# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S506
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

506 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS

divisions and offenses both in her own body and in the entire
Synodical Conference. Such divisions and offenses are of long
standing. (cf. Proceedings 1939 — p. 159; 1941 —p. 43 f; 74 ff; 1947
—p. 104 ff; 114f; 1949p. 114 ff; 1951 — p. 110 ff; 1953 — p. 95 ff)

Moreover, Dr. John W. Behnken, President of the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod, in two recent articles in “The Lutheran
Witness” (July 19 and August 2, 1955) has intensified these divi-
sions and offenses by attempting to justify the position of the Lu-
theran Church-Missouri Synod through bare declarations that its
position is correct and the charges of our Synod are false, without,
at least up to this time, bringing the facts of the controversy into
true focus. We do not wish to imply that this has been intentional,
since that would involve a judgment on our part, but we do main-
tain that it has made more difficult the possibility of reaching
Scriptural agreement on the issues that are dividing the two
Synods.

In view of these facts your Floor Committee, together with
the Standing Committee in Matters of Church Union, affirms

“1. That we declare that the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

a) by reaffirming its acceptance of the Common Confession as
a ‘settlement of past differences which are in fact not settled’
(Proc. 1951, page 146), and

b) by its persistent adherence to its unionistic practices (the
Common Confession, joint prayer, scouting, chaplaincy, communion
agreement with the National Lutheran Council, cooperation with
unorthodox church bodies in matters clearly not in the field of
externals; negotiating with lodges and Boy Scouts of America
with the plea that this gives opportunity to bear witness, under
the same plea taking part in unionistic religious programs and
in activities of unionistic church federations; negotiating for pur-
poses of union with a church body whose official position it is that
it is neither possible nor necessary to agree in all matters of
doctrine and which contends for an allowable and wholesome
latitude of theological opinion on the basis of the teachings of
the Word of God) has brought about the present break in relations
that is now threatening the existence of the Synodical Conference
and the continuance of our affiliation with the sister Synod.”
(cf. Reports and Memorials, Thirty-third Convention — The Evan-
gelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Wisconsin and Other States, p. 44)

Resolutions

Out of love for the truth of Scripture we feel constrained to
present the following resolution to this convention for final action
in a recessed session in 1956:

Res
has cree
and pra
the com
lowship

We

1.1

2. 1
tience :
Missouw

TH
rangem

AN
Matters
ensuing

AN
of our
this ev.
meet a
ference
will mc

AN
souri £
our Sy

Wi
laid de
and re

TE
spiritu
world,
in thes

Al
be drz
of Pre
Comm