2008 Radio Program Controversy
During Holy Week in 2008, the Synod-sponsored, nationally syndicated talk radio program Issues, Etc. was canceled, initially without explanation. Issues, Etc. was the most popular program produced by the LCMS owned radio station KFUO-AM and had been a regular part of the broadcast schedule for 15 years. Its cancellation, along with the firing of Host Pastor Todd Wilken and Producer Jeff Schwarz, created a firestorm of protest from traditionalists within the LCMS, including allegations of mishandling of radio station finances. Because KFUO-AM has never published financial information it cannot be held publicly accountable. In June 2008 Issues, Etc. returned as a listener supported program on a competing St. Louis station, and on-line through internet streaming and podcast downloads. Kieschnick has repeatedly turned down all requests by the Issues, Etc. producers to appear on the program.
In an article in The Wall Street Journal, journalist M. Z. Hemingway stated:
- “The program was in all likelihood a pawn in a larger battle for the soul of the Missouri Synod. The church is divided between, on the one hand, traditional Lutherans known for their emphasis on sacraments, liturgical worship and the church's historic confessions and, on the other, those who have embraced pop-culture Christianity and a market-driven approach to church growth. The divide is well known to all confessional Christian denominations struggling to retain their traditional identity.”
Read more about this topic: Gerald B. Kieschnick
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