# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1896_S8
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

8 Proceedings of the sixteenth convention

Thesis IX.

Underestimating the necessary uniformity in practice has its ground in underestimating the doctrine which is to underlie practice, and in turn results in indifference toward doctrine.

Thesis X.

Overestimating conformity in free church practice is a dangerous aberration, which leads to underestimating doctrine and the necessary uniformity in practice, or already flows from it, and aims at concealing indifferentism in doctrine.

Thesis XI.

Underestimating free church practice is a defect which can easily lead to disturbances in church life.

Thesis I.

Church practice is the totality of the functions and institutions which belong to the church's life as such.

Scripture distinguishes between doctrine and life, between knowing and doing; the Savior says to His disciples: "If you know this, blessed are you if you do it." In the Church we distinguish between doctrine and life as we distinguish in the individual Christian between faith and life. Doctrine in itself is not a part of Christian or church life. Doctrine is a gift of God, which God has given us in His Word, and it is perfect; it does not grow, it does not increase, it does not decrease; it remains standing unchanged; and if heaven and earth collapse together, then doctrine will remain, and indeed the whole structure. Doctrine is not a seed which God planted at the beginning of Christendom, and which, tended in the garden of Christendom, had now grown, so that here a new doctrine and there a new doctrine had been attached and inserted, until at last the whole tree of doctrine had developed as far as we have it today, and so that in future too this development of doctrine would go further and the doctrine would develop toward perfection. No, doctrine is a perfect, finished gift of God, and so decidedly so that it is an abomination to add anything to it, and presumption to take anything from it. But teaching is a part of Christian church life, the carrying out of a commission which Christ, the Lord, Himself gave to His Church: "Go ye into all the world and teach all nations." And baptizing is a part of church life, is the carrying out of the commission which Christ,