Praise and thanksgiving to our Lord, the Shepherd of His Church!
I have learned that the Concordia University Wisconsin Board of Regents has apparently responded to the pastors and people of the LCMS and its home District by repudiating the Wokeism of the previous administration in no uncertain terms.
To be honest, I believe I will remain in a “trust but verify” mode for the time being, but let me say first that I am grateful beyond words (and I am a man of many words, as you know!) for the prayers of the 6000 who called on the board and administration to repent, to the myriad alumni and CUW parents, and my beloved students for your support, as well as to you who published and interviewed, who preached and labored to bring what appears to be a Lutheran Reformation to our university.
We and I owe a debt of gratitude to Christian News, the unofficial and resolute “Paul Revere Press” of our Lutheran church!
Our Lord bless and keep each of my friends and colleagues at the university, particularly in our topflight Lutheran Theology, Philosophy, and Science departments, as well as each of my stalwart colleagues in Christ throughout the faculty.
(I remain on suspension and under threat of termination at present. Please understand that I will be doing everything in my power to make it impossible for any CUWAA administration or board in the future to do to another professor what has been done to me.)
Nevertheless, this is a time of Thanksgiving indeed to our gracious Savior.
And a time of prayers and support for the board and the new president of our university!
“Trust, but VERIFY” — Or “Verify, then Trust”?
A very thoughtful friend on FB (thoughtful friends are a big part of my thanksgiving whether or not it’s Thanksgiving!) asked where he could find verification for what I reported about the change of direction at Concordia University Wisconsin regarding its disturbing, years-long commitment to Wokeism.
Here’s my reply for you to have and to share:
Thanks for asking … your question is positively crucial!
My anonymous source is, I believe, trustworthy, but you have identified a significant problem: the board has not said anything publicly. The new president has not either, to my knowledge.
That’s why I said that my position remains “trust but verify.”
Given the current climate in our church body and in our Concordias, it may be wiser to say, “VERIFY, THEN TRUST” !
Our confessional professors deserve verification. Our confessional students deserve verification. Our potential students and donors deserve verification.
Let me also mention in this connection that I’m sick to death of boards and officials slapping a label of “Confidentiality” on everything that they do not want Christ’s Church to know about and to criticize for biblical and confessional reasons.
That’s why I have been arguing and writing for over a year that Wokeism at a CHRISTian institution is a public matter. That’s why I’ve been citing 1 Timothy 5:20 about publicly rebuking religious leaders who sin publicly. That’s why I am against attacks on academic freedom and free speech in the church and in the university.
My reporting may conceivably turn out not to be verified in the long- or even in the mid-term at CUW.
If that turns out to be the case, I will speak up and so will all of us confessional Lutherans, as the Lord gives us strength.
Of course the CUW board and president need to speak up, to put it in writing, and to deliver. Repentance necessarily includes the fruit of repentance.
Sooner rather than later would be a good idea.
Rev Gregory P Schulz, DMin, PhD
SDG
Christian News 