repent and believe the Gospel."
Beautiful liturgy is no replacement for beautiful doctrine. You can
have outwardly impressive rituals, but they are empty and hollow without pure
doctrine. That’s one very important lesson we need to learn from the Fenton incident.
Comment: Mr. Fenton wrote me to say that his congregation has
not funded his studies at an Orthodox seminary. Mr. Fenton claims that
the people leaving the congregation are far fewer than 25 and are doing
so entirely on their own. A member of the congregation has informed me
that in fact it is 25 people, families with children, including
Fenton’s own family. Here is Fenton’s statement of resignation, in
which he does not indicate that he had determined to head East quite a
good long while before he announced his decision. Conversi ad Dominum: Statement of Resignation
Update: Why, I wondered, would a pastor in the Midwest travel to Pittsburgh
Theological Seminary to study there? It didn’t seem to make sense to
me. After all, it is a seminary operated by the Presbyterian Church
USA. One need only check their web site to understand why. They have an "Eastern Christianity" study tract in their D.Min. program that is offered in conjunction with, yes, you guessed it, the Antiochian House of Studies. John
was in this D.Min. program, offered in fact by the Antiochian Church,
and using Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in order to be able to grant
an accredited degree. His parish paid for him to attend this program, over the course of three years, all expenses. For him to claim that he has not in fact studied at an Antiochian Seminary is a half-truth, which in my book makes a whole lie.
Now, Pr. McCain, tell us how you really feel. Seriously, I could not agree more. I took a course on Byzantine theology and as a part of the class we attended two orthodox divine services. There was NO gospel present. I am not exaggerating. It was a beautiful emptiness that was tragic. Thank you for boldly speaking the truth on this issue. (P.S. thank you also for the great warehouse sale! It was awesome!)
McCain: It was nice to meet you Jim. You have a very nice turn of phrase, “beautiful emptiness” in your message.
Thanks for the background information. I was unaware of these goings-on. Yet, even without this information, what you write is true: the man committed an act of apostasy, plain and simple, and is pulling a goodly number of his flock down with him. The root cause of apostasy is, of course, unbelief or sin.
I saw honesty merely in the fact that Fenton now, finally, openly confessed his new-fangled religion. Would that more pastors (and congregations) showed this kind of honesty at last and went either to the ELCA (no offense to the few conservatives in that body!) or to the non-denominationals. This would also end a far larger and more subtle kind of sheep-stealing that is going on among us with district officals calmly standing by. Kyrie eleison!
why don’t you have the guts to post that on Fenton’s blog, instead of on every blog except Fenton’s?
McCain: I did post it on Fenton’s blog. He won’t allow it to appear. You’ll have to take it up with him “Mr. Anonymous.” Ironic, isn’t it, that somebody who does not have the “guts” even to sign his name openly is accusing others of a lack of “guts.”
I have long thought that we should have a program in place that would allow those Pastors and church workers who want to leave the LCMS to easily transition to another denomination. We could have a reciprocol arrangement with the Orthodox Churches, Anglicanism, and even the ELCA. Those of their number who discover the confessions and wish to join us could be put through a colloquy and vicarge. Let the people that leave the LCMS keep their Concordia plan retirement or roll it over to whatever the denomination of their choice is. Their new denomination can find a place for them. This would avoid a number of things:
First it would put an end to Pastors sneaking around polluting the doctrinal waters surreptitiously because they “need to keep their jobs” It would also afford an opportunity for those trying to change the LCMS into something else, to go where that ‘something else’ is a present reality.
Secondly the collateral damage caused by their deceptions would be limited. Why be deceitful if we’ll help you get a job where you want to be? Also it would greatly reduce the wasting of the tithes and offerings of faithful Lutherans on cowards who no longer believe the doctrine and are either putting on a show or introducing false teaching into our church. If they want to teach Greek Orthodoxy, let the Greek Orthodox Church pick up the tab for it.
Not to be confused with those who laud his “courage” or whatever, I must admit that I am glad he’s left the LCMS. I am sad that he rejected the evangelical teachings of the Lutheran Church. But having rejected them, it’s a good thing he’s gone, albeit belatedly.
