The drama around the cancellation of Issues, Etc. continues. I have had the opportunity to express my concerns with my DP. The conversation was charitable and brotherly. However, it appears that the Synod is not yet able to voice a good reason for its cancellation. The financial reason still does not make sense. If Issues, Etc. and KFUO were in financial trouble, then an appeal for funds was the only logical step. Every other organization in Synod and District is scrambling for money right now so they just could have joined the voracious pack. And Issues, Etc., being so popular, would have been key in any development drive. The cancellation of the most popular show on the station is not a good way to raise more funds.
The programmatic reasons also remain insufficient. The amount of downloads recorded by Issues, Etc. each month is incredible. A member of our parish was astounded when he heard the numbers. He is a professional in marketing and knows a bit about such things.
The political/ideological reason remains. Somebody did not like what was happening and they pulled the trigger. Mollie Hemingway has been active in contacting members of Synod, searching for an answer. The responses, it appears, have addressed surface issues or have tried to discredit her criticism with the usual appeals to the 8th commandment. Further, it appears the responses from officials have ceased. Either the wagons are being rallied for another official statement or the miniscule minority will be allowed to whine and complain in relative obscurity.
I pray that this discussion will continue for the sake of the LCMS. If not, such things done in secret will be considered profitable for a nameless and faceless bureaucracy. If this is the end result, then we all lose in more ways than we might imagine.
1 comment
Comments feed for this article
April 19, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Eric Brown
I find that there feels like a great divide between congregation and bureaucracy - and this I feel even in Oklahoma, where we have the greatest connection (thanks to every elected position being done by folks on a part time basis). Headquarters seems distant. . . and something I don’t have an impact upon. Shoot, I was a delegate to convention — and, well. . . even though there was a vote that was decided by one vote (I believe it was an election that went 951-950 - sort of cool) - there wasn’t a lot of input. Committee work was done well ahead of time - and you have to hunt it down (which I might do next time). But it seems as though. . . well. . . Synod does what Synod will. . . and even the convention is designed simply to be a potential veto a best. . . although more often a rubber stamp.