# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S72
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

72 THEOLOGICAL MATTERS

appointed Rev. Dr. Warren G. Rubel of Concordia
Senior College to complete the unexpired term of Pas-
tor Seltz on the commission.

Clearinghouse

In keeping with the statement of the Synod’s Hand-
book (11.113, b, 2), the commission has tried to make
the various agencies of the Synod aware of their re-
sponsibility for clearing worship materials with the
commission whenever these materials are intended for
corporate worship. Until the present edition of the
Handbook was published, it seems that various boards,
departments, and agencies were unaware of this pro-
cedure. The commission sincerely hopes that coopera-
tion in this area of concern will continue to increase.

The commission likewise hopes that members of the
Synod will continue to call upon the commission and its
members for assistance in explaining worship matters
and in developing understanding and new forms in the
field of worship. The commission welcomes invitations
for such service from District, conference, circuit, con-
gregation, and individual member. It also requests that
members of the Synod will continue to share with the
commission’s office copies of worship materials devel-
oped in the various areas of the church, especially such
as are designed for meeting specific local needs.

COMMISSION ON WORSHIP
ADALBERT R. KRETZMANN, Chairman
E. THEO, DELANEY, Executive Secretary

(2-03)

To Have All Convention Actions Conform to
“Scripture Alone” and “Justification by
Faith Alone”

The Lutheran Witness of April 4, 1961. informed its
readers that a professor of Concordia Seminary, Saint
Louis, Mo., had taken a position on Scripture contrary
to the position held by our Synod.

Concordia Theological Monthly of February 1965
(p. 68) said:

However, in very recent years another type of theology

has gained prominence in our circles, a theology which

cannot be simply and easily described. The label “Biblical
theology” is not adequate. ... One could use the term

“heilsgeschichtliche theology” if one always had 15 pages

at his disposal to define precisely what is meant by it

(it required 27 pages in the October issue of this journal).

“Heilsgeschichtliche theology” is a brand of theology
dealing with the history of salvation while rejecting
the doctrines of Scripture’s divine origin, inspiration,
authority, infallibility, and inerrancy.

The same journal, in its issue of October 1964 (pp.
956—65), published an article opposing the position that
John 10:35 expresses Christ’s teaching regarding the
infallibility and inerrancy of the Scripture text which
God had His prophets put into writing.

Attacks upon Scripture have by no means died out
in our Synod. In opposition to all the God-given Law
propositions and Gospel propositions found in Scrip-
ture, certain man-made propositions are offered in the

Lutheran Witness of June 1968, p. 22, col. A, par. 3,
reading:

But faith in propositions rather than Persons threatens

many traditionalists. The living hope Christians hold de-

pends on a God who is gracious and merciful, not on
exact propositions. The validity of that hope appears in
the person and the action of Jesus Christ.

As a member of the Lutheran Council in the U.S. A.,
our Synod got itself involved in the publication of a
booklet titled Who Can This Be? In direct contradiction
of Phil. 2:5 ff., this booklet says (p. 23):

Jesus rather embraced his humanity and accepted his
creatureliness, emptying himself of any aspiration to be
as God.

Manifestly there is an urgent need for repentance.
Accordingly, the undersigned herewith respectfully pe-
titions The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod to
adopt the following resolution:

Whereas, Christ “died for all” sinners of all time
(2 Cor. 5:14; 1 Tim. 2:6: 1 John 2:2); and

Wuereas, God has blessed all baptized believers “by
the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy
Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ, our Savior” (Titus 3:4-6): and

Whereas, God in His great mercy has bestowed also
on His saints (Rom. 1:7; 16:15; Eph. 4:12) in The Lu-
theran Church — Missouri Synod many precious ma-
terial and spiritual blessings, among the latter being
especially

1) the blessing of causing them to be “born again
of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:5); and

2) the blessing of sending them His Holy Spirit
(Gal. 4:6: 1 Cor. 3:16) to carry out also all other phases
of His sanctifying work, in addition to “the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (1 Cor.
6:11; Eph. 1:17; Rom. 8:14, 16-17, 26: 2 Cor. 1:22); and

Wuereas, God warns us not to quench the Holy Spirit
(1 Thess. 5:19) nor even to cause Him any grief what-
soever (Eph. 4:30); and

Wuereas, Deliberate and persistent attacking of
Scripture by persons calling themselves Christians
causes them to turn into

1) rebels against the Person of the Holy Spirit, the
divine Author of Holy Scripture (Acts 1:16; 28:25;
1 Peter 1:11; 2 Peter 1:19 ff.; Heb. 10:15 f: 2 Tim.
3:16 f.: Matt. 22:31; John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:13;
1 Thess, 2:13; Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19);

2) despisers of the Holy Spirit's gift of His written
Word, through which He gives us revealed knowledge,
not only regarding God’s Law (1 Cor. 2:11; Rom. 7:7:
3:19; John 16:7 ff.: Gen. 6:3) but especially also re-
garding the Gospel of redemption through the God-man
Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 2:6-10; Eph. 3:5; Heb. 10:29);

3) dupes of Satan who let the Father of Lies fool
them into ignoring, neglecting, and spurning the Holy
Spirit’s written offer of justification by faith and the
resultant assurance of salvation (Acts 10:43; 1 Cor.
6:11; Eph. 1:18; Luke 7:30; Acts 7:51); and