Rev. Tucher

For an interesting take to the Strand Statement, one should check out Save the LCMS! and his post, Obfuscation!

The following statement was read by Pr. Michael Kumm (Pr. Todd Wilken’s pastor) at the Congress on the Lutheran Confessions (March 25-27, 2008, in Bloomington, MN).

You have to appreciate how Pr. Wilken puts things in perspective with his comments about blood and martyrs, but especially with Christ Jesus being our true, eternal Friend, and the true Martyr who shed His blood for us!

Wilken Statement

When I was on the air, I often joked about retreating each night to the “Wilken Compound” and closing the gate. Radio can be an isolating profession. I would even say in jest, “I have no friends.” I was wrong.

In fact, the first thing Jeff said to me as the International Center’s doors closed behind us on Holy Tuesday morning was, “Now we’ll find out who our friends really are.” We have.

“Thank you” seems to fall short. “Thanks be to God” is better. In the days to come, we will need all the friends we can get.

We’ll always have one. His enemies called Him “the Friend of sinners.” To that I can testify. “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.”

The first person I called on that holy Tuesday morning was not my wife. The first person I called on that morning was my Pastor.

I love my wife (I called her next). My wife is my best friend in the world. But that morning I didn’t need a friend; I needed a pastor.

Our Church needs a faithful pastor too.

If you want to carry on the legacy of Issues, Etc., you already know what to do: Pastors, go to the pulpit and the altar, be faithful to God’s Word and the Lutheran Confession in everything you preach, teach and practice. Preach Christ crucified for sinners.

People of God, require your pastors to do nothing less and nothing more than that. Hear the Word, trust Jesus, live for your neighbor.

Everyone, when decisions are required (be they congregational, district or synodical), remember: You need a faithful pastor, and so does your Church.

I keep hearing in my head those words from Hebrews: “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.” This is so true.

This story has no martyrs; no one has died. This story has no sacrificial lambs; no blood has been shed.

The only story I’m interested in telling is the story of the one Martyr, the story of the Lamb of God. That story has all the death and blood I will ever need.

The writer to the Hebrews also asks a question:

The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?

What can man do to me? What can man do to you?

The answer to that question is seen just inside the threshold of the hollow tomb; it is heard in the frightened voices of the women who saw Him alive again; it is written in the blood of the true martyrs mingled with the blood of their Savior.

What can man do to me? Nothing; Christ is risen.

Wir sind alle Bettler,

Todd Wilken

(Source: RAsburry’s Res)

Today, a statement was released on The LCMS homepage.  I must say that I have not read the entire statement yet (maybe I should before I say anything).  However, I have read enough to see that their main point for the cancellation of “Issues, Etc.” was due to low listener audience!  Their proof: numbers from a “blending of the spring 2004 and spring 2005 ‘books.’”  They list the “average listening audience during the ‘Issues’ Monday-Friday timeslot of 1,650.  There is no indication these numbers have grown appreciably since.  (emphasis added)”  They also look at the number of streaming listeners, at a rate of 64 during the last full month (February 2008).  For the Sunday night show, “the peak number of online listeners on the KFUO stream was 39.”

What Mr. Strand does not say is that this in no way includes the number of people who download the archives, listen to it via podcasts or other means other than listening to the show as it is live.  For East Coast people, the live show on Sunday is 10pm, 9pm for Central people.  For some, it is not conducive to listen to a show live.  Therefore, we download the shows the next day.  Where are those numbers in your statement?

The following statement seems to place all blame at Rev. Todd Wilken and Jeff Schwarz’ feet:

Sadly, very difficult financial conditions sometimes require decisions that are not popular among all affected.  In the case of KFUO-AM, the time had come when good stewardship of the church’s funds required a decision that meaningfully curtailed the deep, ongoing losses at the station.  Ending the costs associated with “Issues, Etc.” was the only viable option, and the decision to do this was prayerfully and contemplatively made.

There are other shows on KFUO-AM.  Again, why was it necessary for “Issues, Etc.” to be canceled?   Was everything Wilken and Schwarz’ fault that KFUO-AM was losing money?  I seriously doubt it, but that’s what this statement makes it out to be.

The following is the “response” email I received from an email I sent David Strand, the Executive Director for the Board for Communications Services. When I say “response,” understand that I use that term very loosely. This is the standard reply that everyone seems to be getting.

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