New IE Video

Here's the latest Issues, Etc. video, this time running with the theme of friends proclaiming the Gospel to friends. And it's truly an honor to "make an appearance" in it (not that I had anything to do with that little editing faux pas :-)

St. Patrick Interview on Issues, Etc.

Check out yesterday's interview with yours truly on St. Patrick, Missionary to Ireland.

Interview on Ash Wednesday

Here's the interview I was privileged to do yesterday, February 25, 2009 for Issues, Etc. as we discussed Ash Wednesday and Lent.

Check out...

...this response from Issues, Etc. to Dr. Gerald Kieschnick's "Issues, Etc." memo to the the LCMS Council of Presidents.

WEB EXTRA OPEN MICS: "A Response to Dr. Gerald Kieschnick's "Issues, Etc." Memo"



You can also find it by going to www.issuesetc.org and clicking On-Demand. You can also find a copy of the December 16, 2008 letter (facsimile of letter in PDF available) in which the threat of a lawsuit was at least made a possibility and a PDF of the Trademark Timeline.

Alleged Lawsuit, Dropped Opposition, And...?

So a memo comes out about "an alleged lawsuit involving" Issues, Etc. But are we really getting the whole story?

I just received this emailed memo from LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick via my Missouri District President, the Rev. Ray Mirly, who was given permission to share it as he deemed appropriate. The memo speaks to the matter of Issues, Etc.:

MEMO
To: LCMS Council of Presidents
From: Gerald B. Kieschnick
Subject: Issues, Etc.
Date: February 26, 2009


Dear Brothers in Christ:

Grace and peace be with you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

In order to assist you in responding to inquiries and/or rumors about my involvement in an alleged lawsuit involving “Issues, Etc.,” I am providing this memo, which you may share as you deem appropriate.

As indicated during our Council of Presidents discussion of that topic earlier this week, contrary to allegations and rumors you and I have recently received, I have not filed, initiated, supported, or encouraged any lawsuit against Rev. Todd Wilken or Mr. Jeff Schwarz, nor have I ever had a desire to do so. Any allegations or rumors to the contrary are simply untrue. As an individual Christian, as a Lutheran pastor, and as President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, I take seriously the Holy Spirit-inspired words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:1-7 regarding such matters.

Furthermore, the LCMS Board of Directors has not filed a lawsuit against these brothers in Christ and in fact has taken action that effectively ends any and all legal considerations regarding this matter and is designed to restore relationships with them through fraternal conversation, mutual respect, and genuine humility. A communication from the Board with additional information about this matter will be forthcoming.

It is my prayer that this memo will be helpful to you in responding to anyone in your district who has expressed concern regarding this issue. I know you join me in prayer that it will be resolved under the leading, guiding, and directing of God’s Holy Spirit.

The peace of the Lord be with you all!


Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, President
The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod

"Transforming lives through Christ's love ... in time ... for eternity ..." John 3:16-17

C: LCMS Board of Directors

President Kieschnick, I thank you for the clarification that you yourself "have not filed, initiated, supported, or encouraged any lawsuit against Rev. Todd Wilken or Mr. Jeff Schwarz, nor have [you] ever had a desire to do so." Also, thank you for clarifying that "the LCMS Board of Directors has not filed a lawsuit against these brothers in Christ and in fact has taken action that effectively ends any and all legal considerations regarding this matter and is designed to restore relationships with them through fraternal conversation, mutual respect, and genuine humility."

But you see, Mr. President, and with all due respect, that’s not the real issue.

I certainly understand how the rumors got rolling about a lawsuit against Pr. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz personally. Evidently, on December 16, 2008 a letter from LCMS legal counsel was received by legal counsel representing Pr. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz. In that letter LCMS legal counsel says to the attorney representing Wilken and Schwarz:

"Unless your client is willing to negotiate in good faith to finalize a mutually acceptable agreement in the near future, along the lines that were discussed last summer, we will be left with no alternative but to recommend that The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod prosecute the opposition against Madsen's application and take action against your clients to enforce its rights to the trademark." (emphasis added)

Your point is quite clear, President Kieschnick: neither you personally nor the LCMS Board of Directors has taken legal action against, nor do you intend to take legal action against Pr. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz personally. Great! Good news! But that's not the real issue.

