Ablaze For Christ

February 29, 2004

The Presidium of the
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
1333 S Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, MO 63122-7295

In 2001, the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America initiated a study to decide whether or not to ordain active homosexuals and bless same-sex marriages. In the same year the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod declared the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America to no longer be an orthodox Lutheran church body.

In the mean time, leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America who openly promote the homosexual agenda are being employed, promoted, and funded by institutions within the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and its Recognized Service Organizations.

An example is the current relationship of Wheatridge Ministries, a Recognized Service Organization, and the Northern Illinois District with Crossroads Ministries. In 1995-1998 Wheatridge provided funding to Crossroads Ministries to “link together 24 existing anti-racism projects and teams located in church judicatories and other organizations and communities throughout the United States” and “to build affiliations between the Crossroads Anti-Racism Network and other racial justice organizations and networks within church and society.” In 2001-2003, Wheatridge provided money to the Northern Illinois District and Concordia University in River Forest IL to setup and establish programs taught and trained by Crossroads Ministries. In 2004, Wheatridge is seeking more funding for a Crossroads program to translate its material into Spanish.

Crossroads Ministries allowed its copyrighted material to be utilized to help establish a program within the Unitarian Universalist Association to make it into an “Anti-Heterosexist, multi-cultural institution.” The Network for Inclusive Vision is an organization of leaders in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which openly promotes the ordination, and marriage of homosexuals. The Reverend Joseph Barndt, cofounder, Director of Training, and the person responsible for much of Crossroad’s material, was, in 1992, rostered as a member of the Network for Inclusive Vision, and the Reverend Chuck Ruehle, the Executive Co-director of Crossroads, is currently rostered as a member. The open acceptance and advocacy of homosexuality, the promotion of homosexual ordination, and the blessing of same-sex marriages, are central to the leadership and mission of Crossroads Ministries. More information about this is available in the accompanying article.

The Presidium of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod should adopt a policy which directs all of its districts, congregations, pastors, recognized service organizations (RSO’s), auxiliaries, and other affiliates to cease all cooperative efforts with people who rostered in The Network for Inclusive Vision and, indeed, in all open homosexual advocacy groups which are evolving in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

This should be done out of love for weaker brethren in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and for concern that our church body not be associated with apostate leaders.

This letter is written in gratitude for your recent public actions in defense of the confessional integrity of our church body (indeed, in defense of all of Christianity) and in the hope that this information will assist you in continuing these efforts.

In His name,
Charles E. Ford
Member
Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church