# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1983_S92 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 92 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS areas of the country where pastors and congregations of the Synod are carrying out evangelism work among Jewish people. In response to this assignment the commission, therefore, adopted the following resolution as a way of providing guid- ance to the members of the Synod and its boards and agencies: WHEREAS, Anti-Semitism and other forms of racism are a continuing problem in our world; and WHEREAS, Some of Luther's intemperate remarks about the Jews are often cited in this connection; and WHEREAS, It is widely but falsely assumed that Luther’s personal writings and opinions have some official status among us (thus, sometimes, implying the responsibility of contemporary Lutheranism for those statements, if not com- plicity in them); but also WHEREAS, It is plain from Scripture that the Gospel must be proclaimed to all people— that is. toJews also, no more and no less than to others—(Matt. 28:18-20); and WHEREAS, This Scriptural mandate is sometimes confused with anti-Semitism, therefore be it Resolved, That we condemn any and all discrimination against others on account of race or religion or any coercion on that account and pledge ourselves to work and witness against such sins; and be it further Resolved, That we reaffirm that the bases of our doctrine and practice are the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions and not Luther, as such; and be it further Resolved, That while, on the one hand, we are deeply indebtedto Luther for his rediscovery and enunciation of the Gospel, on the other hand, we deplore and disassociate our- selves from Luther's negative statements about the Jewish people; and, by the same token, we deplore the use today of such sentiments by Luther to incite anti-Christian and/or anti- Lutheran sentiment, and be it further Resolved, That in our teaching and preaching we take care not to confuse the religion of the Old Testament (often labelled “Yahwism”’) with the subsequent Judaism, nor misleadingly speak about “Jews” in the Old Testament (‘‘Israelites” or “Hebrews” being much more accurate terms), lest we obscure the basic claim of the New Testament and of the Gospel to being in substantial continuity with the Old Testament and that the fulfillment of the ancient promises came in Jesus Christ; and be it further Resolved, That we avoid the recurring pitfall of recrimi- nation (as illustrated by the remarks of Luther and many of the early church fathers) against those who do not respond positively to our evangelistic efforts; and be it finally Resolved, That, in that light, we personally and indi- vidually adopt Luther’s final attitude toward the Jewish people, as evidenced in his last sermon: ‘‘We want to treat them with Christian love and to pray for them, so that they might become converted and would receive the Lord” (Weimar edition, Vol. 51, p. 195). 3. Tuition Tax Credits In the fall of 1982 President BohImann appointed a special committee to prepare information for the use of the Synod and its various departments on the question of tuition tax credits. This committee.presented a document to the President with the suggestion that the CTCR review and endorse its introductory statement. In response to this suggestion President Bohlmann sent this document to the CTCR with the request that the commission endorse the introductory statement and with the invitation that the CTCR “add or subtract anything that will strengthen the document in any way.” Having reviewed the materials forwarded by Dr. Bohlmann, the commission, at its November 1982 meeting, concluded “that it finds nothing contrary to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions in the introductory statement of the ‘Tuition Tax Credit Information Bulletin.” 4. Board of Directors Request on Classification of “Ministers” for Purposes of Federal Law Following its December 1982 meeting the Board of Directors of the Synod submitted to the commission for review a resolution to be proposed to the 1983 convention requesting the Synod to approve classification of positions of workers in the Synod. Having carefully examined this proposal on the basis of its study of the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions as summarized in “The Ministry: Offices. Procedures, Nomen- clature,”’ the commission has concluded the following: It is the opinion of the CTCR that there is nothing in the basic proposal of the Board of Directors for the classification of ministers that is contrary to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. This proposal does not imply any deviation from the Synod’s traditional position on the doctrine of the ministry. The CTCR commends the Board of Directors on its concern for developing clear categories of classification and proper recognition for all of the professional church workers who serve the congregations and schools of the Synod so faithfully. II. CHURCH RELATIONS A. Inter-Lutheran Relationships 1. Partner Churches a. International Lutheran Conference The 10th consultation of the International Lutheran Con- ference convened in St. Louis on Aug. 5—12, 1981, under the theme ‘“‘The Challenge to the Theology of the Cross of New Cults.” Participating in this session of the ILC were repre- sentatives from the following Lutheran churches throughout the world: Lutheran Church of Argentina, Evangelical Luther- an Church of Brazil, Lutheran Church—Canada, the Council of Lutheran Churches in Central America and Panama, Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Denmark, Evangelical Lutheran Church Synod of France and Belgium, Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Germany, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana, Lutheran Church—Hong Kong Synod, India Evangelical Lutheran Church, Japan Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church in Korea, Lutheran Synod of Mexico, Lutheran Church of Nigeria, Gutnius Lutheran Church— Papua New Guinea, the Lutheran Church in the Philippines, the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, Conference of Luther- an Churches of Venezuela, Evangelical Lutheran Church of England, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and the Lutheran Church of Australia (observer). Dr. Ralph Bohlmann officially represented the LCMS. Dr. Edward Westcott and Rev. Leland Stevens also participated in the conference as guests. The International Lutheran Conference meets every three years to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern. The next consultation of the ILC is scheduled to be held in Obot Idim, Nigeria, in 1984. The ILC was saddened by the sudden death of its chairman, Dr. E. G. Pearce, on Nov. 24, 1982. Dr. Pearce served as chairman of four consultations of the ILC (1972—Madras, India; 1975—Porto Allegre, Brazil; 1978— Papua New Guinea; 1981—St. Louis, Mo., USA) and provided outstanding leadership as a churchman and theologian dedi- cated to the unity and strength of the churches of the ILC. b. Confessional Lutheran Church of Finland President Bohlmann reported at the September 1982 meet- ing of the CTCR that he had received a letter dated May 11, 1982, from Rev. Markku Sarela, president of the Confessional Lutheran Church of Finland, in which on behalf of the CLCF he extended once again the hand of church fellowship to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. As the commission re- ported to the 1971 convention of the Synod, the CLCF withdrew from church fellowship with the Synod in 1970, indicating that it considered the Synod to have departed from its confessionsal standards. Over the years the Synod, through its president, has maintained contacts with the CLCF in the hope that our brethren in this church would once again express their desire to restore fellowship with the Synod, a relationship our churches enjoyed for nearly 50 years prior to the CLCF’s decision in 1970. The commission was pleased to hear Dr. Bohlmann report, therefore, that the CLCF has now come to regard the LCMS “‘as an orthodox church body” and once again has extended “the hand of fellowship” to The Lutheran—Church Missouri Synod. At Dr. Bohlmann’s request the commission considered Rev.