What about the above quoted threat of a lawsuit against Wilken and Schwarz? Fair enough, you personally did not file, initiate, support, or encourage any lawsuit. Fair enough, “the LCMS Board of Directors has not filed a lawsuit against these brothers in Christ.” I assume these statements are true enough on their own specific merits.

So what about that threat of a lawsuit made by LCMS legal counsel? From where did that come: merely the self-starting initiative of attorneys representing the LCMS or from some other source(s), or at the very least with the knowledge of some other source(s)? Perhaps we’ll never know, but I’m sure the Lord God knows.

It's great news to hear that the LCMS Board of Directors has decided to withdraw its opposition to the Madsen application for the trademark "Issues, Etc." It's also great to hear of a planned meeting of members of the LCMS Board of Directors with Wilken and Schwarz with the purpose of resolving the dispute between LCMS, Inc. and Issues, Etc. once and for all. This news first aired on Feb. 23 and can be heard on the Issues, Etc. website.

Again, though, questions still remain and deserve to be answered, especially in the interest of laying this matter aside and fostering peace, unity, and reconciliation in the synod. Here are some questions I can think of:

• Why did this whole odd, messy affair of opposing Mr. Madsen's application for the trademark even come up in the first place?
• How much money has been spent on this petty endeavor, money which could have been better spent on more edifying tasks of proclaiming the Gospel and building up the Body of Christ?
• Who was pushing the opposition and why?
• And will the party/parties pushing this opposition give a public statement of apology - that is, will this sad affair be dealt with by means of godly repentance - so that Absolution may be given and steps toward reconciliation may be begun?

I truly hope that the communication forthcoming from the LCMS Board of Directors will not only announce that the opposition to the trademark application has been dropped, but also that it will help us put this matter to rest in a godly way and not merely sweep it under the rug.

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Ps. 51:17).

Need for Repentance

Yesterday I had the privilege of being interviewed on Issues, Etc. on the topic of Ash Wednesday and Lent. We discussed all kinds of Ash Wednesday matters, from ashes being applied in the shape of a cross to figuring the date of Easter and the counting of 40 days excluding Sundays. At the end of the interview we talked briefly - far too briefly, I'm afraid - on the matter of why we need repentance. Some might say, "Why do we need repentance? That's such a downer. We should be happy and joyful and upbeat."

As soon as it's available on the Issues, Etc. website, I plan to embed the interview here so that you can hear my response in full. Essentially, I said that we need repentance now because we are sinners who are trapped in our sin and death. We need God's help; we need His work of freeing us from sin and death. And if we are looking for "joy" and "happiness" and "upbeatness" in life, we will be sorely disappointed. You see, this life is not all cheer and roses. Our sin and death and the many fruits thereof constantly plague us and haunt us.

Besides all that, Lent teaches us that the journey of the Christian life is best lived in the footsteps of Christ. That is, He humbled Himself. He endured suffering, shame, rejection, and death. Only then did He enter the glory of the resurrection. We too walk the same path. Now we live in the time of humility, repentance, and confessing our sins. Then, by God's pure and boundless grace, we will enter the joys of life with Him in eternity, in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Lent teaches us that we can indeed wait for the pure joy, the true happiness, and, yes, the genuine "upbeatness" of eternity with out loving Triune God.

With that final thought from yesterday's interview still in mind, though, I was delighted to come across this quote from St. Gregory the Great in his Book of Pastoral Rule. Why do we need repentance, especially as we embark on another season of Lent with one of its main themes being repentance? While not using the specific vocable "repentance," St. Gregory surely describes repentance and its purpose as he says:

"God does not enjoy our torments. Instead, he heals the diseases of our sins with medicinal antidotes so that we who have departed from him through the pleasures of sin might return to him by the tears of bitterness, and we who have fallen by losing ourselves in sin may rise by controlling in ourselves even that which is lawful. For the heart that is flooded by irrational delights must be cleansed with beneficial sorrow, and the wounds caused by pride can only be cured by the subjugation of the humble life." (The Book of Pastoral Rule, III, 30)

Let It Be

HT to Pr. Cwirla for posting this, and to whoever put it together. Nothing new on the Issues, Etc. matter; just putting it together with a good ol' song that sings volumes.

