# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1947_S497
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 497

Now what is the situation? There are chiefly three difficulties
anding in the way of fellowship with the American Lutheran
Church:
. 1. The manifest lack of doctrinal unity. Although the members
‘of the Fellowship Committee told us that they were not aware of
doctrinal differences between our two bodies, yet reports indicate
the existence of doctrinal differences. Writes the editorial staff of
the Lutheran Witness (1947, page 76): “We have reported the fact
that in some conferences our men have found A. L. C. pastors taking
wrong stand on conversion, inspiration, predestination, and other
“doctrines. We have reported the action of several A.L.C, con-
“ferences .. . which definitely revived old accusations against the
Missouri Synod. ... Differences in doctrine still exist in various
‘areas as between the A.L.C. and Missouri.” It would seem to us
_ that if doctrinal unity actually prevailed, it would not be difficult
to formulate a document acceptable to all concerned expressing
“such agreement.

, 2. The difference in conviction regarding the degree of doc~
“ trinal unity required for fellowship. The American Lutheran
Church in its resolution adopted at Appleton makes mention of
the Overture on Unity to which the American Lutheran Church
agreed, and which proposes that each Lutheran church body remain
faithful to its particular confessional statement without sub-
scribing for itself to the confession of any other Lutheran church
body. Thus, by ignoring the existing differences in doctrine, fellow-
ship is to be established by resolution, rather than by actual agree-
ment in doctrine as Scripture requires.

3. The membership of the American Lutheran Church in the
American Lutheran Conference. Nine years have elapsed since
the American Lutheran Church gave the promise in its Declaration,
Proceedings, p. 226: “At the same time we recognize it as our duty
to do what we can to bring about the acceptance of these doctrinal
statements by the bodies with which we are now in fellowship.”
To date we have not been informed that any definite action has
been taken in that direction.

Our Synod has insisted and still insists that fellowship must
be based on unity in all doctrines clearly revealed in Holy Writ.
That type of unity alone agrees with St. Paul's admonition quoted
in the Constitution of our Synod under the caption “Object,” to
wit, 1 Cor. 1:10: “Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there
be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together
in the same mind and the same judgment.” If church bodies can
do no more than pledge that each group be loyal to its own dis-
Proceedings, 1947 82