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BY AZURE DOMSCHKE Times Staff Writer | Saturday, January 18, 2003 | (No comments posted.)
VALPARAISO -- Valparaiso University President Alan Harre, university Pastor Joseph Cunningham and three other clergymen were cleared Friday of charges filed against them for their participation in a multi-faith Sept. 11 anniversary gathering.
VALPARAISO -- Valparaiso University President Alan Harre, university Pastor Joseph Cunningham and three other clergymen were cleared Friday of charges filed against them for their participation in a multi-faith Sept. 11 anniversary gathering.
In a news release, the Rev. Timothy Sims, president of the Indiana District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, announced Harre, Cunningham, Valparaiso Immanuel Lutheran Pastors Donald Williams and Steve Bomgard, and Pastor Jim Wetzstein of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Gary were cleared of charges regarding their planning and/or participation in the service. The event, titled "A Community Gathering for Remembrance, Repentance and Renewal," included prayer and participation from Lutherans, Jews, Muslims and others.
Harre said he had no comment on the findings of the investigation other than to say "It is an appropriate summation of what had transpired."
In the release, Sims stated Harre had "acted properly and within the guidelines of the Synodical Handbook" in referring Cunningham to Sims with questions concerning the propriety of the event. Sims further stated that as the ecclesiastical supervisor of Cunningham, "it was my responsibility to say yes or no to the content of the gathering."
"I had hoped that would be the case and we can move on in ministry," Cunningham said about the findings. "It's been such an emotional ordeal. I'm just glad that the district president has seen fit to receive our statements and absolve us so that we can carry on in our ministries and continue to proclaim the gospel boldly and creatively."
Eleven complainants -- nine Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod pastors and two of the church's congregations -- had filed the charges with the Synod, which has the power to remove the pastors' and Harre's religious titles. According to the complainants, the event said syncretism -- the inappropriate combination of Christian and non-Christian religious views -- had occurred.
Rabbi Stanley Halpern of Gary's Temple Israel, one of the religious leaders who had organized the event, said there was no wrongdoing on the part of the five clergymen.
"I think (the investigation) was unfortunate because it really cast a pall on what was a really moving event. But I'm glad that everyone involved was absolved. I know a great deal of care was taken so that a line was not crossed, and it was not a religious service, rather than the community getting together to mourn," Halpern said.
Sims met with all parties and investigated the complaints. According to Sims' press release, he found "elements of worship and syncretism had indeed been present at the Valparaiso gathering." The five involved were encouraged by Sims to ask forgiveness for the charges, which they did.
Sims admonished the complainants about their actions. They "had not fully followed the tenets of Matthew 18, which instructs Christians to approach their brothers privately about an offense before making a broader issue of it."
"I believe that much of this could have been resolved without resorting to (church bylaws) by sincere face-to-face meetings of the brothers involved," Sims wrote.
Cunningham agreed.
"I would have welcomed a congenial opportunity to discuss their reactions of the event prior to their filing of the complaint," he said.
Williams, senior pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, said he was "delighted" by the outcome.
He called it "an encouragement to those people who have strong faith in their own convictions to continue to deal with other people." He also called the decision an abomination to the complainants, who did not bring their concerns directly to the charged pastors.
With this decision, Williams said, church leaders "want to encourage everyone to deal with each other on a fraternal basis."
He added the church's process for filing complaints was flawed. "The system does not function well," Williams said.
Asked about the effect the decision will have on the Lutheran Church's reputation, Williams said, "If it has any impact at all with larger communities, I think it will be positive."
Paul Bretscher, a retired pastor from Valparaiso, has experienced the punishment Harre and Cunningham faced. Bretscher was deleted from the roster of the church's clergy for the views expressed in his 2001 book, "Christianity's Unknown Gospel."
Bretscher said he was "gratified" by the decision. He called the charges "an unfortunate business" that illustrated negative forces within the church.
"The Missouri Synod has, by its very tradition, found itself caught in a trap."
Bretscher said the outcome was a strong positive for VU and praised the university administration for remaining silent during adjudication of the charges and not engaging in "a media shouting match."
Bretscher also had a good word for the church, saying, "It does mean that when a position is clearly expressed it can be heard."
* Azure Domschke can be reached at adomschk@nwitimes.com or (219) 462-5151, Ext. 353.
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