SID Tells LCMS BOD, "Stop it!"

The Southern Illinois District of the LCMS passed the resolution regarding the LCMS BOD and the Issues, Etc. trademark. It passed 108-15, no amendment, no discussion.

Are Lawsuits Sinful?

One email list to which I belong has been asking and discussing this question: are lawsuits sinful?

The question arises out of the new online petition designed to show support for Issues, Etc. as LCMS, Inc. opposes Harry Madsen's application for the trademark "Issues, Etc." Along with that matter comes the possibility that the lawyers of LCMS, Inc. could recommend that LCMS, Inc. bring legal action against Pr. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz if they do not meet and agree to certain conditions for obtaining the trademark "Issues, Etc." (I hope I got all that right.)

Here's the specific statement from the petition's letter that sparked the question of the sinfulness of lawsuits:

"The threat of a lawsuit initiated by the LCMS against fellow Christians, whether by the leaders themselves or attorneys hired by the LCMS, is a shameful act, and is in fact a sin, as taught by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8."

Now I've used 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 in this forum and on the petition itself as a Scriptural way of calling LCMS, Inc. (including President Kieschnick, the Board of Directors, whoever else to whom it may apply in this matter) to the carpet for mistakenly trying to settle such matters with fellow Christians via societal legal channels. However, it appears that some have a problem with calling a lawsuit "a sin." (I am not at all criticizing the good folks on this particular email list, for they are my brothers in Office and my friends, folks I respect and love dearly. Hence I focus on the arguments made, not the persons involved.)

So, are lawsuits sinful? Just what is St. Paul saying in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8?

One comment focused on the "intrinsic" sinfulness of lawsuits. I would wonder how one determines if a lawsuit, or anything else, is "intrinsically sinful" myself. For that matter, what does "intrisically sinful" mean? Does it mean that something (e.g. a lawsuit) is sinful by its very essense or nature? Would that be like saying, "Money is evil"? After all, money is only printed pieces of paper or stamped coins to which give such great value. But this is getting too philosophical for me. :-)

One comment made a distinction between suing in general and this particular suing, referring to the Issues, Etc. matter. So now we need to discern what kind of suing would be sinful and what kind would not? How would we determine when a certain lawsuit would *not* be "sinful"? Again, pardon me for getting too philosophical here. :-)

Actually, in light of 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, I do think it would be good, right, and salutary to call lawsuits sinful.

No, I am not denying that law courts are a perfectly reasonable tool to have in the toolbox of the civil authorities. They are indeed God's gifts to us for maintaining justice in a sinful, fallen world. No, I am not saying that anyone who goes to court, especially those who would use the courts to bring justice to the murderers, rapists, etc., is automatically committing a sin just by walking through those little gates on the way to the judge's bench. Again, law courts are God's gift and a protective one at that.

What am I saying? Let's keep 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 firmly in mind:

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

The sin in lawsuits comes not from the intrinsic nature of lawsuits or from what kind of lawsuit it might be. Rather, the sin that St. Paul calls out here is the lovelessness and fighting between fellow Christians, that is, Christian taking Christian to court. These are the lawsuits that are sinful, because they betray a stark lack of love for fellow Christians, a love that is first shown and given by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Here's how I said it when I weighed in on the discussion via email:

If I may weigh in, I do think that labeling this passage and the issue that it addresses as "sinful" or "a sin" may be a bit misleading from the start, just because we so often think of sin merely as transgressing some clearly stated, proof-text-able command of God. Instead, better to go with the language and ideas that St. Paul himself uses: shameful (v. 5), foolish (i.e. the opposite of "wise enough," v. 5), and defeat (v. 7). Or if we insist on using the "sin" word, then let's remember that a lawsuit against a fellow believer is sin *against our fellow Christian.* After all, that's what St. Paul is driving at here in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8--not that lawsuits transgress some etched-in-stone commandment of God (as in "Thou shalt not go to court, ever" or "Watch out for that immediate dose of fire and brimstone if you do take each other to court!" ;-), but rather that lawsuits between fellow Christians betray the lack of Christian love and unity that should be the very hallmarks of a Christian church.

