# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1983_S110 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 110 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 3-42 To Deal with Gambling WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has al- ways taught that gambling is a sin: 1. The Milwaukee Federation of Lutheran Churches’ Dialog and Doctrine Commission said in a 1975 statement on gambling, “Since gambling violates commandments. 7. 9 and 10. possibly also commandments 1 and 2. by taking neighbor's goods. coveting. trusting to luck rather than in God. and in some cases even involving God in situations of vice and sin: “Therefore. gambling in all its forms. also church gambling (bingo, raffles), must be identified as wrong. and Christians should be encouraged not to engage in any form of gambling. but instead to trust in God's goodness for His blessings. to labor honestly in their daily tasks, and to serve God and their neighbors with their goods as His faithful stewards” (CE. pp. 949—S1). 2. “Gambling—is it a sport? Is it sin? Let there be no doubt about the answer. The answer from the Word is all too clear. No matter how you disguise it. emerging as it does from our own hasic motives. a love for money, at another's expense, only one answer is possible: SIN.” (Dr. Eugene W. Linse. executive secretary of the LCMS's Board for Social Ministry Services. The Lutheran Witness, No- vember 1982): and WHEREAS, Gambling has become big business throughout the world. and many of our LCMS members are being asked to vote on gambling: therefore be it Resolved. That the LCMS reaffirm and publicize its position that gambling is a sin. Trinity Lutheran Church New Heaven, Mo. Orville Mevér. Secretary 3-43 To Deal with Liberals on LCMS Clergy Roster WHEREAS, There are still some theological liberals on the clergy roster of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod who reject the scriptural position of the LCMS: 1. Dr. Martin Scharlemann wrote in 1980: Some among us seem to think that the “wars” are behind us. We are even being told officially that things are going wellin the LCMS, also doctrinally. That is simply not fact. Those who would subvert our strong confessional heritage are still very much with us and among us. At the moment they are keeping a low profile: but at the first opportunity they will he right there to pick up at the very point where the battle against theological indifference seemed to have been won for a moment. We still bave district presidents who play fast and loose with the seminex perversion. They will use every conceivable device to circumvent what has repeatedly been expressed as the wish of our church body (The Christian News Encyclopedia. p. 1245). 2. This vear Affirm. which is published by loyal members of the LCMS, said that the LCMS still has some serious problems. Affirm said that the problems which remain include these and others: Whole districts of Missouri form reputed havens for liberal-minded clergy: some district presidents openly take liberal stances: recurring unionism plagues us: some Sem graduates during the vears of its boldest liberalism quietly act and preach according to the liberal theology they learned: only a handful of our campus pastors hold conservative views; unlomism remains tbe fashion in our welfare ministry: Missouri's school system finds itself deeply troubled. . . . 3. Seminex has said that one of its surveys indicates that almost all graduates of Seminex certified by the LCMS still are in basic accord with the theology of Seminex. 4. Evangelical Lutherans in Mission said that at one time some 2,000 LCMS clergymen were in accord with the theo- logical position of ELIM and Seminex. ELIM says that a major portion of the financial support for Seminex comes from pastors and lay members of the LCMS. 5. Some professors of Seminex. evolutionists. proabortion- ists,and charismatics are still on the clergy roster of the LCMS. 6. The Christian News Encvclopedia includes a number of petitions and resolutions which were signed by several hundred LCMS clergymen supporting Seminex. Some clearly expressed support for the theological position of Seminex. While some of the signers of these petitions have left the LCMS, many are still listed on the 1983 clergy roster of the LCMS. These LCMS pastors and professors have been asked if they ever withdrew their signatures from the petition they signed supporting Seminex. Some have made it clear that they reject the anti- Scriptural theology of Seminex, but many of the signers of these petitions supporting Seminex and ELIM still appear to bein accord with the theological position of Seminex which the LCMS has rejected. (The committee dealing with this reso- lution will be furnished copies of the letters sent to the signers of the petitions and copies of responses received): therefore be it Resolved, That the LCMS ask all those who signed state- ments backing Seminex to declare that they agree with the LCMS that the theology of Seminex as it is expressed in Seminex's Faithful to Our Calling—Faithful to Our Lord is contrary to Holy Scripture: and be it further Resolved, That those who signed statements backing the position of Seminex be asked to declare that they now maintain that there should not be room within the LCMS for clergymen who teach that (1) the Bible contains errors; (2) man evolved from some primary organism; (3) the first five books of the Biblecame from the J-E-D and P sources: and(4) women should be ordained to the holy ministry. Trinity Lutheran Church New Haven. Mo. Orville Mever, Secretary 3-44 To Deal with Divorced Clergymen WHEREAS, One of the most grievous tragedies facing almost all denominations is divorce among clergymen; and WHEREAS, The only Scriptural grounds for divorce are adultery and desertion (Matt. 19:9:5:32; 1 Cor. 7:15; see Samuel Nafzger., “Divorce and Remarriage.’ Lutheran Witness. June 1982); and WHEREAs, Clergymen should set good examples for their congregations: therefore be it Resolved, That the LCMS reaffirm its Scriptural policy of allowing divorce only for adultery and desertion: and be it further Resolved. That clergymen who have secured an unscrip- tural divorce and who refuse to repent of this sin be removed from the clergy roster of the LCMS: and be it finally Resolved, That we recognize that there is forgiveness for all sins. “But also here we must remember that in Christ there is forgiveness for ALL sins, including the sin of putting asunder that which God has joined together. To be sure. genuine repentance necessarily includes the desire for reconciliation. When reconciliation is impossible, however, because the former partner has either remarried or is unwilling to be reconciled, then remarriage becomes a possiblity” (Nafzger. “Statement on Divorce and Remarriage’). Trinity Lutheran Church New Haven. Mo. Orville Mever. Secretary 3-45 To Deal with Homosexuals in the Churches WHEREAS, An increasing number of denominations, includ- ing some Lutheran Churches, are accepting practicing homo- sexuals and even homosexual clergymen who refuse to repent of the sin of homosexuality; and WHEREAS, Homosexuality is clearly condemned in God's Word as sin (Lev. 18:22; 20:13: Rom. 1:24-27); and