Mr. Soeken, I'm sorry to read that you favor abortions being funded with Thrivent Choice or other "benevolence" dollars, yet you claim to be a lifetime member of the LCMS. Have your pastors taught you that it's O.K. to murder a baby because the mother is poor or because it is inconvenient to bear it and give it up for adoption? Whose catechism have you been reading? Please don't cite the Pope to support your arguments if you claim to be a Lutheran. From what the media have fed us (which admittedly may not be accurate) the new Pope is not even a good Catholic. He's certainly not an authority on Lutheran doctrine. Pastor Harrison is an excellent spokesman for our Church. If you believe so differently, perhaps you might want to explore the Extremely Liberal Church in America (ELCA).