Specifically applying this to LCMS, Inc., I do believe that we should let the sword of 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 cut both ways. The lawsuit from a couple of years ago against LCMS, Inc. (and, no, I'm not defending whatever sinful, selfish, or misguided actions that may have led up to it or sparked it . . . on either side) was just as shameful, foolish, and showing defeat as the current legal proceedings, and/or threats thereof, that LCMS, Inc. is carrying out against folks related to "Issues, Etc." That is, in either case, the fact that Christians were/are suing each other and using society's legal proceedings against each other "is already a defeat for [us]." It is a defeat for us both in proclaiming the Gospel and in showing Christian love and unity precisely because it puts our sinful egos and actions out there on the "witness stand" of public scrutiny for all to see. And when people of the world see us Christians bickering with, fighting against, and suing each other--just as the people of the world themselves do--why, they think, should they bother with coming into the Church? What would be so different?

That, I believe, is what St. Paul is getting at in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8. Or to say it another way, when we Christians take each other to court, whatever the cause, the reason, the purpose, or the goal, we are showing the shamefulness, the foolishness, and the defeat of our sinful ways. Now, of course, there is forgiveness and reconciliation in Christ Jesus. But let's not use that as free license to sue as we please. Let's also remember how our Lord won that forgiveness and reconciliation: not by asserting His rights (cf. Philippians 2:6) or suing His accusers and abusers (Matthew 27:12-14), but rather by suffering and dying and then rising again to new life. So, yes, God has indeed given our civil authorities, including law courts, for our temporal benefit, but when we're talking about cases of Christian vs. Christian, we in the Church have a better and higher way. We get to lower ourselves in humility to one another. We get to confess our sins to one another. And, should only one "side" choose to confess or forgive, well then, we get to practice our humility and patience (and remember "patience" comes from the Latin word for "suffer" or "allow") even more.

How did St. Paul put it? "Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?" After all, we'll be in good company: with our Lord Jesus Himself, and His eternal vindication is worth so much more than any law court settlement regardless of how sinful or not.

RAsburry

Another Issues, Etc. Petition

If you are interested in showing your support for Issues, Etc., Pr. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz as they are subject to threats of lawsuits by LCMS, Inc., you may sign another petition. (Remember the one from almost a year ago, when the show was suddenly canceled? It was quite the success.)

Mr. Scott Diekmann, LCMS layman and writer of the blog "Stand Firm," has begun a new online petition for showing support to Issues, Wilken and Schwarz in this latest saga (soap opera?) with LCMS, Inc. Scott also posts a letter introducing and explaining the purpose of this new petition.

Caveat: Once you sign the online petition at ipetitions.com, the site will direct you to a page for donating to ipetitions. No, this donation will not go for or benefit Issues, Pr. Wilken, or Mr. Schwarz. Of course, feel free to donate if you wish. Just be clear on where that donation would go.

And About All That Money

Here's another post from Mollie over at Brothers of John the Steadfast, this time on all the money being spent by LCMS, Inc. for challenging the the very trademark that they let lapse some ten years ago and go virtually unclaimed for all that time. In our current dire economic times, we can only scratch out heads at this colossal waste of money in legal wranglings, money that could be much better spent doing what the Church is supposed to be doing: proclaiming the Gospel and giving aid to the poor, the sick, and those afflicted by disasters of various sorts.

Anyway, here's Mollie's post:

Money money money! (Mollie)

Of the four attorneys working on the LCMS v Madsen case, three of them (Strand, Jinkins, and Polcyn) are full partners in the firm of Thompson, Coburn LLP. That’s the LCMS Inc.’s legal firm.

