# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1898_S38
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

38 Proceedings of the seventeenth convention

people try to bring to the point, out of real love of God and of the neighbor, which are the fruits of a living faith, of thinking themselves too good, as children of God, to carry on such a trade, of being afraid of ingratitude toward their faithful God, who has done such great things for them, so that they should now offend him by carrying on a sinful trade. Further, the individual congregation members should be induced to take a position, to declare how they stand toward such trades, and indeed in good time, if possible before such a particular case is before the congregation as a case of church discipline, so that then calmly, without respect of persons and special consideration, the congregation can examine the grounds and also give its declaration as to what is to be held in its midst concerning such occupations. And finally, those who have begun to sin by such a trade must be taken in hand, and indeed with Christian wisdom, with all patience and teaching, and with all Christian earnestness.

The next category is that of sinful amusements, against which a Christian has to guard himself, in which he cannot live without finally becoming the object of Christian church discipline. Sinful are all those amusements by which a person either indulges his own sinful lusts and desires, or serves the satisfaction of the sinful lusts of others, or such as by which God's Word and name or any other holy thing is dishonored, misused or despised, or offense is given to the neighbor. An amusement by which a person indulges his own sinful lusts and desires is sinful, for we are to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life is not of the Father but of the world. To this belong all gluttonous and drinking bouts, all games and dances that are designed so that the lusts of the flesh are indulged thereby, all jests and obscene jokes, declamations, shows and similar entertainments with which one procures for oneself and others a tickle for the voluptuous flesh, all songs by whose singing the singer himself kindles his unclean lust or inflames the lust of the flesh in others.