# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1977_S130 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 130 RESOLUTIONS Resolved, That the Synod commend the Special Committee on Doctrinal Statements for its work and adopt its recommendations as amended: PROPOSED WORDING I. SYNODICAL ORGANIZATION A. CONFESSION 1.01 Confessional Position The confessional position of the Synod is set forth in Article II of its Constitution, to which all who wish to be and remain members of the Synod shall subscribe. 1.02 Doctrinal Resolutions and Statements a. The Synod, in seeking to clarify its witness or to settle doctrinal controversy, shall have the right to adopt doctrinal resolutions and statements which are in harmony with the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. b. Doctrinal resolutions may be adopted for the information, counsel, and guidance of the membership. They shall reiterate the corporate position of the Synod and shall ordinarily cite the pertinent passages of the Scriptures, the Lutheran Confessions, and any previously adopted official doctrinal statements or resolutions of the Synod. Such resolutions come into being in the same manner as any other resolutions of a synodical convention and are to be honored and upheld until such time as the Synod amends or repeals them. c. Doctrinal statements set forth in greater detail the corporate position of the Synod especially in controverted matters. A proposed statement or a proposal for the development of such a statement shall be— 1. submitted by the Commission on Theology and Church Relations directly to those listed in c 2 or submitted by a synodical convention, a District convention, a synodical faculty, or an official District pastoral or teachers conference to the Commission on Theology and Church Relations for evaluation, refinement, development, or recommen- dation, as the case may be; 2. submitted by the commission, if it acts favorably, to the congregations, the colleges and seminaries, and the clergy and teacher members of the Synod for study and suggestions for no more than one year (failure by the Commission of Theology and Church Relations to submit a proposed doctrinal statement within a year may be appealed to the convention through a proper overture); 3. refined further by the commission on the basis of suggestions received; 4. submitted by the commission to a convention for further consideration and possible adoption by majority vote; amendments shall require a two- thirds affirmative vote of those present and voting; 5. resubmitted to the congregations for ratifica- tion in its final existing form; 6. ratified and operative if a two-thirds majority of the member congregations which respond within 6 months registers an affirmative vote on a ballot supplied by the synodical Secretary for that purpose. Failure to ratify makes the statement inoperative, and this fact shall be reported by the Secretary to the members of the Synod through an announcement in the official periodical. 7. Such adopted and ratified doctrinal statements shall be regarded as the corporate position of the Synod and shall be “accepted and used as helpful expositions and explanations” (FC SD Rule and Norm, 10). They shall be honored and upheld (“to abide by, act, and teach in accordance with” [1971 Res. 2-21]) until such time as the Synod amends or repeals them. 8. An overture to amend such an adopted and ratified doctrinal statement shall follow the same procedure as listed in paragraph c, 1 to 6, above. 9. An overture to repeal such an adopted and ratified doctrinal statement shall require a majority vote of a convention in answer to an overture properly submitted and be subject to the procedure of congregational approval set forth in paragraph c, 6, above. 10. In the interim, those who submit overtures to amend or to repeal shall, while retaining their right to dissent, continue to honor and uphold publicly the statement as the corporate position of the Synod, notwithstanding further study and action by the Synod. d. Dissent from doctrinal resolutions and statements shall be governed by Bylaw 1.09 e. B. MEMBERSHIP 1.03 Application and Reception Applications. . .. 1.04 Signing Constitution All members... . Action: Adopted as amended (9). (Discussion was begun in Session 8 and continued in Session 9. The convention changed “simple majority” to “two- thirds majority” in proposed Bylaw 1.02 c, 6. It declined, 449 to 536, an amendment to change the same Bylaw paragraph to read: “... and operative if within 6 months a majority of the member congregations register an affirmative vote....” It also declined to insert “a congregation” after “conference” in Bylaw 1.02 c, 1, and insert “and which in no way restrict” after “in harmony with” in 1.02 a.) To Support Efforts to Protect the Living but Unborn RESOLUTION 3-08C Report 3-01 I, B, 11; III, C (CW, pp. 41, 47); Overtures 3-68A--3-73 (CW, pp. 89—91) WHEREAS, Life is a gift of God, and unborn (nascent) life is of special value before God, and life and death belong to the province of God (Ps. 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5; Is. 49:5; Gal. 1:15); and WHEREAS, An individual human being is a sinner from the moment of conception (Ps. 51:5); and WHEREAS, The Formula of Concord states that our Lord was fully human as well as fully divine from the moment of His conception (Tappert p. 592:7, p. 593:13, p. 596:26) and that His human nature is like ours in every way except in the matter of sin; and WHEREAS, The Synod in convention in Milwaukee in 1971 addressed the issue of abortion and resolved that “willful abortion is contrary to the will of God” (Res. 2- 39, 1971 Proceedings, p. 126); and WHEREAS, The Synod has stated in its Social Ministry Affirmations, adopted in convention at Milwaukee in 1971, that “human life must be treasured, supported, and protected” and that “we encourage all people to avoid perverting God will... through such acts as abortion or euthanasia” (Res. 9-07, 1971 Proceedings, p. 191); and