And partners cost $$$$$$$$. The other attorney, Braunel, is just an associated. So he costs ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢.

However, all of them except Sherri Strand are specialists in trademarks and patents.

You’ve probably heard that trademark and patent attorneys are among the highest paid legal specialist. That turns out to be wrong. Trademark and patent attorneys aren’t among the highest paid legal specialists; they are the highest paid legal specialists for in-house counsel.

According to the Hildebrandt benchmark survey, InsideCounsel, March 2008: “trademark litigation tops the list of the highest paying practice areas for in-house counsel: increase in total cash.”

Strand is already chief legal counsel for LCMS Inc.

$$$$$$$$

Trademark attorneys get paid for each step, submission and filing. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s trial and appeal board has laid out a 12-point schedule of conferences, submissions and filings in the LCMS v. Madsen case — a schedule that stretches all the way out to March 2010. Here is that schedule.

- Time to Answer 1/20/2009
- Deadline for Discovery Conference 2/19/2009
- Discovery Opens 2/19/2009
- Initial Disclosures Due 3/21/2009
- Expert Disclosures Due 7/19/2009
- Discovery Closes 8/18/2009
- Plaintiff’s Pretrial Disclosures 10/2/2009
- Plaintiff’s 30-day Trial Period Ends 11/16/2009
- Defendant’s Pretrial Disclosures 12/1/2009
- Defendant’s 30-day Trial Period Ends 1/15/2010
- Plaintiff’s Rebuttal Disclosures 1/30/2010
- Plaintiff’s 15-day Rebuttal Period Ends 3/1/2010

Add to that whatever costs are associated with having Strand and Co. threaten Wilken and Schwarz with a lawsuit . . . and pretty soon we’re talking massive amounts of cash.

LCMS, Inc.’s 2008-09 budget lists $450,000 for “Legal” under “General and Administrative.”

Certainly LCMS, Inc. has routine legal expenses that justify a line item of $450,000 for any given year. But a $450,000 legal budget doesn’t appear leave much room for adding extra, expensive, and unnecessary Trademark litigation, does it?

After all this addition, we really need to know, how much is LCMS, Inc. going to spend to get something it claims it doesn’t even want?

A Goodie from Mollie

Here's a good post from Mollie over at Brothers of John the Steadfast:

To threaten or not to threaten

I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a situation where you’re recieving threatening letters from lawyers but it’s most unpleasant. As any of you who have been following the latest with Issues, Etc. know, LCMS, Inc.’s lawyers sent a threatening letter to Pastor Todd Wilken and Jeff Schwarz.

Or did they?

Some of you have written to the LCMS Board of Directors and to LCMS CAO, Ron Schultz, inquiring about the LCMS BOD’s opposition to the “Issues, Etc.” trademark application AND their threat of legal action against Wilken and Schwarz.

Some of you may have also received a curious reply from Ron Schultz saying something like,

“The LCMS has not filed any legal action against Rev. Wilken or Mr. Schwarz. Further, contrary to what you may have heard, nor has the LCMS threatened to sue them. Apparently, Rev. Wilken has been telling people that the LCMS has threatened to sue him by referring to a letter our attorney wrote to his attorney encouraging them to negotiate in good faith. Rev. Wilken has taken part of the letter out of context and mischaracterized it as a threat by the LCMS.”

Has the LCMS threaten legal action against Pastor Wilken and Jeff Schwarz, or not? Is this a case of “he said, he said”? Has Pastor Wilken taken part of the letter out of context, or mischaracterized it?
Well, judge for yourself.

Here’s the section of the actual December 16 letter from the LCMS laywer that Pastor Wilken and Jeff Schwarz say threatens legal action against them. Judge for yourself:

“Unless your client is willing to negotiate in good faith to finalize a mutually acceptable agreement in the near future, along the lines that were discussed last summer, we will be left with no alternative but to recommend that The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod prosecute the opposition against Madsen’s application and take action against your clients to enforce its rights to the trademark.”

Does that sound like a threat of legal action to you? I always think threats of legal action sound like threats of legal action and I’m unsure how Schultz & Co. could say otherwise.

