# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1954_S38
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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“88 Proceedings of the Forty-Third Convention,

A confession, in other words, may not contain false doctrine,

but if it permits false doctrine to stand, if it claims to settle doc-
trinal issues which are in fact not settled, it becomes guilty of
something which is equally serious. “A basically untruthful sit-
uation” is created. Truth and error are permitted to stand side
by side. Orthodox confessionalism deteriorates. The spirit of
unionism and liberalism are permitted to work with ever-increasing
effect. Our Synod considers this untruthful situation dangerous.
It does not wish to share in its responsibility. It does not wish the
confessional stand of the Synodical Conference to be undermined,
both in its own midst and over against those who are outside its
fellowship. Therefore it asks that the untruthful situation created
by the adoption of the Common Confession be corrected by a repu-
diation of this stand.
In closing, we wish to say that the mere thought of a disruption
.of the Synodical Conference is something which fills us all with
gravest concern, particularly when we think of some of the heart-
rending implications involved. We are most thankful for having
been granted the opportunity to present our Synod’s position at
_ these sessions. It has been done in the hope that we all might better
appreciate the extreme seriousness of the situation with which
we are faced, and that the “present break in relations that is now
threatening the existence of the Synodical Conference” (cf. Pro-
ceedings, 32d Convention, Wisconsin Synod, p. 104) might be
‘repaired. We are deeply indebted to the strong, confessional voice
of Missouri, which once showed our Synod the way. That voice
has been adequately set forth in the words of the Brief Statement.
May that be our COMMON CONFESSION!