Cougars defeat Martin Luther of Wisconsin Synod

Interesting or ironic that a totally secular place like UMN-Morris has sports opponents that wear religion on their sleeve. It's interesting to just look up these opponents sometimes. Any UMM win is a pleasure to report. Although, I might want to attach an asterisk to when we beat "Trinity Bible." 

Well last Monday saw the Cougars take on another school with a religious purpose. And that was "Martin Luther." Let's emphasize first off that we won the game 88-81. The action was here at the Gremmels court. A fun night I'm sure for the Cougar faithful. The institution needs as much good news as it can get. 

I wonder if the new chancellor is already at work with some stuff. I do believe there is urgency. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Oyate building. "Turtle Mountain Cafe" has a new name, doesn't it? 

I can't let a game against Martin Luther pass without checking to see just what the opposing school stands for. Minnesota is such a Lutheran place. 

One might assume that the Martin Luther school is a benign and virtuous place, virtuous just like all our Lutheran friends in the Upper Midwest. Are we talking about the mainstream of Lutheranism? Despite its struggles and its decline, the ELCA is still mainstream. But wait, this is not the synod represented by the "Martin Luther" school. There are fringe factions within Lutheranism. Darn Lutherans, we cannot be like the Catholics who are monolithic and can thus retain their strength. Look how Assumption Catholic Church represents the Morris area. 

 

Diffuse 

But Lutherans fan out in various ways. This would appear to be a problem for all churches trying to remain stable. We would appear to have exhibit 'A' in Morris with First Lutheran no longer able to offer a weekly Sunday service. Half of the time these people are now required to go to the Methodist church. 

Can the barriers within Lutheranism come down? There's the Missouri Synod in contrast to the ELCA. Oh my we have the "rebels" against the ELCA having concentrated out in the Good Shepherd church. Good Shepherd is north of Morris on the windswept countryside. Aren't these the people who once did the "WordAlone" thing? I'd see the notices for "WordAlone" when I was with the Morris newspaper. And I thought it was just a benign little religious gathering, well-intentioned toward all. Well I eventually learned it was not well-intentioned toward the ELCA. These people were fomenting the uprising. 

The CW seems to indicate that Good Shepherd is in financially great shape. Apparently lots of deep pockets people there. Then again, I have learned never to totally believe what I hear about the various churches' financial standing. 

 

Oh the gays 

The ELCA's generous stance for gay people about drove the WordAlone people out of their minds. Personally I don't like to see any church get involved with positions on "sexual preference." While I believe in the gentle approach toward gays, we must be wary of gay people's tendency to push outwardly hard for their interests. It's "gay activism." 

 

Out of school maybe? 

Getting back to the subject of the "Martin Luther" college, no, do not think this is ELCA at all. It is the Wisconsin Synod of the Lutheran faith. Just a harmless little spinoff from the Lutheran faith? Well I don't know. The Wisconsin Synod sticks its neck out on something that I do not think is worth their trouble. In fact I feel it is highly contrary to their best interests. 

Michelle Bachmann

Churchgoing everywhere appears in retreat. So I'm bewildered that the Wisconsin Synod asserts their belief that the Pope is the antichrist. Remember the congressperson Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota? She had to leave her Wisconsin Synod church once she saw that this controversial aspect would be a millstone around her neck. So the Wisconsin Synod lost a congressperson. 

Our community of Morris does have a Wisconsin Synod church. I know the pastor is a talented person. Makes me wish he was inclined to be in the ELCA. The ELCA continues to have good intentions with everything. Maybe it can strike a balance: assert that gays have rights without caving to those who get real loud on the subject. I'm as turned off as anyone by the loud stuff. But I wouldn't depart from the ELCA for this reason. 

Well, I have actually departed. I departed recently because I did not like the abruptness of the announcement that we'd have to spend half of our time at the local Methodist/UCC church. And nothing against the Methodist/UCC church. At least I'm not aware of anything theologically that I would reject. But I had become discouraged by the steady stages of decline of the once-proud First Lutheran Church of Morris. 

I'm old enough that I remember when First Lutheran was a primary faith leader in Stevens County with two services on Sundays. Nobody called us "liberal" or "political." We weren't really Bible thumping conservatives or reactionaries either. Goldilocks? Well maybe. 

My problem with church when I was a kid was boredom. Today that's a non-factor. My metabolism has slowed down! I would have been happy to continue supporting FLC indefinitely. But the writing has been on the wall. Now it's over in terms of FLC having a weekly Sunday service at our own building - a pretty minimal thing to want or expect. 

Good Shepherd drained from the ELCA churches. We still have the fringe Lutheran churches of the Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Synod. For the UMM Cougars to play Martin Luther reminded me of the Wisconsin Synod. First of course I had to look up the background. That's the thing about UMM being in the UMAC: we play oddball schools that stand for various things. I brought this up in the interview I did with the UMM athletic director when we first switched to the UMAC. I asked if we might sense a schism: UMM's rigid secularism vs. God-knows-what may be coming at us with our new opponents. 

Goodbye Moorhead State. Hello Oak Hills Christian. No, Oak Hills Christian is not in the UMAC, but it shows up on the UMM men's basketball schedule. Oak Hills Christian? It's from way up north and it's known as the most anti-gay college in the U.S.! Coming here to play UMM at a bastion of gay support. Well yes, that's what UMM is, or has been. Maybe our new chancellor will see the need to tamp down a lot of that stuff. Tamp down the zealous political causes of all kinds. 

 

"People lovers" 

Many of us probably know that the Martin grocery store family of Morris - the "people lovers" - worship in the Wisconsin Synod. Did good ol' Willie even know that his church considered the Pope to be the antichrist? I personally doubt it. 

Willie's is "the people lovers" and it assuredly loves Catholics along with everyone else. A highlight of my summer was to get blessed by Fr. Alan Wielinski at the funeral for Shirley O'Keefe. I have always felt affection for the local Catholics. Man, I hadn't seen Father Alan since I left the Morris newspaper. Seeing him took me back in time. He's one of those people who only knew me in the newspaper context. I'd like to bless him too!

   

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com