# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S1141
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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582 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS

remains to God uninjured, nothing of the divine truth of the H 1

Gospel is surrendered, no room is given to the least error nd
sinners are brought to true, genuine repentance, raised ue he
faith, confirmed in new obedience, and thus justified and eter ty
saved alone through the sole merit of Christ.” ay

Triglotta: Page 1103, 40: “Since now, in the sight o ;
of all Christendom (the entire Church of Christ), we pa
testify to those now living and those who shall come after
that this declaration herewith presented concerning all the con.
troverted articles aforementioned and explained, and no other is
our faith, doctrine, and confession, in which we are also willin
by God’s grace, to appear with intrepid hearts before the judg.
ment-seat of Jesus Christ, and give an account of it; and that we
will neither privately nor publicly speak or write anything con.
trary to it, but, by the help of God’s grace, intend to abide thereby:
therefore, after mature deliberation, we have, in God’s fear and
with the invocation of His name, attached our signatures with our
own hands.”

The document This Common Confession of Faith on account
and for reason of its brevity is inadequate to cover and allay all
the items of the controversies engaging the two church bodies
or the one-time individual synods, during the past 70 years. Its
brevity postulates the basis: in love to assume and tacitly take
for granted that there is now full agreement in those matters which
.at one time were of such serious differences as to bring the charge
of false teaching and as to demand and sustain separation for many
years.

Furthermore, and also as an example, the paragraphs on the
Holy Scriptures are too few and altogether too brief to do justice
to this doctrine in view of the conditions now existing in this
matter in Germany (Bad Boll), in some Lutheran bodies of Amer-
ica, and in Protestant circles in general. Under these circumstances
it is a solemn and a sacred duty of trust, obligation, and service to
set down at length in specific statements the various truths con-
cerning Holy Scriptures, as these truths are in debate or under
attack at the present time. ,

The method and procedure which were followed for the writ-
ing of the Formula of Concord take time and patience and love
for the truth, in order to settle and stabilize matters of con-
troversy, as it did by and through the writing of the comprehensive
and lengthy Formula of Concord. The document This Common
Confession of Faith through its brevity and wording leaves mat-
ters of controversy in doubt and uncertainty, such as concerning
“The Inspiration of Holy Scriptures,” “The Church,” “The Eternal
Election,” “The Antichrist,” “The Observance of Sunday.”

INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 583

The document This Common Confession of Faith is inadequate
and cannot be regarded or accepted as a basis for establishing
pulpit or altar fellowship between the two church bodies The
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod and The American Lutheran
Church. Therefore the document This Common Confession of Faith
must be declined, and instead a resolution should be adopted re-
questing full coverage of all necessary items, so that such a
thorough declaration may result in a document which in itself ex-
hibits positive evidence and induces full confidence and engenders.
wholehearted thanksgiving and rejoicing that true unity of doctrine
indeed unites the two church bodies.

As a suggestion for such a document, there should be included
paragraphs on Higher Criticism, and an understanding should be
reached in the matter of Membership’ in Certain Organizations,
Societies, or Lodges.

“May Almighty God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
grant the grace of His Holy Ghost that we all may be one in Him
and constantly abide in this Christian unity, which is well pleasing
to Him. Amen.” Triglotta: Page 837, 23.

J. R. SHEPPARD, Pastor
Emmaus Luth. Church, Tripp, S. Dak.

ArtHuR W. MEYER Par MUELLER
G. H. Sterren H.H. Kuesn

March 10, 1950

March 21, 1950

Objections to Statement of Doctrinal Unity
(Memorial 606)

The Southwest Minnesota Pastoral Conference submits the fol-
lowing for consideration: We, the pastors of the Southwest Minne-
sota Conference, in session March 6, 1950, at Luverne, Minn., object
to the “Unity Statement” prepared by members of the Missouri
Synod and American Lutheran Church Committees, on the grounds
that the “Statement” does not clearly state the Antithesis.

We recommend that the “Statement” of the Unity Committee
be considered a document for further study rather than a matter
of confession. . ;

We, therefore, offer the following resolution: “Be it resolved,
that The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod consider the “State-
ment of Unity” drawn up by the committees on Union of both
The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod. and The American Lu-
theran Church as a document for further study rather than a mat-.
ter of confession.” We urge adoption.

SourHwest MINNESOTA PaSTORAL CONFERENCE
Rev. J. G. STErnMEYER, Chairman
Rev. G. L. Karu, Secretary