# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S58
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

58 THEOLOGICAL MATTERS

our pastors and teachers on the subject of Biblical au-
thority and interpretation.

B. Authorship of Biblical Books

In response to a 1965 request by President Harms
and the urging of the 1967 synodical convention (Reso-
lution 2-22, 1967 Proceedings, p. 93), the commission has
continued its study of the authorship of certain Biblical
books, chiefly in the Old Testament, and of the issues
associated with this question. The first step in this
study was entitled The Witness of Jesus and Old Testa-
ment Authorship. The 1967 convention asked pastoral
conferences to study and discuss this document and in-
structed the commission to “issue a reply to the church
which answers the questions and concerns submitted to
the commission, clarifying the language and content of
the document” (Resolution 2-03, 1967 Proceedings,
p. 88). After carefully examining the responses received
from individuals and conferences, the commission pre-
pared and distributed the requested reply to the Synod
(cf. WorKsook Appendix). The commission recom-
mends:

3. That the statement entitled “A Response to Ques-
tions on The Witness of Jesus and Old Testament Au-
thorship” be received as fulfilling the request of the New
York convention.

C. “What Is a Doctrine?”

The 1965 synodical convention requested the com-
mission to give additional study to the nature and defi-
nition of the term “doctrine.” The resulting document,
A Review of the Question “What Is a Doctrine?” was
“commended to the Synod’s membership for study and
discussion” and “referred to the 1969 convention of the
Synod for adoption” (Resolution 2-36, 1967 Proceedings,
p.97). Accordingly the commission recommends:

4. That A Review of the Question “What Is a Doc-
trine?” be received by the Synod and commended to its
members as expressing the Synod's understanding of
this matter.

D. Immortality of the Soul

Since its beginning in 1962, the commission has been
studying questions pertaining to the immortality of the
soul and the resurrection of the body. After hearing
and examining several papers by various authors, the
commission recently adopted and distributed a position
paper on this matter (cf. WorKBooK Appendix). The
commission recommends:

5. That the position paper entitled A Statement on
Death, Resurrection, and Immortality be received by
the Synod and commended to its members for reference
and guidance.

E. Creation

In response to inquiries about New York Resolution
2-31 (1967 Proceedings, p. 95) and because of the wide-
spread need for Christians to understand and appreciate
more adequately the full significance of God’s creation,
the commission has undertaken a comprehensive study
of the many dimensions of the Biblical teaching on cre-

ation and its relationship to present-day problems. The
proposed document is now being drafted and will be
distributed to the church as soon as it has been com-
pleted.

F. Ethical Questions

The commission has considered many current ethical
problems in the past biennium. Some problems, such
as work and leisure, abortion, sterilization, and eutha-
nasia, were referred to the commission by the 1967
convention (Resolution 2-28, 1967 Proceedings, p. 94).
Other topics, such as military service, selective consci-
entious objection, and capital punishment, were sug-
gested by individual responses to New York Resolutions
2-35 and 2-38 (1967 Proceedings, pp. 96—97). The com-
mission has become keenly aware that it lacks sufficient
resources of time and money to deal with these issues
comprehensively and thoroughly and has therefore had
to limit the objectives of its study program accordingly.

Theological Basis. The commission has devoted con-
siderable time to the preparation of a statement on the
theological base and posture from which Lutheran
Christians address themselves to the ethical questions
of our time. This project has not yet been completed.

Civic Issues. The commission addressed itself to the
proper Christian relationship to government, civic
order, violence and war, and conscience. The resulting
document was distributed to the Synod in 1968 (cf.
WorKBook Appendix). The commission recommends:

6. That the document entitled Guidelines for Crucial
Issues in Christian Citizenship be received by the Synod
and commended to its membership for reference and
guidance.

Work and Leisure. The commission asked President
Harms to refer this, subject to the Commission on Social
Action for study and the possible preparation of ma-
terials.

Euthanasia, Abortion, and Sterilization. The com-
mission's study is attempting to define the various tech-
nical, scientific, medical, and legal factors involved in
this complex of issues before attempting to assess the
various alternatives from a theological-ethical point of
view.

G. Ordination and Diaconate

A resolution calling for the ordination of called male
teachers was referred to the commission by the 1965
synodical convention (Resolution 5-14, 1965 Proceed-
mgs, p. 127). In order to deal adequately with the doc-
trinal issues involved, the commission has been engaged
in a comprehensive study of ordination and its relation-
ship to the church’s various ministries. Individual in-
quiries about the propriety of lay distribution of Holy
Communion have been made a part of this study, as has
the question of the diaconate referred to the commission
by the 1967 convention (Resolution 2-28, 1967 Proceed-
ings, p.94). In the course of its study the commission
has learned that other agencies within the Synod, as
well as the Division of Theological Studies of the Lu-
theran Council in the U.S. A., are at work on similar