# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S833
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

248 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS

halten kann, der ihn nicht anerkennt oder doch nicht uebt” (“Thi
fundamental tenet of the Ev. Luth. Church that those teachings
are also Scriptural which are only conclusions drawn from clear;
statements of Scripture” is “so important that scarcely anyone can re
have or persevere in the saving faith who does not acknowledge or.
at least put the same into practice”); therefore be it .

Resolved, That we humbly petition the honorable Synod to :
remove the confusion on these points and (1) render an official
interpretation of the words of 1938 “need not be divisive of church ‘344
fellowship” and (2) define the term “Scriptural doctrine.” AE

We humbly petition the honorable Synod to declare that the
words “need not be divisive of church fellowship” say that aber-
rations in these doctrines may be tolerated only when due to
ignorance and weakness and when the Church is not divided there-
by, or in the words of Lehre und Wehre, 19, 1873, p. 290; Lehre
und Wehre, 25, 1879, pp. 35ff., in the article entitled “Macht sich
wirklich die Missourisynode einer ‘Ueberspannung in den Lehr-
differenzen’ schuldig?” to which the honorable Synod referred in
this very connection (cf. Proceedings, 1938, p. 229), ““Wiewohl wir.
der Meinung sind, dass die kirchliche Verpflichtung auf die Sym-
bole auch die nicht fundamentalen Lehren, z.B. vom Antichrist in -
sich schliesst, so sind wir doch mit den Vaetern der Meinung, dass
eine Meinungsverschiedenheit in nicht fundamentalen Lehren nicht
als Ketzerei betrachtet werden koenne, dass sie auch nicht absolut
vom kirchlichen Lehramt ausschliesse, nicht die rechte Geistes-
gemeinschaft durch sie gehindert werde, falls dabei nur nicht -
wissentlich gegen Gottes Wort gesuendigt oder kirchliche Zer- a
ruettung angerichtet wird” (“Although we are of the opinion that —
the ecclesiastical obligation to the Symbols includes also the non-
fundamental doctrines, e. g., that of the Antichrist, we nevertheless
agree with the fathers that a difference of opinion in non-funda-
mental doctrines cannot be regarded as heresy, that it does not
absolutely exclude from the office of teaching in the Church, that
the true unity of spirit is not hindered thereby, provided there is
no conscious sinning against the Word of God or a disruption. of
the Church.”

We furthermore humbly petition the honorable Synod to re-
affirm its position of 1866 by acknowledging Thesis XVII of
Dr. Walther’s The Lutheran Church the True Visible Church, “Die
ev.-luth. Kirche nimmt das geschriebene Wort Gottes’ (als Gottes”
Wort) ganz an, achtet nichts darin Enthaltenes fuer ueberfluessig
oder gering, sondern alles fuer nothwendig und wichtig, und nimmt
auch alle die Lehren an, welche aus den Schriftworten nothwendig
folgen” (“The Ev. Luth. Church accepts the written Word of God