# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1872_S59
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

[p. 59]

—then all churches have equal standing. But we maintain: the Lutheran church is the only *particular church* [a single visible church body, as opposed to the church universal] that is pure in doctrine. There may be other churches that are just as good; but we know of none, neither in Europe, nor Asia, nor Africa, nor Australia, nor America. If there were one that held the old apostolic doctrine but simply did not call itself Lutheran, we would gladly join hands with it. We maintain: the Lutheran church is the only visible church that has the old pure apostolic doctrine. Therefore it can maintain church fellowship with no other. If it does so, it denies what God has given it. We will gladly recant if it is proven to us that our church's confession is unbiblical. If that cannot be proven, then it is empty talk to say we are arrogant when we maintain that our church is the true visible church of God on earth. — Some say: in all the chief doctrines we must be united, but to demand unity also in secondary doctrines goes too far. From this opinion has arisen the theory of the "open questions," whereby one enumerates the items that may be counted among the open questions, going so far as to concede: this or that doctrine is indeed a doctrine of Scripture, but because it is a secondary doctrine, it may nevertheless be counted among the open questions. But this is against the clear Word of God: "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments," and so on, and: "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." Every false doctrine is, so to speak, an egg that Satan lays, in which, once it is hatched, the whole of hell is invariably lodged. The theory of the open questions leads in the end to unbelief. For if it is permitted to deny one word of God, even though it is God's Word, then in the end one can deny everything. — Unionism does not consist in a church fellowship having a great deal of error in it. We Missourians do not claim that we have all attained the same degree of knowledge; we do not claim that various errors may not be found among us. We grant that. But there is no one among us who would dare to declare that it is permissible to persist in any error. On this we are quite clear. Where error is found and becomes manifest, it must be removed, for the church is not to have error. It is with error as it is with sin: we confess that we are all wretched, lost, and condemned sinners, but as Christians we do not wish to sin. If someone were to say: I know this is sin, but since Christians admittedly never become entirely free of all sin, you should not trouble me about it — such a person would belong under the ban. So it is also with error. We all err in many ways, to be sure, but the nature of the church is that it does not wish to err. It regards every error as dreadful, puts it away, and does penance for it when it recognizes it; but the false church says: in this life no unity in doctrine is possible. Let everyone therefore believe what he thinks right, especially when it is not a primary article—