Publicity for Issues Etc.

(H/T - Bring Back Issues Etc. )

It appears that news of the cancellation of “Issues Etc.” has gone national -

My church denomination, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, owns a radio station in St. Louis where the church is headquartered. Far and away the most popular thing on that radio station, KFUO, was a program they produced called “Issues, Etc.” The show was widely syndicated across the country and had a rabid podcast following.

Though the show held fast to its confessional Lutheran identity, it was really a show for the broader Christian community, covering a wide range of religious, cultural and political issues. Topics on the program in just the last month included everything from the story of St. Patrick, Sigmund Freud and guilt, tithing, the ethics of sex changes to the latest news of interest regarding abortion and stem cell research. Religious heavyweights such as Fr. Richard John Neuhaus of First Things, Dr. Alister McGrath, and Dr. Albert Mohler of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary could frequently be found as guests on the program. Guests on the program of interest around these parts include Edwin Meese, Robert George, Rod Dreher and our own Ramesh Ponnuru.

Earlier this week, the popular show was inexplicably canceled — during holy week no less — and no reason was given by the synod. Further, the two men who host and produce the show were given no warning whatsoever. The show’s website was completely removed, though the archives were restored due to public outcry. In the meantime, an online petition is circulating. Some 2600+ people have signed the petition to get the show back on the air in less than 48 hours.

If you’ve ever enjoyed listening to “Issues, Etc.” — and I know many of the readers here have — please go and sign the petition. I’m sure the the bureaucrats in St. Louis had no idea what they were doing and could be swayed by the public outcry.

The petition now has over 4800 signatures.  In addition you can put your name on this map to show how wide reaching the program has been.