Milk-carton sized

You may have noticed that the blog was offline for about a week. Last Monday I received - at my personal email address - a lengthy email by someone from the Synod office culminating in a request for me to delete the blog. I affirmed, and did not deny, I am the author. But as to deleting the blog, this I believe is beyond my control at this point. Let me explain. 

When I started this blog about 3 years ago, I was looking for an outlet to write. I am a very mathematical mind, and writing has never been a strong suit. I started a blog on a whim. I picked a domain name based on Peter's dissertation on the nihil rule I was reading at the time, and the avatar of the preeminent Wisconsin Synod theologian and started writing stuff. I had no intent to be 'that' guy.

I did not anticipate the turn that would take place after the Lutheran Leadership conference. A few posts asking question and poking at things and I had several people emailing me and group chats were formed along with friendships that remain solid to this day. Over time a community would develop, dozens of WELS pastors, teachers and laymen, over a shared set of concerns and vision for our Synod. I've had the opportunity to break bread and share in the Eucharist with a number of you as I travel for work. I've even found some of our beloved WELS grandmothers sharing these blog posts on social media. This, then, is bigger than me.

I am convinced - as I would say the vast majority of this blog's contributors/viewership is - that the W/ELS is the best expression on paper of confessional Lutheranism in North America. The easy path to dismissing the blog is to peg me as a hater. But the opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. I don't hate, and I'm certainly not indifferent. As a testament to that: The reason I was identified is because I don't just complain on the internet. I have engaged these issues behind the scenes: Honest Conversations Bible study, the teen sex surveys, the CRT document among other issues. And many other articles I've written have only resulted after a concerted effort by other WELS individuals engaging synod. This blog is just one in a long line of offerings like the Motley Magpies and Intrepid Lutherans and Bailing Water and, if you want to trace back to the OG unwinsome critic, William Beitz. There's a long and storied history, here. 

For the record, I offered a sincere apology for personal offense taken, and I said I would scrub the blog for anything that could be interpreted to be a personal attack (and if you feel like you are in this category, please reach out to me so I can offer you the same). To be clear, I have never intended to personally attack anyone, but being called to task, I can see how people may have taken certain things I have said as more personal than professional. I apologize. And I will do a better job going forward. 

Regarding anonymity: I have opined about anonymity before. If I told you that I was a rocket scientist, someone would say gee he's really smart, so I'll listen to his takes on church. Someone else might say gee he's got no credentials to speak about church, so I'm not going to listen. Both are misguided! That is the value of anonymity, you have to wrestle with the idea instead of the man. At the same time, anonymity can cause us to form personas - both as the blogger behind the keyboard, but also you, dear reader, filling in gaps with your own ideas. One reader may consider me to be one of Rolf's 'happy warriors' where another might reckon me a contrarian.  For my part, I recognize that the memes may not translate well to all audiences, that my writing often has a healthy dose of snark and that, yes, an anon-blogger just has a certain je ne sais quoi that can't be avoided. In the interest of advancing arguments that should be taken seriously, I'm writing under my own name, cutting back on the memes and making a concerted effort to write not only to be heard but to be understood and engaged.

When I laid out my road map this year, one thing I didn't mention is that I plan to make a transition from the anonymous blog to a personally attributed Substack later this year. There are a number of really good Lutheran guys on Substack and several of them are readers of the blog. It feels like the right waters to be swimming in. But not yet - there are still a few threads we need to bring to closure here before we can button things up.

Engaging with ideas and pointing out what I perceive to be concerns based on things that are publicly available online falls well within the realm of Christian freedom. That engagement will continue. We are all brothers in Christ, the neat thing about brothers is that even when they don't agree, they want the good of the family. If you are a brother who disagrees, take note: I've had a number of guest posts over the years, and I'm happy to post counter views without redaction or commentary. You know where to find me.

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Santa Monica pier on a dreary February day.

And so, without further ado, let me introduce myself. Dr. Philip Hahn. I am a rocket scientist. But that shouldn't matter. Do go ahead and follow the Substack (RSS Feed), and I'll let you know when we make the jump.

Thanks again to the dozens of men who have contributed to sharpening my thought over the years, the hundreds of regular readers week-in and week-out, and the handful of folks who checked in on me this week to make sure everything was OK and provide encouragement. I appreciate you all. Coming up next: guest posts over the next few Sundays spanning several topics.