# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1924_S5
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1924. 5

both for their own sake and for the purpose of being able to wage the fight against unbelief on the one side and superstition on the other all the more successfully." The Papists, too, keep expressing their regret over the divisions in Christendom and continually invite all of us to unite with them. Besides this they work among the Protestants in order to win ever more adherents and draw them into their nets. This work is carried on especially by the Paulist Fathers and by the so-called Catholic Missionary Union. In many cities associations have been called into being which consist of pastors of the various denominations: Episcopalians, Reformed, "Disciples of Jesus" (Disciples), Congregationalists, Baptists, Presbyterians and Lutherans of various synods. These people meet weekly to discuss questions bearing on their work. They hope that such meetings and such united efforts will bring them closer to one another and become a means of removing differences. At the same time, however, we read: "So far as one can see, these meetings of pastors have not produced the slightest success. They have rather proved that they are not in a position to formulate a basis for unity. Declarations about principles that one could not give up have been made by various men, but their pronouncements have seldom been such as to come near to an agreement. After the futility of all this had been recognized, the subject was dropped. And where that did not happen, the organization was torn apart."
(St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 27 February 1911.)

We must not forget that in this as in every other work those who want to count on success must first of all have a right, clear understanding of the real goal that they want to reach, and that they must also apply the right means by which this goal can be reached. As everywhere, so here too it is useless "to fight as one that beateth the air." All efforts to bring about the outward unity of the Church are lost time and strength, indeed they frustrate and hinder true success, if one does not clearly recognize the goal and, second, know the right way by which the goal can be reached. — To lend the Christians a helping hand in this glorious, desirable, blessed and important work of peace is the task of this paper.

Thesis 1.

The inner spiritual unity of the Christian Church consists in the union of every Christian with Christ through faith, by which he becomes a member of the body of Christ, of which all other Christians are likewise members, and so through the same faith all are also "members one of another" [literally: each one the other's member], Rom. 12:15.

Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ has founded one Church, and only one, namely the holy Christian Church. This one holy Christian Church consists of all true believers in Christ at all times, among all peoples and nations, in all places. In this holy Christian Church there are no unbelievers, no hypocrites, no false Christians. Every member of this Church possesses something that distinguishes him from all non-members. That is saving faith. Every member of the Church of Christ has the sav-