# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1947_S493
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 493

_regarded as the doctrinal basis for future church fellowship between
.the Missouri Synod and the American Lutheran Church.”

At Fort Wayne, in 1941, when the name of the union com-
mittee significantly was changed to be the Committee on Doctrinal
-Unity in the Lutheran Church of America, Synod expressed its
deep “regret that the Lutheran Church of our country is not
- united, especially in these days of spiritual indifferentism, apostasy,
“and unbelief, which have increased the responsibility to hold
aloft the banner of purity of doctrine.” Synod, at Fort Wayne, also
expressed its regret that “the American Lutheran Church as a
‘body has not taken as firm an attitude in reference to establishing
doctrinal unity as under the circumstances we had reason to
hope for.”

In obedience to the Lord’s will and trusting in the power
of the Word, Synod ordered the efforts of the Committee on Doc-
trinal Unity to be continued for the purpose of establishing
doctrinal unity rather than aiming at organic union. In response
to the request of our sister synods in the Synodical Conference and
in the conviction that it is “not only desirable, but necessary, to
-have one’ document” the Committee on Doctrinal Unity was
instructed by Synod “to make every possible effort that such one
document be prepared.” Definite instructions were given the
Committee to the effect “that this one document be so clearly
written that there can be no misunderstanding in reference to
the meaning which the words are to convey”; that “we do not
mean to dispense with any doctrinal statement made in our Brief
Statement”; that “it be understood that the term non-fundamental
doctrine, which has been used, should not be made to carry the
idea that anything clearly revealed in Scripture, although not
absolutely necessary for salvation, may be denied”; and “that in
reference to these things” (concerning Antichirst, the conversion
of the Jews, the physical resurrection of the martyrs, and the
fulfillment of the thousand years) “we endeavor to establish full
agreement.”

Three years later, in the closing weeks of the triennium, this
one document, entitled Doctrinal Affirmation, was formulated.
At Saginaw, in 1944, an announcement to that effect was made,
and Synod instructed its Committee, “as soon as the new docu-
ment was in shape to be presented, to make it accessible to all
members of our Synod, not only to pastors and teachers, but also
to congregations, in order that all members of our Synod every-
where may have an opportunity to study the document carefully
and be ready for a final vote in the convention of 1947.”

Your Committee endeavored to carry into effect these instruc-