March 18th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
My favorite radio show is gone.
Pr. Weedon reports:
Today’s a black day in the LCMS. Today the Synod ordered the cancellation of the popular radio show Issues, Etc. without stating a reason why, and terminated the employment of Pastor Todd Wilken, the show’s host, and Mr. Jeff Schwarz, the show’s producer. Folks, I don’t know about you, but I do not think we can sit by and let this happen.
I cannot tell you all the myriad ways my family and I have benefited from this show, but I can start:
- The awareness that not all preaching is the same, and what it should be about,
- The proper handling of Christian law and liberty in a secular world,
- The promotion of good books,
- The importance of inculcating the faith to children even before they are able to read,
- Great guests whom I’ve been able to meet, and
- Terrific teaching on why we do what we do.
For a specific example, see this transcript about keeping kids in church.
There are untold amounts of listeners who discovered or rediscovered their faith through the direct influence of this show. It is a sad day, not only for Pastor Wilken, producer Schwarz, and their families, but it is a sad day for the Gospel.
A call to the LCMS Board for Communication netted only a response that the show was indeed canceled immediately, and they were not allowed to release any details at this time. That poor lady is going to get a lot of phone calls.
Thank you, gentlemen, for providing “Talk radio for the thinking Christian.”
(9 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
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March 18th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Hey, we’ve stood by while Pope Gerry and his minions mock the Lord, who gives a crap about a radio show?
March 18th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
I’m with you, the purpose of this show was to teach and it did that in spades. Any subject that one could think of was there for all to learn from. A sad day indeed!
There is no doubt that the monies used to fund Issues, Etc. will be allocated to print up glossy pocket mission prayer pals and slick brochures.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
With some work you can find many of the MP3’s from the shows prior to the cancellation. http://podcast.cph.org/podcasts.aspx for instance has all of the Pam Nielsen podcasts. And several of us have many of the shows recorded on CD. Perhaps it would behoove us fans to make our own “archive” based upon the shows we have or can find!
March 18th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
[...] from Necessary Roughness, Pr. Weedon, The Minnesota Lutheran, Outer Rim Territories, Lane’s Blog, Hoc Est Verum, Rapp [...]
March 18th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Did you notice that according to the URL, this is post #1517?
BTW, the collection of Issues, Etc. on CD in Walther Library just got a bit more valuable.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Steve: Thanks for the link!
Herr Bettler: The post is numbered 1517 but as of right now there are 1439 posts and 6 pages. Posts have been deleted, such as “I’ve turned this LiveJournal feature on, let me know if you have issues…” But, hey! I try to post something interesting at the very least every other day, and some days are just a cornucopia. Come back often!
March 18th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I have 1600+/- hours of IE on file…I am looking into a way to get them to a website/server with enough space that won’t be too expensive or crash the internet.
Today truly is Black Tuesday. (Which kind of cretan fires a talk-show pastor and his assistant during Holy Week?)
March 19th, 2008 at 12:55 am
It appears that the KFUO AM web site is also gone. As of midnight, only the FM web site is available.
Moreover, the LC-MS home page has an advertisement & link for “Easter Programming on CLASSIC99/KFUO-FM”. No content, just music.
March 19th, 2008 at 1:53 am
This is terrible. I feel like every time I try to grab some Lutheran theology, it is being ripped out of my hands and ears!!
I have to agree with an above comment, there better be a darn good reason to fire a pastor on Holy Week, like finding something terrible. And I mean REALLY terrible.
If this is a “change in direction”, or some kind of theological problem, that is not going to be acceptable. We don’t do this to our pastors on a whim….or at least I thought so.
March 19th, 2008 at 3:03 am
Dear LL,
You are not aware of LC-MS history. But you are right that this type of action is not done on a whim. It is always very well planned and executed, though the manner is less brutal than in former years because the brutality is no longer necessary. The mechanism is already in place simply to do it.
However, please do not despair. No one can take the true theology from you unless you surrender it. The devil and his followers have always tried to steal away the true faith. But the saints trusted the Lord, who never fails. Whom did Luther have to present the true faith to him? He had the never tiring Holy Spirit working through the Scriptures. That same Spirit of God will not abandon you, either.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Maybe we don’t know exactly how this happened, but perhaps we can determine when it may have been discussed. Note the following items in the minutes from the most recent Board of Directors meeting: (http://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/Board_Of_Directors/BOD%20Minutes%200802.pdf)
—————————————————————————————————–
37. Board for Communication Services (BCS) Presentation
The board welcomed BCS Chairman Dennis Clauss, board member John Bush, and Executive Director David Strand. The first half of their presentation was in response to a series of questions from the Board of Directors received prior to the meeting…
They identified their “greatest challenges” to be ensuring effective, affordable impacts, seeking out fact-based, actionable information, systematizing processes and procedures, promoting strategic staff development, and returning the LCMS to national prominence….
(Now, here’s where it gets a bit more interesting.)
As the BCS representatives prepared for the second part of their presentation, a report regarding KFUO radio, a motion “to move into executive session” was introduced and carried.
[37X. Executive Session III]
Following a motion “to move out of executive session” was carried, a prayer was offered on behalf of KFUO and the work of the Board for Communication Services.
————————————————————————————-
What do you make of that?
March 21st, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Since we know only a tiny piece of the story, (Issues ETC is off the air) we should not be quick to judge the decision. I am very curious as to what happened, as is anyone who is a listener to KFUO and Issues ETC, BUT we should not allow our curiousity lead to sinfulness in desiring information that is not due us, nor in fabricating a story from one perspective or the other! MAYBE as a protection for Todd, sometimes silence is best. If you are a friend and are so inclined, talk to him personally; I’m sure he needs your ear and heart of confidentiality, but then you don’t need me to tell you that! I’m sure the decision was not a flippant one without regard to the huge following of Issues ETC, keep KFUO and Todd in your prayers; for the Lord knows the hearts of all those involved, and ask for the Lord’s leading through this, so that blessings are born from this storm. Where forgiveness is needed from KFUO or Todd, or both, let it flow profusely in both ways, so that we can move on in ministry together to share the saving love of Christ with a dark sinful world. If you have felt that with Issues ETC being off the air will leave a hole in witnessing, doesn’t mean we have to be more intentional about our own witness?
For anyone who feels the ravages of “the storm” please read–Isaiah 43!!! It is written personally to each of us!
March 21st, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I’m not giving up on the resurrection of Issues, Etc., regardless of the reason it was canceled.
At this point, and at any and every point, I suggest prayer. After that, I suggest emails.
My other response, it you’re interested, can be found at http://www.soundwitness.org/stay_alert/index.htm
March 30th, 2008 at 8:10 am
[...] http://weedon.blogspot.com/ http://talkingdonkey.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/issues-etc-gone/ http://necessaryroughness.org/archives/1517#more-1517 http://www.mnlutheran.com/ http://www.geneveith.com/but-is-issues-etc-cost-effective/_475/ [...]