Snitches Get Stitches
The prestigious University of Cambridge is reeling because of a scandal-turned-tragedy involving a fraudulent professor and his subsequent suicide. He clearly had mental health issues, and was routinely lying about his past accomplishments (ridiculously so), and plagiarized much of his academic work. In spite of these issues, he was put forward as a professor and lauded for being a “groundbreaker” when he wasn’t qualified. Like Icarus, he came crashing down. This sad case will be studied for years to come. How could such a thing happen? Why weren’t there whistleblowers willing to prevent this tragedy from happening in the first place? How were the whistleblowers who did come forward treated?
Part of the problem is, of course, that much of academia has lost its way. It is no longer concerned with the pursuit of truth and rewarding people based on merit, but rather has fallen prey to identity politics. And those who do blow the whistle are the ones who get the brunt rather than the liars, cheats, frauds - and their enablers. Ironically, in “protecting the brand,” the anti-whistleblower culture of the academy allowed this scandal to not only tarnish “the brand,” but it cost a troubled man his life.
Attacking the whistleblower is certainly nothing new. Micaiah is an example who ratted out false prophets and angered King Ahab (1 Kings 22:13-28). Jeremiah was a prophetic whistleblower who was always in trouble with the Powers That Be. And in the Gospels, we can see where John the Baptist was “rewarded” for blowing the whistle against corruption in the royal family (Matt 14:3-12). Of course, our Lord Himself received far more than stiches for blowing the whistle.
Of course, we Lutherans are named after perhaps the most well-known whistleblower in Christendom. While people had complained about corruption in the church for centuries, the church’s thuggery and intimidation made whistleblowing a deadly endeavor. The pre-Reformation era was filled with whistleblower-martyrs, as well as those would-be whistleblowers who backed off rather than be burned at the stake. Enjoying protection from his prince and a providential contemporaneity with the Gutenberg Press gave Luther protection as a whistleblower. The three Lutherans put to death by King Henry VIII did not enjoy the whistleblower protection that Luther did.
Back then, as now, snitches get stitches.
Luther was excommunicated, and the threat of that punishment was often enough to make a man utter “Revoco.” But not Luther. He was a little bit crazy, but he was our crazy. If I had met him in the 16th century, I’m not sure I would have liked him personally. But in the rearview mirror, he was funny and bombastic and brilliant and brave. The whistle needed to be blown, and he did not let up until his dying breath.
When excommunication is used as a political tool against whistleblowers, it needs to be disavowed, as it was when the University of Wittenberg and churches all over Germany simply refused to recognize Luther’s.
Yesterday, I threwback an article about The Rev. Herman Otten. He was the greatest Lutheran whistleblower of the twentieth century. After years of stealthy, gradual incursion, liberal hermeneutics worked its way into Concordia Seminary - St. Louis. Otten, as a student, sniffed it out, and blew the whistle. Meanwhile, Otten was denied certification by the seminary as a payback. But because of his whistleblowing, within a few years, the conspiracy was exposed, the cabal fired, and the synod was rid of a large number of liberal theologians - who went on to become their own denomination, which was one of the three founding church bodies that merged to create the apostate ELCA.
As I said earlier, CSL should erect statues to J.A.O. Preus and Herman Otten. They saved the seminary, and perhaps even the synod. Like Luther, Otten was brash, made a lot of enemies, and was not afraid to sharpen his pen. Liberals hated him because he blew the whistle on them. Conservatives hated him because he wouldn’t play ball with them. Like I said, I had my own spats with him. But at the end of the day, Pastor Otten was a needed whistleblower. CSL should grant him posthumous certification, and synod should recognize him as a confessor and honor him for his role in upholding our Biblical doctrine at a crucial time.
But even if none of these things happen, Pastor Otten has received his commendation from the Lord that he continues to serve in eternity.