Instead of treating CUAA as some sort of national treasure, every Concordia should be subjected to a critical assessment—does the school glorify the Lord Jesus and honor Him by correct doctrine and practice? Is a school producing orthodox Christians and servants of the church, or it is it merely aping the secular schools, at great expense, by putting a stamp on worldly approaches and mindsets?
Most of the defunct Concordias showed by their practice and results that they had no reason to exist—at least not for the sake of a confessional Lutheran church.
Concordia, Texas is initiating the divorce away from a close relationship to the LCMS by wanting to live a separate and unentangled life. Either it wants to be more faithful than the LCMS will allow, or the reverse. At least though, they are being public and honest about not wanting to be a church-run and synod-based school. That is perhaps better than ignoring the bonds and duty of fellowship, pretending they don’t matter.
But the root issue is not being addressed by the schools or the LCMS leadership. It may not be as dramatic as the walkout 50 years ago, but the shift in education and doctrine will be just as meaningful long-term. Dr. Gregory Schulz has spoken quite forcefully and articulately on the issue of secular marxist ideologies at Concordia, Wisconsin, and in higher education in general, which runs the struggling CUAA. Why is Schulz still suspended and the issues he brought up unaddressed? If a church school cannot respond to the clear dangers brought to the forefront by its one of its own pastors and professors, what right has it to exist? The financial issues are a symptom—plenty of wealthy and financially health schools of this world are doing Satan’s work of corrupting young minds. Money cannot be the only issue for a churchly college.
It is not enough to just maintain the institutions that have existed. We must have a reason to justify their continuance. After all, we do not live by tradition and historical precedent, but the living Word of Christ. Failures and challenges should turn us to the Word of God and humble us anew to ensure we are actually pleasing God in how we live—and not just ourselves. —ed.
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