The cost of discipleship?

Pastor Paul McCain's Cyberbrethren shares word of a courageous bishop, whose faithfulness I recently remarked upon, whom the apostate "Lutheran" World Federation is seeking to discipline for the high crime for tending to Christ's starving flock in an equally apostate state church:

GENEVA, 22 February 2005 (LWI) * The Executive Committee of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has recommended the termination of the tenure of Kenyan Bishop Walter E. Obare Omwanza as Council adviser after he consecrated a Swedish pastor as bishop of the Mission Province in Sweden.

At its February 19-21 meeting near Geneva, the Executive Committee recommended to the Council "on the basis of the appropriate provisions in the LWF Constitution to terminate the service of Bishop Obare as adviser to the Council." Obare heads the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), one of two LWF member churches in Kenya.

The 13-member committee confirmed it had received the news that Obare consecrated Rev. Arne Olsson as bishop of the Mission Province in Sweden on Saturday, 5 February 2005 in the auditorium of a high school in Gothenburg, Sweden. Olsson is a pastor of Karlstad Diocese, Church of Sweden.

"The consecration took place outside all regulations in the Church of Sweden. This action by Bishop Obare, together with those who assisted him, must be considered as inappropriate interference in the life of a sister church, with negative consequences for the unity of the LWF as a communion of churches as a whole," the committee stated in its recommendation to the Council.

The Executive Committee said the ELCK bishop's action was inconsistent with his role as "adviser to the Council, entrusted with the responsibility to uphold and further the unity of the Lutheran communion." The Council is expected to make a decision on the committee's recommendation at this year's meeting, August 31 - September 6 in Jerusalem.

LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko told Lutheran World Information (LWI), "Bishop Obare will be invited to attend the Council meeting, which will make the final decision. He may avail himself to address the Council if he so wishes."

Obare, a member of the Program Committee for Theology and Studies, is among 22 representatives from LWF member churches worldwide appointed to serve as advisers to the current Council. Advisers provide professional competence and expertise to the seven Program Committees of the Council. They are full members, with vote in their respective committees. They have voice but no vote in Council plenary sessions.

The Council is LWF's governing body, meeting annually. It consists of the President, who is elected by the Assembly, the Treasurer, who can be elected from among the membership or from outside, and 48 people

Kyrie eleison!