# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S352
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

486 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS = 487

Wnznsas, THE SAID DISTRICT PRESIDENT HAS Noy
THIS DAY RETRACTED EITHER HIS FORMER unel,©
TURAL VIEWS OR HIS PUBLIC DEFAMATION ote:
BRETHREN IN SYNOD; and His

Wuereas, The President of Synod offered the said Di:
President the appointment as Fourth Vice
(cf. Lutheran Witness, 1949, p. 346); and

Wuereas, The President seeks to justify such offer on the basis
of Section 2.37 of the Handbook; and

Wuereas, “Where the defense of the honor of God and His
Word and the truth of the Confession of the Church, based ther
upon, is at stake, there the witness of the truth should both orally
and in writing tread boldly under foot every article of the Const,
tution of a synod which stands in the way of his testimony and
should make no confession of sin” (Lehre und Wehre, Vol. 4,
p. 291); and

Wuereas, The President, acting according to the Constitution
(Art. XI, B.2: “It is the President’s duty to see to it that all the
aforementioned act in accordance with Synod’s Constitution, to
admonish all who in any way depart from it.”), did admonish
said District President (cf. Letter to Clergy, April 30, 1946
pp. 9,10); and

Wuereas, The President did not follow through the procedure
laid down in the Constitution (Art. Xd, B. 2: “and, if such admoni-
tion is not heeded, to report such cases to Synod.”) and did not
report this case to the 1947 convention of Synod; and

Wuenreas, “Synod at all times has the right to call its officers
to account and, if circumstances require it, to remove them from
office in accordance with Christian procedure” (Constitution,
Art. XI, ‘A. 2); now therefore be it

Resolved, That we, the undersigned, call this matter to the
attention of Synod in convention assembled; and be it furthermore

_ Resolved, That we hereby protest the appointment of said
District President to the Vice-Presidency of Synod as being con-
trary.to the first object of Synod: “the conservation and promotion
of the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4: 3-6; 1 Cor. 1:10) and a united
defense against schism and sectarianism (Rom. 16:17).” (Consti-
tution, Art. ITT.) »

The same memorial was submitted by
(Signed) (Dr.) P. E. Krerzmann, Cuba, Mo.
(Rev.) E. T. Lams, Oak Park, IIL.
(Rev.) H. D. Mensina, Tinley Park, Il.
(Rev.) W. F. Rotr, St. James, Minn.

Signatures attested by (Rev.) H. D. Mensine
Tinley Park, Il., April 5, 1950

-President of Synod

[#5] Repudiate the St. Louis Faculty Opinion

(Rom. 16:17)

Wuereas, The first object of Synod is “the conservation and
promotion of the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3-6; 1 Cor. 1:10)
and a united defense against schism and sectarianism (Rom.
16:17)”; and

Wuereas, the Brief Statement, reaffirmed at the Chicago Con-
vention as a correct expression of Synod’s doctrinal position, ex-
pressly declares: “All Christians are required by God to discrimi-
nate between orthodox and heterodox church-bodies, Matt. 7:15,
to have church-fellowship only with orthodox church-bodies, and,
_ in case they have strayed into heterodox church-bodies, to leave
them, Rom.16:17. We repudiate unionism, that is, church-fellow-
ship with the adherents of false doctrine, as disobedience to God’s
command, as causing divisions in the Church, Rom. 16:17” (Par.
28); and ;

Wuereas, The faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo.,
in an Opinion dated May—June, 1946, and reiterated in May, 1948,
has stated: “We shall never be able to say with absolute certainty
whether Paul is here issuing a general warning or is speaking of
a special group, and if the latter is the case, what particular group
he has in mind” (“Church Fellowship,” Opinions by the Faculty
of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo., Manuscript for Course in
Dogmatics, Concordia Publishing House, 1946, p.19); and

Wuereas, The St.Louis faculty in the above-quoted words
confesses that it does not know for certain what God actually says
in this passage, thus denying that Rom. 16:17 is a clear Word of
God; and: ;

Wuenreas, The St. Louis faculty, clearly showing its own dis-
agreement in this matter, says in this same Opinion, “Some would
hold that v. 18 shows definitely that Paul is pointing to. people who
are not Christians; others deny this. ... Many hold that St. Paul
here inculcates that all false teachers must be avoided” (p. 20); and

TRINITY Ev. LUTHERAN Cuurcn, Crete, Itt.
A. T. Krerzmann, Pastor
W. J. Brase, Chairman
R. E. PrePensrig, Secretary

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