# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1947_S907
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 521

the principles by which the redeemed and believing child of
lives) ;

b..they did not intend to accuse any members of Synod of
refusing to regard the Scriptures as the: inspired Word of God
hen they declared that there was a spirit in Synod which “has its
origin in a wrong approach to the Holy Scriptures” (it was ex-
plained by them that the “wrong approach” referred to is a legalistic
f Scripture);

ce. They did not intend by their publications to raise accusa-
ns against any individual or area of Synod;

.. 2 “With Synod they hold that fellowship with persistent
errorists is contrary to the Word of God,” which is to say that
texts of Scripture directly forbid all church fellowship (altar,
. pulpit, prayer fellowship; cf. Proceedings 1941, p.303, point 11)
also with those persistent errorists whose Christianity cannot be
denied; ,

3. “With Synod they hold... that even the most trivial false
doctrine may become divisive of fellowship,” which is to say that
every teaching which in any way is in conflict with or augments
the body of Christian doctrine (corpus doctrinae) becomes divisive
if persistently advocated;

4. They do not deplore the application of Rom. 16:17-18 to
the present situation'in the Lutheran churches in America;

5. The propositions offered in their documents were not in-
- tended to have anything whatsoever to do with “selective fel-
lowship”;

6. By their reference to “sound exegetical procedure” they
wish to restate the truth that we are to seek and find the doctrines
of Scripture in clear passages which do not require exegesis.
According to the “Agreement” reached by the Presidency of
Synod and the signers, “A Statement” and its accompanying letter
are not withdrawn except “as a basis of discussion.” In order that
these public documents as well as the explanatory brochure,
Speaking the Truth in Love, may never, contrary to the ex-
pressed intentions of the signers, be used by others as a precedent
for unscriptural doctrine or practice in Synod, we petition the
Centennial Convention of Synod to make the following declarations:
1. In conformity with its position on church fellowship ex-
pressed in’ A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the
Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States,
paragraphs 28 and 29, Synod rejects as antiscriptural any asser-
tion that there are details of doctrine which are not divisive of
church fellowship though they conflict with or add to the teachings
of Scripture and are persistently advocated.