# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2016_S472
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

472

CHURCH AND CULTURE

14-16

To Provide Leadership in Matters of Marriage,
Family, and Sexuality
Whereas, There is a great deal of confusion in society regarding
God’s good design for marriage, family, and human sexuality; and
Whereas, This seems to be a part of a larger ongoing decay in
Christian values and mind-set in American society, as evidenced also
in the official positions of other church bodies; and
Whereas, We are all sinners who constantly need forgiveness
and correction; and
Whereas, Young people are especially subject to confusion and
are poorly equipped to respond to these challenges, even in their own
minds and personal conduct; and
Whereas, There is need for support and guidance to be offered
to those who struggle with various sexual temptations and sins and
yet want to live a faithful life in accordance with God’s Word; and
Whereas, There is also a great need to reach out in love and compassion to those who are not troubled in their conscience about living
and thinking in ways that are unfaithful to the Scriptures with regard
to human sexuality; and
Whereas, There is a Synod task force already working on this;
therefore be it
Resolved, That the Minnesota South (MNS) District encourage
the Synod, its seminaries, and its universities to put a high priority on
providing leadership in this area; and be it further
Resolved, That pastors and congregations be implored to provide
responsible pastoral care in this area through their preaching, teaching, and counseling; and be it finally
Resolved, That the MNS District memorialize the Synod to establish a full-time position to provide leadership in matters of marriage,
family, and human sexuality.
Minnesota South District
14-17

To Inform Members re Deception
of Alternative Sexual Lifestyles
Whereas, “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor.
11:14); and
Whereas, “[Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, and has
nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father
of lies” (John 8:44); and
Whereas, Satan is “crafty” (Gen. 3:1) and deceptively and craftily changes God’s Word (“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of
any tree in the garden?’ ” [Gen. 3:1]); and
Whereas, Satan denies God’s Word (“You will not surely die”
[Gen. 3:4]); and
Whereas, Satan lies: “ … your eyes will be opened, and you will
be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5); and
Whereas, Satan’s words are “a delight to the eyes” and “desired
to make one wise” (Gen. 3:6); and
Whereas, “Everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man,
the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does—comes
not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16); and
Whereas, Our own sinful nature opposes the good and gracious
will of God (“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature” [Rom. 7:18]); and
2016 Convention Workbook

Whereas, The devil, the world, and our sinful nature try to mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great sins (cf. Luther’s
Small Catechism;1 Pet. 5:8–9; Prov. 1:10; Matt. 18:7; Gal. 5:17;
2 Cor. 4:8); and
Whereas, The purity of the Gospel is to be maintained (John
10:35; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; 2 Pet. 1:21; Rom. 3:4; 2 Cor. 10:5; Col. 2:8;
Rev. 22:18–19; and especially Eph. 5:31–32); therefore be it
Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, through
official communications, clearly inform its members (congregations,
ministers of religion—ordained, and ministers of religion—commissioned) of the scriptural truths of male and female identity; and be
it further
Resolved, That the Synod, through official communications,
clearly inform its members of the scriptural truths of marriage and
its purposes; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod, through official communications,
clearly inform its members of the scriptural truths of homosexuality, bisexuality, transgender identity, and other sexual identities that
are contrary to Scripture.
Circuit 8
Kansas District
14-18

To Support Pastors and Laity in Firmly Confessing
Biblical Understanding of Human Sexuality
Whereas, The Synod in convention has repeatedly confessed the
biblical teaching that marriage between one man and one woman is a
blessed estate, and that sexual activity between any persons outside
of biblical marriage, including those of the same sex, is contrary to
the Word of God; and
Whereas, There is increasing pressure from our culture to accept
LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, questioning, etc.) lifestyles as legitimate and God pleasing; and
Whereas, We are called as the church to stand contra mundum
(against the world) as the apostle states, “They are from the world;
therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.
We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not
from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth
and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:5–6); therefore be it
Resolved, That the Montana District memorialize the 2016 LCMS
convention to direct the Office of the President to see to the production of resources for church and civil realms using various media to
assist pastors and laity in communicating in the spirit of truth and
grace what Scripture teaches regarding sexual aberrations.
Montana District
14-19

To Encourage Church Members
and Elected Officials to Value, Exercise,
and Protect Religious Freedom
Whereas, Our freedom of religion is arguably our greatest freedom and the freedom upon which all the others depend; and
Whereas, One of the primary motives our forebears in the LCMS
had for leaving their homeland and coming to the United States was
the promise of greater religious freedom offered not just in the abstract
but also in practice, thus allowing them to live out the implications of
their Christian faith in daily life; and