# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S85 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 85 since fellowship has been declared with the ALC (e.g., the authority, inspiration, and truthfulness of Scripture, etc.); and Wuereas, Further differences in doctrine and life be- tween our Synod and the ALC have manifested themselves since the declaration of fellowship (e.g., the failure of the ALC to speak out against abortion, the ordination of women in the ALC, the calloused attitude toward an evangelical lodge practice in spite of adequate joint statements by rep- resentatives of LCUSA [see Dialog, Winter 1971, p.9], the failure to make any statement regarding the verbal inspira- tion and inerrancy of Scripture, etc.); therefore be it Resolved, That the Missouri Synod in convention as- sembled suspend fellowship with the ALC until obstacles to true consensus be clearly set aside and true concord con- sisting of full agreement in the doctrine of the Gospel and all its articles be achieved; and be it further Resolved, That our Synod through its representatives ap- pointed by the President continue faithfully to discuss those issues which remain obstacles to true concord and full con- sensus with the ALC so that, by God's grace, we all might achieve that unanimous consensus that Scripture (1 Cor. 1:10) and our Confessions call for. CurisT LUTHERAN CHURCH Coos Bay, Oreg. Ed Schwartz, President Gary Tonn, Secretary Identical or Similar: 2-129B Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Rock Falls, Il., Curtis A. Peterson, Pastor; Kim Groharing, Chairman. 2-129C Nazareth Lutheran Church, Buffalo, N.Y., Donald J. Sampson, Secretary. 2-129D Trinity Lutheran Church, Bend, Oreg., Walter Anderson, Pastor; Roy A. Scurlock, Secretary. 2-130A To Suspend Fellowship Wuereas, The ALC still maintains that they cannot sub- scribe to the verbal inspiration of Scripture, by statements like: “We... cannot subscribe to Scriptural inerrancy be- cause our knowledge of Scripture prevents us from making such claim,” Luther IV. 2, Spring 1967, p. 6; also: “The ver- bal inspiration method is based on a theory,” Theological Perspectives, p. 50 ff.; and Wuereas, The deity of Christ is called into question, the Vicarious Satisfaction of Christ, denial of Christ’s full power of Godhead during His humiliation, as seen in the ALC’s Tower Book Series, and “Creation, Fall and Flood,” and in Dr. Knutson’s book His Only Son Our Lord, and Whereas, The ALC is unionistic in practice as evidenced by the many announcements in daily newspapers of ecu- menical services held with non-Lutheran churches, and Wuereas, The ALC still continues to receive lodge mem- bers into membership, contrary to their own constitution; and Wuereas, The decision for fellowship with the ALC in Denver, 1969, was made by majority vote, contrary to the Handbook Article VIII, Section C, which states very clearly: “All matters of doctrine and of conscience shall be decided only by the Word of God. All other matters shall be decided by majority vote.” This is a matter of doctrine and con- science, and therefore, unconstitutional, as well as un-scrip- tural, John 8:31-32; Matt. 28:20; John 15:14; Rom. 16: 17-18; Matt.7:15; therefore be it Resolved, That we, the members of St. John’s Lutheran Congregation of Chaska, Minn., in a lawfully called Voters’ Assembly on Feb. 27, 1973, do request The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, in convention in New Orleans, July, 1973, to suspend fellowship with the ALC until there is unity in all doctrines of Scripture and in practice. St. Joun’s LuTHERAN CHURCH Chaska, Minn. Henry Wrase, Chairman Robert Berkey, Secretary Similar: 2-130B St.Paul Lutheran Church, Rochelle, Il, Theodore A. Weiss, Pastor: Mark Junge, Secretary. 2-131A To Suspend Fellowship with the ALC WHEREAS, The LCMS in its Milwaukee convention in 1971 resolved to “register its strong regret over the American Lu- theran Church's action on the ordination of women to the pastoral ministry” and “to respectfully request the American Lutheran Church to give serious reconsideration to this ac- tion” and to “respectfully request the American Lutheran Church not to implement its resolution to ordain women” (Proceedings, 48th Convention, 1971, p. 136, Res. 3-21); and Wuereas, The LCMS took this action on the basis that fidelity to God's Word was at stake (cf. Res. 2-04: “Resolved that the Synod reaffirm its position that the Word of God does not permit women to hold the pastoral office or to serve in any capacity involving distinctive functions of this office,” Proceedings, 1971, p. 114); and Wuereas, The ALC at its sixth biennial convention in October of 1972 affirmed its decision to admit women to the ministry by a vote of about 1,000 in favor and only 1 opposed and thereby clearly rejected the request from the LCMS (“The Scriptures do not teach that women are for- bidden to serve as ministers of Word and Sacrament or that women are always to be subordinate to men,” ALC resolu- tion, reported by LCUSA News Bureau, Oct. 12, 1972, p. 2); and Wuereas, There can be no God-pleasing fellowship where the Word of God is not correctly taught and its directives are not obediently followed; therefore be it Resolved. That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod declare that the unscriptural position of the American Lu- theran Church on the question of ordaining women into the pastoral office is divisive of fellowship; and be it finally Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod in assembled convention in New Orleans, La., in 1973 re- gretfully suspend church fellowship with the American Lu- theran Church. First Ev, LUTHERAN CHURCH Clearwater, Fla. Donald R. Drung, President Duane L. Hubbard, Secretary David V. Dissen, Pastor Similar: 2-131B St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Liberty, Mo., James Gor- don, President; Quentin Almstedt, Pastor. 2-131C Trinity Lutheran Church, Rock Springs, Wyo., Clarence E. Sorensen, Chairman; Maynard E. Suhr, Secretary. 2-131D Trinity Lutheran Church, Casper, Wyo., La Vern R. Bel- lamy, Pastor: Don Eckelberg, Secretary. 2-131E Trinity Lutheran Church, Ironwood, Mich., Leonard Korpi, President: Paul Forslund, Secretary.