Remember that the LCMS has already made good on the first threat to “prosecute the opposition against Madsen’s application.” The LCMS is, in fact, actively opposing Harry Madsen’s trademark application for the Issues, Etc. name.

So, what reason is there to believe that the LCMS won’t make good on the second part, “to… take action against your clients to enforce its rights to the trademark”?

If you received a letter like this from a corporate lawyer, would you consider it a threat?

Ron Schultz says it isn’t a threat, Pastor Wilken and Jeff Schwarz say it is.

Judge for yourself.

Issues Overture to Southern Illinois District Convention

The following overture will come before next week's convention of the Southern Illinois District of the LCMS. I share it here with the full permission and blessing of the overture's author, the Rev. Michael Kumm.

SUBJECT: TO DIRECT THE SYNOD BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO ADHERE TO ITS PUBLISHED SUPPORT OF ISSUES, ETC. AND WITHDRAW ITS OPPOSITION TO THE ISSUES, ETC. TRADEMARK AND THREAT OF LAWSUIT.

WHEREAS, Issues Etc. weekday and national Sunday night show was cancelled on Tuesday March 18th, 2008, for programmatic and business reasons; and

WHEREAS, The LCMS Board of Director's stated in the September 2008 Reporter, “the Board authorized its general counsel to prepare a release for use of the LCMS-owned trademark for the radio program "Issues, Etc.," the archived programs, and related materials to Rev. Todd Wilken and Jeff Schwarz. Wilken and Schwarz intend to continue the program, which was dropped by KFUO. According to (Ron) Schultz, the Board expects the agreement will help bring the recent programming issues to a positive conclusion”; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Trademark office, stated that in October of 1999 the LCMS failed to maintain its trademark on the name "Issues, Etc."; and

WHEREAS, On May 31, 2008, Mr. Harry Madsen made application for the trademark in his own name, as sole proprietor, desiring to make arrangements for Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz to use the "Issues, Etc." name for their new radio broadcast.; and

WHEREAS, On December 2, 2008 the LCMS filed a Letter of Opposition to Mr. Madsen's trademark application; and

WHEREAS, On December 7, 2008 Mr. Madsen filed a Motion to Dismiss the LCMS Objection on grounds with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office; and

WHEREAS, On December 16th, 2008 the attorney for the LCMS Board of Director's sent a letter threatening to recommend legal action against Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz, “to enforce its rights to the trademark”; and

WHEREAS, No vote is recorded in any minutes of the LCMS Board of Directors stating a change in their position “to assign its entire right, title, and interest in and to the Issues, Etc. mark….to Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz”, which was written in the resolution voted on and carried at the August 21-22, 2008, meeting and recorded in the minutes;

WHEREAS, The LCMS has spent thousands of dollars on the opposition to the Issues, Etc. trademark, and the expense and opposition and threatened legal action is totally unnecessary and is a poor use of Synodical financial resources and man hours that could be used for the further proclamation of the Gospel; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Southern Illinois District gathered in convention at Collinsville, Illinois, this 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord 2009, give thanks and praise to God for the ministry of Issues, Etc. and the hard work of Pastor Wilken and Mr. Schwarz, and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Southern Illinois District direct the District President to admonish the Synodical Board of Directors to cease and desist all legal action regarding the Issues, Etc. trademark and legal action against Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz; and be it further

RESOLVED, that Synodical Board of Directors be admonished to be better stewards of donated congregational dollars to be used toward the proclamation and spreading of the Gospel rather than frivolously engaging in legal matters; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Synodical Board of Directors adhere to their published and carried resolution of August 2008, and withdraw its opposition to Mr. Harry Madsen’s application for the trademark “Issues, etc.,” and release the archived programs, and related materials to Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz; and be it finally

RESOLVED, that these actions by the Synodical Board of Directors will bring the recent programming issues to a positive conclusion for all.

Check out...

...Chris Rosebrough's "Open Letter to the LCMS Board of Directors."

Just Let It Go!

