# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1914_S18
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

18 Proceedings of the 29th General or

to confess it, just as a servant wears, displays, and confesses his master's colors and coat of arms.

Second, Luther says that the Church may establish all sorts of regulations in matters of *adiaphora* [things indifferent to salvation], but with the restriction that such arrangements may not be imposed on anyone against their will, nor pose any danger whatsoever to faith and love; likewise, such church customs and practices must not burden consciences, and are to be observed with the understanding that they can, if necessary, be abolished and changed at any time without much difficulty.

Church history now teaches that unspeakable harm has been done by councils and synods precisely by reversing the above principles. For this reason or that, people have refused to say yes to this or that article of faith, failing to wear and display the colors and coat of arms of the Lord of the Church, and have even put forward their own opinions and ideas as God's Word. And on the other hand, people have fought with great zeal and fierce bitterness for church customs, practices, and regulations, splitting over them and tearing apart the Church of God on earth. In this respect the papacy has sinned most horribly. Thus at the Council of Trent, clear teachings of Holy Scripture were rejected and cursed, and Roman statutes were laid upon people's consciences under threat of eternal damnation. But Protestant church assemblies too — even synods calling themselves Lutheran — have again and again erred in this, in cruder or subtler ways: on one hand failing, in this point or that, to wear and display the colors and coat of arms of the Lord of the Church, making coats of arms of their own instead; and on the other hand burdening consciences with church regulations and customs.

If, then, my brothers, we wish to hold a God-pleasing assembly in the coming days and attend to our office and calling as members of the Church, the great Reformer's articles above must be our guiding star in everything we say and decide. Allow me to point out one matter here in particular. We all deeply lament the fragmentation of the Lutheran Church in this land, and we sigh to God that he would heal the affliction of Joseph [Amos 6:6]. We also rejoice sincerely that at present a strong desire is moving through all the Lutheran synods to draw closer to one another and come to an understanding among themselves. We too want to do our part to help bring about unity; but this must not happen in such a way that the existing doctrinal differences are overlooked and portions of the divine Word are given up. For then we would blur our Savior's colors and fail to display and confess his coat of arms. Since the Church is not the mistress of doctrine, she may not engage in politics, nor for reasons of expediency [surrender] articles of faith