# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S74 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 74 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS If you're looking for an exit or a lesson how to pray, then there's nothing for you here, You'd better go. You'd better go. If you're looking for a heaven like a fairy painting scene, With battlements in Omo-white and pearly gates all clean, If you shrink from all the dirt and sex and sin you've ever seen, Then there's nothing for you here, You'd better go. You'd better go. If you think the Church is cosy and a nice place to belong, If you don't want to go marching or to sing a rebel song, If you re Scared to let your hair down or ashamed to wear it ong, Then there's nothing for you here, You'd better go. You'd, better go. Hymn 12. “Good Friday,’ Hymns for Now J, p. 28: Hanging on tree He was, They said He loved Americans, Hanging on a tree. They said He was a Jew, My Lord my life my Saviour They called Him bloody there, foreigner, Hanging on a tree, And agitator too. They hung Him in Jerusalem, And in Hiroshima, In Dallas and in Selma too, And in South Africa. They said He loved the black man, They said He loved the white, They said He was a Communist, They said that He would fight. They said it only happens once, They said that He must die. It happens many times a year And still we're asking why. Hanging on a tree He was, Hanging on a tree. My Lord, my life, my Saviour there, Hanging on a tree. TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH New Haven, Mo. Larry Scheer, Secretary 2-90 To Express Our Concern That Mission:Life Is Detrimental to Our Church Wuereas, Mission: Life materials were partly instrumental in decreasing our Sunday school attendance by 60%: and Wuereas, By replacing Mission: Life with another cur- riculum our attendance has begun to increase; therefore be it Resolved, That Mission: Life be carefully scrutinized by loyal censors in the LCMS and that appropriate action be taken where and when Mission: Life is found to be wanting in doctrinal content and guidance, TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH Sturgis, Mich. Bruce Schaeffer, Chairman Albert Bumann, Secretary H. M. Heidenreich, Pastor 2-91 To Commend Mission:Life Wuereas, The Mission: Life educational programs have proven themselves to be an effectual tool whereby the whole counsel of God as it is found in the Word of God can be conveyed to both children and adults: and Wuereas, The use of the Mission: Life educational pro- grams has awakened new joy and enthusiasm in the Chris- tian faith in both teachers and learners: and Whereas, The Mission: Life programs consistently point to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord as this truth is conveyed in the Word of God; therefore be it Resolved, That the Board of Parish Education, the edi- tors, writers, and producers of the Mission: Life educational programs be offered our deep thanks for their fruitful efforts: and be it further Resolved, That the congregations and schools of all Lu- theran churches continue to be encouraged to employ the Mission: Life educational programs as an aid in their task of Christian education. Peace LUTHERAN CHURCH New Berlin, Wis. Arthur Gulrud, President Christine Schwerin, Secretary Martin W. Bangert, Pastor 2-92A To Follow Up on “Openness and Trust” Resolution Wuereas, The Milwaukee convention repudiated specific inadequacies in the document “Openness and Trust” which has been pointed out by the CTCR (Milwaukee Proceedings, Res. 2-50, pp. 128—129): and Wuereas, The Synod asked those who were publicly identified with the document also to “repudiate the inade- quacies pointed out by the CTCR": and Whereas, Three professors at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, were publicly identified with the document; and Wuereas, These three men wrote a letter to Dr. Tietjen in which they discussed their relationship to the document but in no way explicitly repudiated the inadequacies of the document pointed out by the CTCR; therefore be it Resolved, That these three professors who are public teachers in our Synod be asked once more by the Synod to repudiate the inadequacies of the “Openness and Trust” Document; and be it further Resolved, That. failing a clear repudiation of such in- adequacies in the document on the part of these three pro- fessors, the Synod instruct the Board of Control of Con- cordia Seminary, St. Louis, to suspend said men from their office as teachers in the Synod. St. Joun’s LutHeran Cuurcu Port Hope, Mich. Lester Ender, Chairman Nathan Kaufman, Secretary Richard A. Nelson, Pastor Identical: 2-92B Mount Hope Lutheran Church, Casper, Wyo., Frank Stewart, President; J. B. Brown, Pastor. 2-93 To Declare ‘New Morality” to Be Anti-Christian Wuereas, An increasing number of churchmen are advo- cating a “new morality,” which claims that there are no unchanging laws for a Christian to obey (Situation Ethics by Joseph Fletcher; Sex and Morality, A Report to the British Council of Churches published by the LCA's Fortress Press: Sex, Marriage. and Family, Commission on Marriage, Board of Social Ministry, LCA: Colloquy, March 1970; Church and Society, March-April 1970); and Wuereas, Even some Lutherans have made some public statements which appear to be in accord with some of the anti-Christian views expressed by the advocates of the new morality: Dr. Martin Marty. an LCMS clergyman says in the June 1967 Playboy that “I could conceive, from the pastoral point of view. the legitimacy of something like adultery in ex- treme situations.” Dr. Marty has refused to retract the anti- Christian statements he made in a Playboy panel discussion. He has acknowledged that Playboy has quoted him cor- rectly. Wuereas, Some Lutherans no longer consider homo- sexuality a sin and some churchmen now contend that un- repentant homosexuals should be allowed to remain pastors of Christian congregations: and WHEREAS, Jesus declared: “If ye love me, keep my com- mandments” (John 14:15): “He that hath my command- ments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me (John 14:21): “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings” (John 14:24); and WHEREAS, God's Law is simply and clearly stated in the Ten Commandments, which are an unchanging and absolute standard for the Christian (Exodus 20); and Whereas, Adultery is repeatedly condemned in God's Word (Matt.5:27-28, 32: Lev. 20:10; Deut. 5:18; Prov. 6:32;