I have peers who’ve attempted to read the BoC as an East Orthodox text. They always end up leaving… or abandoning the enterprise.
LCMS pastors or seminary students who express admiration for Fenton need to be asked – or at least ask themselves – whether they maintain a quia subscription to the BoC.
Can an “ecclesiastical supervisor” actually remove a straying pastor from a pulpit?
More on the East
I am honored that Pastor McCain has left a comment on my blog regarding my previous comments on Fr. Fenton. I have to agree with Pastor McCain, though I may not have been as clear as I could have. I have never met Fr. Fenton, though I admired his lov…
In regard to Pr. Stiegemeyer’s (I’m assuming this is Scott), I think that whether or not a pastor maintains a quia subscription to the Confessions is something that ought not only be asked of John Fenton’s admirers, but of every pastor in the synod. And if you cannot answer the question in the affirmative, then you need to have the integrity to go elsewhere. There’s way too much unchecked theological and practical free-wheeling going on in this synod, and frankly, the admirers of John Fenton aren’t the worst of it. The types that lean his way are a fraction compared to the types that lean toward Evangelicalism, revivalistic worship, Church growth, etc. And the latter are even praised and promoted by many of our “powers that be.” So I think the quia question better be answered all around. Perhaps it’s time for a whole lot of reexamination. Lord, have mercy.
McCain: Perhaps inevitably these conversations always turn to the “Yea, but there are worse examples…” and I do understand your point Shane, but..I would respectfully simply say let’s not go down that path. Let’s simply continue to call a thing what it is. Does The LCMS have its problems? Of course! Jumping into the arms of another ecclesiastical woman, so to speak, is no solution.
Thank you, Pastor McCain, for posting this! I read Mr. Fenton’s letter this morning and was left with a spinning head. I don’t understand how a confessional Lutheran pastor can be deceived like that, but he’s human like us all. I was also surprised to see that he was deleting comments, given the divise nature of action and his letter.
Thank you for calling this thing what it is: sin. He allowed himself to be led astray. His sin has affected the lives of his vulnerable parishioners and that is so sad.
This entire matter of the resignation of John Fenton is disturbing. I was not born a Lutheran, but rather Roman Catholic. I find a lot of what Fenton says to be simply amazing and surprising. My question is: will the Truth please stand up? Fenton maintains that the centerpiece of biblical and apostolic revelation is the liturgy. The 16th century Reformers maintained that the centerpiece was and is the Gospel of Jesus Christ –the fact that God the Father sent His Only Begotten Son into time and space to reconcile the world back to Himself(2Cor 5:19-21),that whoever believes in the Son shall not perish but have everlasting life(John 3:16). Which viewpoint is the correct and central one? Former Eastern Orthodox priest Dr. Eugene Smith(now a current LCMS pastor) recalls that the emphasis in EO is on style and celebration in the liturgy, not the Word of God, as maintained by Fenton in his resignation letter. As a former Roman Catholic I too remember the High Mass and the beautiful worship service with cantles and incense. In his resignation letter Fenton maintains that liturgy is the mechanism by which the Holy Spirit generates and maintains faith. The Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions maintain that faith comes through the preaching of the Gospel(Romans 10:17; 1Cor 1:18). I wonder which is God’s perspective? I am merely a layman and yet I can easily discern the truth of the matter. How is it possible for a man to go through an LCMS seminary,vicarage, and years of pastoral service and fail to see this perspective? Perhaps it has a lot to do with whether or not a seminary graduate continues to enrich his understanding and faith with continued reading and education provided through Concordia Publishing House and Missouri-Synod sponsored seminars? Perhaps a theological health check-up similar to those suggested by Pastor Klemet Preus in his book “The Fire and The Staff” would be advisable? I also wonder about the decentralized organizational structure of the LCMS, whether this is conducive to sound orthodoxy or can lead to a myriad of styles, doctrines, and practices.
Frank Marron
Yeah, 25 people but the LCMS congregation data showed that the church in question only had a weekly attendance of 60+. That’s half the church!
