# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S78
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

78 THEOLOGICAL MATTERS

monish, correct, and discipline those who express them-
selves contrary to the doctrinal and confessional position

of our Synod. Sr. Joun’s LuTHERAN CHURCH

Oberlin, Kans.
Exton H. Teme, Pastor

(2-26)

To Introduce Corrective Measures

Wuereas, Many hearts and souls in The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod are sad, deeply disturbed,
and stirred in their affiliation with The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod by reason of disarming de-
velopments in the following areas, to wit:

1. Acceptance of God’s Word as God’s inerrant Word
. Unionism

. The church’s business in the world

Synod as an advisory body

. Separation of church and state

. Lodgery

. Doctrinal discipline

oA AU ek wD

. Teaching practices at preparatory and terminal
schools

9. Supervision of doctrine through District confer-
ences
10. Official publications; and
Wuereas, The conscience of conscientious Christians
is being violated and the response to proper protest is
short on concern for such as these; and

Wuereas, Our pastors are being embarrassingly cate-
gorized as liberal, middle-of-the-road, or ultracon-
servative, leaving a “bad flavor”; and

Wuereas, The human effectiveness of the Gospel
ministry has been heavily handicapped by created anxi-
eties in our church body; and

Whereas, Congregations are shaken in their loyalty
and are withholding their support; and

Wuereas, Countless pastors are fighting their con-
sciences in the matter of personal support for the Syn-
od’s work, which should be the work of the Lord; and

WueREAS, Such pastors are desperate in their con-
cern for their own soul’s salvation, lest having preached
to others they themselves become castaways; and

Wuereas, There are those people, pastors, and con-
gregations who by the Holy Spirit’s direction have al-
ready declared themselves separate from our church
body by reason of conscience after years of dedicated
and devoted effort in the interest of Bible truth in
teaching and in practice; and

Wuereas, There are more who are contemplating or
in the process of separating themselves from member-
ship in The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod in fa-
vor of other synods; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod in general convention assembled instruct its

Board of Directors with the Council of Presidents to
take immediate, drastic, yet evangelical action in intro-

ducing and implementing public corrective measures,
sincerely indicated and actively pursued, by God’s
Word and Spirit to return our beloved Synod to “the
old paths wherein is the good way,” that our Confes-
sions may be more than “patient paper,” and our place
in the world be truly representative, under God, of
what our Lord would have us be and do.

FaiTH LUTHERAN CONGREGATION

LaCrosse, Wis.
Rev. A. H. FrInKeE, Pastor

(2-27)

The same overture was submitted by the pastors of
Circuit 15, South Wisconsin District: John Pingel,
Counselor, A. H. Frinke, D. Heck, H. Drachenberg, M.
Hargens, C. A. Rathjen.

(2-28)

To Remove Disunity

Wuereas, Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed that the
church may have unity in fellowship through and on
the basis of the apostolic Word:

Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, which Thou hast
given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one....
Sanctify them in the truth; Thy Word is truth... .I do
not pray for these only but also for those who believe in
Me through their word, that they may all be one; even
as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also
may be in Us, so that the world may believe that Thou
has sent Me. (John 17:11, 17, 20-21)

and the apostle Paul urged Christians that they all say
and speak the same thing in matters of doctrine (1 Cor.
1:10; cf. also 11, 12) and urged efforts to maintain the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:1-3);
and

Wuereas, The apostle Paul publicly rebuked the
error of practice committed by the apostle Peter (Gal.
2:11-14), which was an error of doctrine and which
error had caused grievous offense to the church, and
the apostle Paul further admonished Christians: “I ap-
peal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create
dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine
which you have been taught; avoid them. For such
persons do not serve our Lord Christ but their own
appetites, and by fair and flattering words they deceive
the hearts of the simpleminded.” (Rom. 16:17—18); and

Wuereas, Our blessed Savior warned that a house
divided against itself cannot stand (Matt. 12:25); and

Whereas, In our day and in our Synod, as is com-
mon knowledge, two different theologies of the Word
of God and the Gospel exist:

O. P. Kretzmann, former president and now chancel-
lor of Valparaiso University, has his literary alter ego,
Theophilus, say (in arguing for selective altar and pul-
pit fellowship between pastors of The Lutheran Church
— Missouri Synod and The American Lutheran
Church): “If being screwed up is grounds for denial of
fellowship, there are a couple of guys in my circuit that
I shouldn’t be in fellowship with ... when I am required
to withhold fellowship with my fellow pastors of an-