Dr. Jeffrey Kloha, former professor at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is resurfacing again in Lutheran church circles after leaving the seminary, following much controversy, in 2017 to take the role of chief curator at the Museum of the Bible, in Washington, D.C. Kloha speaks of new opportunities in a Linkedin post dated June of 2024.
Around 2020 many articles were published exposing the fact that the museum he was curator of had many expensive, fake fragments of the Dead Sea scrolls. That was a major embarrassment—and Kloha did some damage control. It appears that this was within his domain as curator, though the 16 forgeries were bought before his employment there. Kloha was replaced in June of this year with Dr. Robert Duke as interim curator, and then the interim title was taken off. On June 17th, 2024 a new CEO, Dr. Carlos Campo, took over headship of the Museum of the Bible, which coincides with Kloha’s leaving.
Of Course, Kloha is best known in the LCMS for his “plastic scriptures” paper, leaked from an academic conference in Germany for scholars. The full title of the controversial paper is: “Text and Authority: Theological and Hermeneutical Reflections on a Plastic Text.” In it he states: “We now have a plastic text of the New Testament. It is plastikos: moldable, shapeable, changeable. Indeed, it has always been so, even if we were not aware of it.” In that context he sounded very radical, but in the damage control aftermath (notice the theme) he quoted Francis Pieper and tried to appear orthodox, but repented of nothing. He debated publicly John Warwick Montgomery on the textual basis of Scripture and the use of extant manuscripts in 2016, but did not win over many with his performance. He then left the St. Louis Seminary in the summer of 2017, despite his significant role there. He did return to the seminary’s “Multiethnic Symposium” this year as a plenary speaker.
At the 2010 CSL Theological Symposium, this description is found of Kloha’s presentation on the seminary website: “Dr. Kloha explains that it is not the words written in the scriptures that make it the Word of God but that it is the death and resurrection of Christ.” If the words of Scripture are not the authority of God’s Word, but rather the indefinite theological content, not ruled by actual decisive words, nothing can be out of bounds. Activities (death and resurrection) do not condemn false doctrine or establish what is true. Content is communicated by actual words though, not vague ideas that sinful man defines with his imagination. Kloha’s theological pattern is unsound—and unmoored from the Bible. In other words: If Christ, through His Spirit, did not in Scripture inspire and define the Gospel for all time, who or what does?
Now Kloha’s name is listed as one of two interviewees for the position of the president of Concordia Lutheran Seminary in Edmonton, Canada. This is one of two seminaries, along with Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary (St. Catharines, Ontario) for the Lutheran Church-Canada, which is in fellowship with the LCMS. Kloha’s personal Linkedin page currently says that he is “Senior Executive – Freelance” from “June 2024 – Present.” A presentation found online at the website of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Laurel, MD lists him as “Chief Education Office, Mission Partners” platform. This non-profit, which lists Kloha as on its Board of Directors, describes itself:
Mission Partners’ Platform is a not for profit organization committed to equipping and empowering people and ministries to engage the people of their community with the Gospel message. The members of the Mission Partners’ Platform are pastors, commissioned members, and laity who anticipate the celebration of the multitude of people from every tribe and nation as they lift their voices in thanksgiving and praise on the day of Christ’s return. Rev. 14:6-7
Interestingly, one of the three beliefs in the organization’s statement is: “The Scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments are the written Word of God and ‘the only judge, rule and guiding principle’ (FC Epitome, Concerning the Binding Summary, Rule and Guiding Principle…7) of faith and of practice.” Considering his past statements undermining the actual words we have, it is not clear in what way Kloha can actually confess this statement in any substantial way.
The concern for Kloha teaching and forming future pastors in a leadership role should be great. He has repeatedly made distressing statements concerning the foundation of every Christ doctrine, the Holy Word of God, and has not addressed these real concerns about his orthodoxy. —ed.
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