# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S514
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

514 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS

[645]
Dr. Graebner’s Aberrations and Dr. Behnken’s
Ineffective Action

Wuereas, Dr. Theodore Graebner in 1917 rightly stated: “We
hold it to be a self-evident truth that, where there is no unity of
faith, there ought to be no unity of worship. If the texts of Scrip-
ture which forbid unionism (for example, Rom. 16: 17; 1 Tim. 6:3ff.)
do not apply here, they are devoid of meaning” (Lutheran Witness,
1917, p. 292); and

Wuereas, Dr. Theodore Graebner in 1920 rightly declared:
“Joint prayers presume Christian fellowship. .. . If joint prayer
signifies anything, it signifies the spiritual unity of those who pray:
and if the words of Christ that we must worship ‘in spirit and in
truth’ mean anything at all, they mean that our prayers must in-
deed be spoken with no denial, explicit or implicit, of those truths
which His Spirit has taught us” (Homiletic Magazine, 1921, pp. 231,
233); and

Wuereas, Dr. Theodore Graebner in 1923 correctly affirmed:
“Joint worship of those who are divided by many shades of Chris-
tian belief... is against the conscience of everyone who is mind-
ful of Rom. 16:17. To be separate is the command which we have,
to be separate from those who do not agree in every point with
the doctrine of the Apostles” (Lutheran Witness, 1923, p.67); and

Wnuereas, Dr. Theodore Graebner in 1931 correctly asserted:
“Rom. 16:17-18 is removed by Dr. Neve from the category of
pertinent texts because Paul’s warning is declared to be directed
‘against fanatical Judaists who had disturbed Antioch and the
Galatians and were now about to invade the Roman congregation.’
Pure assumption, even if it is supported by Weiss, Godet, and
Luthardt. The apostle warns against errorists and schismatics in
the most general terms. As for v.18, we shall remember that
divisions in the Church have been caused chiefly by those who
sought personal advantages, rather than Christ, and who practiced
deception upon those who innocently followed their leadership”
(Concordia Theological Monthly, 1931, p. 571f.); and

Wuereas, Dr. Theodore Graebner in 1943 cast aspersions on
the use of Rom. 16:17 with reference to joint prayer by stating:
“The refusal to ‘join in prayer, defended with reference to Rom.
’ 16:17 and similar texts, has proved an obstacle to a better under-
standing” (Lutheran Witness, 1943, p. 274); and

Wuereas, Dr. Theodore Graebner in 1945 bluntly asserted: -
“Neither the texts (Rom. 16:17 etc.) nor the contexts in which
they stand have anything to do with prayer fellowship. In fact,