Synod

This is another speech from the ELS convention, made by one of our pastors from the convention floor. I will leave him nameless for now. Though he only spoke for himself, many other pastors seem to share his thoughts and position. The good thing about this is that he was not suspended for saying this. His speech has several comments from the chairman embedded within it.

I should say that I sympathize with this approach, but it is not the approach I have taken with the PMW statement. Instead of saying that I can't figure out what it means, I have interpreted it in a specific way that agrees with the Lutheran Confessions. I have published this interpretation here, with a more comprehensive explanation linked from the end of that page. While this is the only interpretation of the PMW that I can accept, I am still open to adjustments, if they are well-founded.

Now, for a little good news. It's actually quite good, for everyone to whom it was meant to apply. Unfortunately, I don't think that includes the pastor currently under suspension, and whose suspension is under appeal. Yet if we could make this speech and the included pledge retroactive to January 1 of this year, then I don't think there would be a suspension, either.

The following is transcripted from the Thursday morning, a speech from President Moldstad after the convention voted to give him the floor. He was speaking about a motion I may post later, which attempted to make the PMW descriptive, rather than prescriptive for the synod in the interest of creating a setting where the merits and problems of PMW could be discussed openly, without fear of reprisal.