# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1888_S10
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

10 Proceedings of the twelfth convention

agreement in all doctrines of the Word of God, but only the acceptance of the following nine articles: 1. of the Trinity, 2. of original sin, 3. of the deity of Christ, 4. of justification by faith, 5. of the binding force of the two sacraments, 6. of the resurrection of the flesh, 7. of the last judgment, 8. of the eternal blessedness of the righteous, 9. of the eternal damnation of the godless. — Among the church bodies in America that call themselves Lutheran it is especially the General Synod that does not demand agreement in all articles of Christian doctrine. It declared, rather, that it demands acceptance of the Augsburg Confession only in the "fundamental articles." Unity in doctrine, it said, is not at all the unity one is to strive for, but unity in work, in ceremonies and the like.

One must indeed make a distinction among the doctrines of faith revealed in Holy Scripture. There are doctrines that every Christian must know and believe, without knowledge and acceptance of which saving faith cannot exist. On the other hand there are other doctrines which someone may well, out of weakness, not know, and about which he may even hold errors and yet still be a Christian. This distinction is very important in answering the question who can still be a Christian. But it may not apply here. Here the question is how unity in faith is to be constituted according to God's will. There the Lord God says that all doctrines revealed in God's Word are to be accepted by all. If we wished to define unity of faith otherwise than was done in Thesis I; if we began to make a selection from the doctrines of faith revealed in Scripture: then we should have placed ourselves on a slippery slope on which there is no stopping, then all distinctions between chief doctrines and secondary doctrines would help us no more. Then one could no longer say who is one with us and who is not.

The following individual questions were also discussed here:

What is our position toward those who are true Christians within the heterodox communions? Is it enough if we simply acknowledge that there are still Christians in such communions? Or should one not also give expression to this conviction in one's outward conduct? We behave, it seems, toward the heterodox as toward children of the world. —

We distinguish between heterodox communions and children of the world already by confessing that among the former there may still be true Christians.

Further: When we come together with the heterodox, we seek to instruct them. That is the right striving after unity in faith. But we may not practice church fellowship with them. By so doing we should approve their errors and so become partakers of others' sins.