Check out Brothers of John the Steadfast for loads of legalese information on the Trademark Dispute between LCMS, Inc. and the good folks at Issues, Etc.

Long story short: President Kieschnick and LCMS, Inc. just can't seem to part with the trademark "Issues, Etc." even though LCMS, Inc. let that very trademark lapse in 1999 and callously canceled the radio program on 18 March 2008.

Long story even shorter: Apparently, the folks at LCMS, Inc. simply cannot stand that they did not get the final say in the destiny of Wilken, Schwarz, and Issues, Etc. or the satisfaction of limiting their free speech.

Message #1 to President Kieschnick and LCMS, Inc.: Let go of the trademark "Issues, Etc." and be done with it. You're certainly not helping your image by taking the path you're currently on.

Message #2: I'm very sure that the money being thrown into legal fees and the whole trademark dispute could be better used to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, wasn't the chief reason given for cancelling Issues, Etc. one of finances? Why spend more money on the show that you cancelled in order to save money?

Message #3: "When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?... So, if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud--even your own brothers." (1 Corinthians 6:1, 4-8)

Don't Miss This Issues, Etc.

Here's a note from Rev. Todd Wilken, host of Issues, Etc., on an upcoming Open Mics episode. Trust me, folks, you do not want to miss this installment of Open Mics! It will discuss how LCMS, Inc. wants to take legal action against the good folks at Issues, Etc. for their use of a trademark that the LCMS let lapse many years ago. In other words, it would appear that the folks at Issues, Etc. have every right to use the trademark - "Issues, Etc." - but the folks who canceled the radio program back in March 2008 now want to take legal action against the resurrected and independent program.

Hmm. Does anyone else think of 1 Corinthians 6:1-8?

Anyway, here's the note from Pr. Wilken:

Everyone:

Later today you will be able to find the latest, WEB EXTRA: Open Mics - "The Issues, Etc. Trademark Dispute and LCMS Legal Threat."

It will be posted at iTunes, just search for Issues, Etc. and subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already.

It will be at our website, under on-demand, a little later.

TW

Conclusion to the Lord's Prayer

Yesterday I had the privilege of joining Pastors Keith Ellerbrock and Dick Bolland on the Issues, Etc. Pastor's Roundtable to discuss the Conclusion to the Lord's Prayer. You can listen here.

Speaking of Divorce

Today I had the privilege of joining in the "Pastors' Roundtable" on Issues, Etc. during the first hour (3:05-4:00 p.m., CDT). We were given the topic of divorce and discussed questions such as:

• Does God hate divorce?
• Why do Christians divorce at the same rate as the rest of society? and
• How does a pastor deal with various aspects of divorce, such as a husband deserting his wife, remarriage, remarriage, and what to do with the anger and blame that come with divorce?

If you missed it, I'm sure you'll be able to listen to the round table discussion here as soon as the web savvy folks at Issues, Etc. post the audio file (Of course, if you've subscribed to the iTunes podcast of the show, it will download as normal.)

And, just for fun, guess which comment generated the most email to Issues, Etc.:

1. Pr. Curtis' comments about contraception,

or

2. Pr. Fisk's comments about the husband (head of the family) bearing the ultimate responsibility for the marriage.

Listen, then let me know in your comments here. After due course I'll let you know what producer Jeff Schwarz told us after the show.

Articles on Issues Cancellation Available

The new Issues, Etc. has now made available several press articles that covered, discussed, exposed, and otherwise evaluated the cancellation of its former incarnation. You can access them at the "Etcetera" section of the Issues website.

"Issues" Bulletin Blurb

Pastors and church secretaries (or anyone else responsible for preparing the Sunday bulletin),

Please consider running this announcement for Issues, Etc. in your church's bulletin:

LUTHERAN TALK RADIO. You can listen to Issues, Etc. on-demand at www.issuesetc.org. Issues, Etc. is hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken and produced by Lutheran Public Radio. This week's topics include: Islam, The Gospel, Religion & the 2008 Election, Evangelical Style, Lutheran Substance, the Purpose Driven Movement and more. Listen to what you want when you want at www.issuesetc.org!