# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S84 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 84 RESOLUTIONS b. enable boards and commissions of the Synod to be faithful to the New Testament concept of healing as basic to mission and ministry; c. offer professional counsel and competent assistance to the boards and commissions of the Synod in establishing and operating programs and institutions involved with Christian concern for health and healing in North America or over- seas; d. stimulate interest among the Synod’s youth to choose careers in the healing professions, provide counsel and guid- ance, and administer a scholarship fund for those in training; assist in recruitment of health-related personnel; help to provide specific preservice training for professional people preparatory to church-related medical: work at home and abroad; e. relate to all commissions and agencies, church-spon- sored or church-related, and make available its competence and concern for the healing ministry. The council may also initiate or respond to coordinating efforts with other individ- uals and institutions which are involved in God’s healing work; f. serve as spokesman for The Lutheran Church — Mis- souri Synod in its concerns about health and healing to other groups, agencies, foundations, governments, and the like; g. provide a channel of communication to professional people involved in Christian medical work abroad and at home and to the Synod and its administrative units. It shall speak in behalf of the Synod and its administration to people in Christian medical work. To this end it shall provide a publication primarily for these audiences. 8.73 Secretary for Medical Work The Secretary for Medical Work of the Board for Missions shall be appointed by the Board for Missions upon recom- mendation of the Council for Christian Medical Work. He shall serve in a staff relationship to the council but shall be administratively responsible to the Executive Secretary of the Board for Missions. 17.07 Relationship to the Synod The Lutheran Medical Mission Association is recognized as a service group within the Synod to cooperate with the Council for Christian Medical Work and with the Secretary for Medical Work of the Board for Missions. Action: Adopted in form given above (16). (8.71a was amended to have the Board of Directors rather than the President do the appointing. The inclusion of LCUSA in 8.71d was accepted by the committee.) To Commend and Support Board for Missions and Missionaries RESOLUTION 1-24 Report 1-01 (CW, pp. 1—49) Wuereas, God has greatly blessed our church with the gift of dedicated and capable men to serve on the Board for Missions and as missionaries in our world- wide outreach; and Wuereas, The report of the Board for Missions dem- onstrates this dedication in terms of faithfulness, on- going plans, and vision for the future as exemplified in the lives of its workers; therefore be it Resolved, That we thank and commend the Board for Missions for its report and faithfulness to the church’s mission; and be it further Resolved, That we encourage them to persevere in the work which they have begun; and be it further Resolved, That we thank God for the gift of the peo- ple of God who as God’s epistles speak and live the Gospel of Christ to God’s people wherever they are; and be it finally Resolved, That we ask God’s continued blessing upon their labors and pray that He continue to hold up their hands so that all they do and say may be to His glory and our good. Action: Adopted (16). 2. THEOLOGICAL MATTERS To Answer Concerns re Authorship of Pentateuch and Book of Isaiah RESOLUTION 2-01 Overtures 2-09 to 2-18 (CW, pp. 75—76) Wuereas, The Synod in the Detroit convention, Reso- lution 2-35 (Proceedings, 1965, p. 103), has spoken forth- rightly and wisely on the “Authorship of the Pentateuch and the Book of Isaiah”: Resolved, That the Synod answer these questions by appealing to what the Scriptures themselves say, as for example: “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me; for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?” (John 5: 46-47; cf. Luke 24:27). “And He stood up to read; and there was given to Him the book of the prophet Isaiah” (Luke 4: 16- 17; cf. Matt. 4:14-16; Rom. 10:16-20). Thus the Scriptures ascribe the Pentateuch and the Book of Isaiah to Moses and Isaiah respectively. The Scriptures do not in so many words ascribe the human authorship exclusively to these men, but neither do they in so many words negate these conclusions; and be it further Resolved, That while we uphold the importance of the human authorship of the Scriptures, even though the human author of each book cannot be ascertained, we recognize that divine authorship is the dominant factor in the origin of the Bible, as the Synod emphasizes in the statement it adopted in 1959 (Proceedings, p.189): “We condemn and reject any and all teachings and statements that would limit the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scrip- ture or that deny the divine authorship of certain por- tions of Scripture” (Statement on Scripture, 1958); and be it finally Resolved, That in our preaching and teaching we do not bind consciences by saying more than the Scriptures say on these matters, and that, on the other hand, we warn against the use of theories regarding the authorship of Isaiah and the Pentateuch which detract from or nullify the divine authority of these books. and WHEREAS, The Commission on Theology and Church Relations is continuing the study of this question; there- fore be it Resolved, That the concerns of these overtures have been and are being met; and be it also Resolved, That the authors of these overtures direct any further concerns or questions in this matter to the Commission on Theology and Church Relations. Action: Adopted (10). To Urge Concern for Continued Exercise of Doctrinal Discipline RESOLUTION 2-02 Overture 2-03 (CW, pp. 72—73) Wuereas, Concern is expressed that the Synod be