Should ex-Pr. Fenton be required to pay back any support (if any) that he was given during his seminary years? I know that our church gave quite a lot to the seminarians who came from our membership.
It was said above about Fenton’s departure; “Thank you for calling this thing what it is: sin.”
I have heard this same judgment on other Lutheran blogs about a move like Fenton’s. And so my question is, what recourse does a Lutheran have who is sick and tired of residing in a denomination that makes hardly an effort to be “orthodox”? Just tough it out, like he is a soldier in boot camp?
McCain: Where does our Lord ever tell us that when problems face us we are free to run away? You can’t seem to understand the point that problems in a church body are no excuse to abandon the Lutheran Confessions.
Pr. McCain;
Thanks for your bold post. Many falsely assume that Confessional Lutherans applaud moves such as these. I also was throughly amazed at Fenton’s reasoning in his resignation (though not surprised). Confessional subscription is walking with the confessions, where the confessions are, not falling off the road in either ditch, because they rightly echo the doctrines of scripture.
Hopefully this example of falling off the road will cause some self-examination on the part of those who are eastward leaning.
Jonathan.
Before I became a Lutheran I spent a number of years in various evangelical groups, and have seen this kind of thing more than once. A man will use his charisma and personality to bend a congregation to his own will taking whatever benefits he can get, then spin his departure by cloaking it in all sorts of ‘spiritual’ and theological speech. 100% of the time it eventually is shown to be an integrity issue.(namely that individual’s lack thereof)
To those in a similar position to Mr. Fenton’s, or others who are unhappy enough to subvert the teachings of the LCMS and the Confessions, I say leave. The sooner the better. Is the LCMS perfect? -NO. Are we going to face some really tough times in the future?-YES.
I’ve sojourned in evangelicalism and have friends in different denominations, and can confidently say that we still have the best situation around. All these other groups are facing the same and even worse challenges than we are and they don’t have the theological resources to deal with it. What is going to make the difference for us will be faithful Pastors leading faithful congregations, regardless of what is going on around us or even in the midst of our denomination.
As a Pastor, if you find honoring the vows you took at your ordination too tall an order to fill, do the right thing and leave. As a concerned laymen, if you don’t want to deal with the mess and struggle of staying true to the vows you took at your confirmation, you need to leave too. Good luck finding a church body that is any better off than the LCMS.
When you check out the website of the Antiochian Orthodox Church of America(www.antioch.org), it’s really amazing how well they’ve targeted their offers to “reach out” to Protestants. (Pretty depressing that the PCUSA is facilitating that in their DMin program! Till 1979, they also owned what’s now the Antiochian Village Retreat Center.)
What they got going for them is, in my mind, that they give man something to contribute to their salvation (salvation = a process in which justification and sanctification are basically the same: a cooperative divine-human effort); that they give you some kind of “institutional” link to that city where Christians were first called Christians etc. Sinful man’s ingrained “legalist mindset” latches right on to that.
I cannot help but think that here folks are misled to finish in the flesh what they’ve begun in the Spirit, as Paul put it in Galatians.
What I do find interesting in light of the above-mentioned collusion between PCUSA and the Antiochians is that in the early 17th century, the then patriarch of Constantinople (Cyril Lucaris) is said to have had Calvinist leanings and sent Orthodox students to Switzerland to study with the Reformed. Hmm. Is there some underlying problem there?
McCain: Robb Hogg will simply assure you that Holy Mother Church is perfect and we, as her obedient children, or, rather, he, as an obedient child, receives whatever Holy Mother Church gives to Him, because the Holy Spirit is present in the Church and He can make no mistakes. He has to do a lot of mental gymnastics and must deny quite a lot of reality to drink that particular kool-aid, but that’s what he and others like him are doing.
Until the Coast Guard comes, the LCMS is the best life raft in the water. There will be those who chose to grab on to floating lawn chairs and scorched wood planks in spite of Scriptural evidence. Will some make it that way? Sure. Do I recommend jumping out of the most viable boat just because the paint is peeling and the crew smells funny? NEVER!