# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S232 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 232 HUMAN CARE the Family in its drama Tilly teaches that all aborted babies end up in heaven), and the Roman Catholic Church because of its belief in the “sanctity” of life, now teaches against capttal puntshment, contrary to God’s inspired Word (Gen. 9:6; Ex. 21:12; Rom. 13:4); therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod reaffirm its belief that God is the giver of all life, and that He alone should determine when a human life should be taken; and be it further Resolved, That the members of The Lutheran Church—Mis- sourt Synod clearly teach about the true God-given value of every human life in every available forum; and be it further Resolved, That we urge all our members and those organiza- tions affiliated with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to guard against the use of the term “sanctity of life” because of the pervasive misunderstandings of that term; and be it finally Resolved, That the Synod in convention in 2001 request that all of the materials published and distributed by the Synod use more accurate substitutes for the term “sanctity of life,” such as the “God-given value of life” or “God’s gift of life.” Holy Cross Golden, IL 6-06 To Study and Support Marriage and Family Statement WHEREAS, There are many voices calling for a redefinition of what is a family; and WHEREAS, Many of those same voices are calling for a defini- tion of marriage that is unbiblical; and WHEREAS, The Southern Baptist Convention in June 1998 passed a resolution supporting a strong scriptural perspective on marriage and family; and WHEREAS, Over 100 Christian leaders representing colleges, seminaries, publishers, parachurch organizations, large churches, and other groups have signed statements of support, with Campus Crusade tor Christ adding an important paragraph; and WueREAS, Now is the time for Christian people to identify themselves unreservedly with the truths of the Bible, whether pop- ular or not; therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod encour- age its member congregations to study the statement on the family authored by the Southern Baptist Convention and added to by Campus Crusade for Christ, that statement being: God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is comprised of persons related to one an- other by marriage, blood or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church, and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for inti- mate companionship, the channel for sexual expression accord- ing to the biblical standards and the means for the procreation of the human race. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Chnst loved the church. He has the God-given re- sponsibility to provide for, to protect and to Iead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the head- ship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to re- spect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation. In a marriage lived according to these truths, the love be- tween husband and wife will show ilself in listening to each other’s viewpoints, valuing each other’s gifts, wisdom and de- sires, honoring one another in public and in private, and always seeking to bring benefit, not harm, to one another. 2001 Convention Workbook Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their chil- dren God's pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents; and be it further Resolved, That upon such study, if the congregations tind noth- ing contrary to Holy Scripture. that they consider supporting this statement in their teaching, practice, and public statements. North Wisconsin District 6-07 To Oppose Marriage Penalty Taxes WHEREAS, Our Lord tells us in Luke 17:1: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come”; thus tndicating that our Lord’s people should do whatever they can to prevent temptation and sin; and WHEREAS, The Marriage Penalty Tax of our government is an inequity that further undermines the basic institution of marriage by encouraging persons to live together apart from the benefit of marriage; and WHEREAS, The law that cancels legitimate pension benefits for widows the minute they remarry also is unjust and an encourage- ment to live together apart from marriage; therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod urge all of its churches and members to contact their senators and repre- sentatives to correct such unjust legtstation, at the same time pray- ing for God’s assistance in making such change; and be it further Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be sent to every senator and representative of the Congress of these United States through the offices of our respective District Presidents. Immanuel Salisbury, MO 6-08 To Assure Reasonable Retirement Benefits WHEREAS, There are some pastors, professional church work- ers, and surviving spouses in retirement living on subsistence to- tally inadequate to provide tor basic needs; and WHEREAS, These are brothers and sisters in Christ whose ser- vice to the church has been invaluable: and WHEREAS, It is our Christian mandate to “work for the good of all, especially for those of the family of faith” (Gal. 6:10); there- fore be it Resolved, That the Synod through its Worker Benefit Plans as- sure a just, fair, and adequate retirement package for all enrolled workers whose full-time service has exceeded 25 years; and be it further Resolved, That consideration be given to increase the packages for those workers whose service has been for a lesser number of years. . Concordia Wilmington, DE 6-09 To Provide Health Care Coverage for Retired Workers WHEREAS, Retired pastors and church workers have faithfully served their Lord and the church, and Scripture clearly states in | Cor. 9:14, “In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living trom the gospel” and in Gal. 6:6—7, “Anyone who receives instruction in the Word must share all good things with his instructor. ... Do not be de- ceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” and in