Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Some transparency, please...

Over and over again I am hearing that the Minnesota District that is about to pull the plug on University Lutheran Chapel and one in Mankato, too, has "no comment."  It seems to me that the surest sign that something untoward is up is when there is no transparency, when things are not spoken openly and forthrightly.  I can surely understand that some things can and must be private but this is not one of them.  I wonder when we will (if we will) hear from the "other side" in this controversy?

Over and over again our church body acts with some duplicity -- on one hand assuring us that things are done for good reason and fairly and then refusing to speak openly on a public issue.  When we do this we lose our credibility and the foes are rightfully suspicious.  I plead with those who can to speak up and, urgently, to give us the other side to these issues.

I was frustrated at the haste and quietness of the discussion that led to Issues, Etc. being removed and then the Synod FM station being sold (in a deal that looks at lot like a Ponzi scheme), and now we can add to this the decision to sell property and pull the rug from under a couple of rather successful campus ministries.  If people are frustrated with the blogosphere and the drum beat of suspicion and mistrust, then they can end it all with an above board and open defense of their position... on this and on other issues, it is the only way to credibility -- transparency.  This thing will not end until we get some openness from those who have, so far anyway, kept mum....

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
pulled the plug on Issues, Etc. and
it contributed to the election of
a new Synodical President in 2010.
That was a national matter.

The Minnesota South District is going
to pull the plug on two campus
ministry sites. This is District
matter but it could cost the current
District President his job.

Terry Maher said...

One can only hope it does. This stinks.

Rev. Allen Bergstrazer said...

Remember what old Tacitus said; “Truth is confirmed by inspection and delay; falsehood by haste and uncertainty.” The glacial pace in which the church makes its decisions and acts upon them can be annoying at times, but often it is a good thing.