# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S75 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 1 Cor.6:13, 15, 18; Gal.5:19-21; 1 Cor. 3:5-8; 1 Thess. 4:3-7; 1 Cor. 5:9-13); and Wuereas, According to God's Word, homosexuality is a sin and is to be treated as such (Rom. 1:22-32); therefore be it Resolved, That the LCMS declare that the “new morality” (as it is defined by such theologians as Prof. Joseph Fletcher) is contrary to Holy Scripture and the historic Christian faith; and be it further Resolved, That the LCMS, while recognizing that salva- tion is not by the Law and that no man can fulfill the Law perfectly, declare that God's Moral Law recorded in Holy Scripture is an unchanging absolute standard; and be it further Resolved, That the LCMS declare that premarital and extra-marital sexual intercourse, and homosexuality are sin- ful and contrary to God's Law; and be it finally Resolved, That Dr. Martin Marty be asked to resign from the LCMS as long as he continues to refuse to retract the sinful statements he made in Playboy. Trinity LUTHERAN CHURCH New Haven, Mo. Larry Scheer, Secretary 2-94 To Increase Role and Responsibility of Laity Wuereas, Far-reaching resolutions have been passed by Synod regarding the role and responsibility of the laity of the church (6-03 Mil.; 5-12 Mil.; 6-03 Mil.; 2-14 Den. etc.); and Wuereas, It is of great importance that the laity have a wider understanding of the theological issues that face the church today; and Wuereas, Laymen have aided the church immeasurably throughout her existence in all areas of growth and out- reach; therefore be it Resolved, The Guidelines called for by Res. 2-14 at Den- ver be enacted now; and be it further Resolved, All Handbook prohibitions related to denying offices to laymen (e.g., office of presidency) be reviewed especially in the light of such an enlightened laity with which we have been blessed. FaitH LUTHERAN CHURCH Inglewood, Calif. Herbert Hohenstein, Pastor Ne . ce ou To Study Lay Diaconate We call upon the LCMS to instruct its appropriate com- mittees to study and to offer recommendations to its mem- ber congregations on the history, nature, and ministerial possibilities on the local congregational level of the perma- nent diaconate. Because of the great need for trained, deeply committed, spiritual leadership-in-ministry in the church. Because of the great number of laymen who would be both able and willing to assume this o...ce. Because of the current ground-swell in this direction in other parts of the church. CuurcH OF St. JOHN THE EVANGELIST Brooklyn, N.Y. Jesse Greenlow, Secretary 2-96 To Fund “CTM” Without Imposing Doctrinal Review Wuereas, In our church during the past the seminary faculties themselves were considered as arbiters of doctrinal disagreements; and Wuereas, This has been changed, and an attempt has ~T a been made to appoint a special censor for the Concordia Theological Monthly: and Wuereas, The seminary at St. Louis felt this was putting too much authority in the central administration of our church or in the hands of one particular censor, and there- fore decided not to accept such a person; and Wuereas, This meant that the Concordia Theological Monthly no longer receives special synodical funding; and Wuereas, The seminary professors are men committed to Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions who heve much to offer our church, and are in most cases better equipped to make theological judgments than an individual censor might be; therefore be it Resolved, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod in convention at New Orleans reexamine the whole matter of censorship; and £ » it finally Resolved. That Synod continue to fund the Concordia Theological Monthly without imposing on them the necessity of a theological censor. CaLIFoRNIA AND NeEvADA DISTRICT Theo. A. Iverson, Secretary 2-97A To Suspend Professor and Editor of “CTM” Wuereas. The ordination of women pastors is prohibited by the Holy Scriptures; and Wuereas, The Lutheran church along with the Christian church throughout the years has found the practice of ordaining women pastors against such Biblical principles and those of the Lutheran Confessions; and Wuereas, The LCMS has stated its faith that the practice of ordaining women pastors is against such principles; and Wuereas, The Concordia Theological Monthly (CTM) has printed articles endorsing the ordination of women pastors by one of its own professors and by a nonsynodical Lu- theran professor, which was explicitly approved by the Managing Editor of the journal: and Wuereas, The same journal has printed these articles not for discussion but for endorsement of the false practice and has not printed any articles refuting the false practice; therefore be it Resolved, That the faculty member who wrote the article endorsing the ordination of women pastors be immediately suspended from all teaching duties: and be it further Resolved. That the Managing Editor of the CTM be sus- pended from editorial and teaching functions at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Trinity LUTHERAN CHURCH Searsdale, N.Y. Merlin C. Meyer, Pastor Alfred Barsuhn, President Identical: 2-97B St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Flint, Mich., Charles Gierke, Pastor. 2-98A To Develop Inter-Lutheran Ministries Wuereas, The LCMS has affirmed its commitments “to the goal and task of coordinative and consultative planning of campus ministry with all Lutherans at all levels — local, District, and jurisdictional, regional and national”; and WHEREAS, The Synod in its New York convention (1967) urged Districts to pursue cooperative Lutheran campus work, to avoid duplication and waste of resources to achieve “maximum outreach” in campus ministry; and Wuereas, The Synod in its 1971 convention in Milwaukee (Res. 3-26) resolved that the LCMS restate its desire to ini- tiate and work toward fellowship with those Lutheran churches with whom it is not in altar and pulpit fellowship