# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S94 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 94 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS would be cheered mightily by a decision of the LCMS un- equivocally and decisively to reject any and all involve- ments with the antichristian and modernistic NCC; there- fore be it Resolved, That the LCMS, in convention assembled in New Orleans, declare itself completely out of harmony with and in Biblical opposition to the radical element of the NCC; and be it further Resolved, That we register the seriousness of our pro- test by withdrawing any, all, and sundry commitments we may have in official and or unofficial association with the NCC. as now constituted. MessiauH Ev. LutHeran CuHurcH Sterling, III. Harold Nelson, Secretary Eldor Mueller, Pastor 2-161 To Sever All Ties with National Council of Churches Wuereas, The National Council of Churches has ad- mitted into full membership the Church of the New Jeru- salem; and Wuereas, The Church of the New Jerusalem is a Sweden- borgian cult which teaches that Jesus is not God: and WuHerEAS, Many leaders of the NCC have denied basic doctrines of the Christian faith; therefore be it Resolved, That we ask The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod to sever all ties with the NCC and its divisions. TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH New Haven, Mo. Larry Scheer, Secretary 2-162 To Deny Petitions for Membership in World Council of Churches Wuereas, The petition for The Lutheran Church — Mis- souri Synod to join the World Council of Churches has been heard repeatedly from certain quarters of our church, and memorials fostering such identification have been presented again and again at synodical conventions; and WHEREAS, The ALC is already an active member in the WCC and obviously involves the LCMS in additional en- tangling alliances with the WCC since we have mistakenly accepted her offer of fellowship: and Wuereas, The WCC has been following a line of political and social concern, rather than identification with the pur- pose for which God established the church (Matt. 28: 19-20) (Dr. Hedegard, Swedish theologian, calls the Uppsala As- sembly of 1968 “a political gathering — no Christian meet- ing"): and WuerEas, The WCC political and social gospel pro- nouncements and activities have often been anti-American (4th Assembly at Uppsala) and pro-revolutionary (Castro's Cuba, Carmichael’s Black Power, Red China, the North Vietnamese Communist regime) (see the Clergymen's Com- mittee on China full-page ad in the N. Y. Times 11-18-68 for details of the protests from clergymen of all faiths from all over America): and WHEREAS, The ecumenical involvements of the WCC target organic union on a massive ecclesiastical seale. including also Rome and her heresies, and LCMS identification with this would involve her in violation of the Scriptural in- junctions against unionism, compromising the Word of God (1 Tim. 6:3-5:; Matt. 7:15: 1 Tim. 1:3; Rom. 16:17; Amos 3:3); and WHEREAS, Strong movements of conservative concern in many of the Protestant denominations are even now calling for their respective denominations to withdraw from the WCC for the above-named and other reasons, and our tragic entry into the WCC could only help the cause of liberalism and further distress those who are seeking to defend the truth of God's Word: and Wuereas, The WCC has publicly advocated and financially supported civil disobedience contrary to the will of God (Ex, 20, Rom. 13); therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, in convention assembled in New Orleans, unreservedly re- ject any and all overtures to identify with the World Goun- cil of Churches as now constituted. MessiaH Ev. LUTHERAN CHURCH Sterling, I. Harold Nelson, Secretary Eldor Mueller, Pastor 2-163 To Stay Out of World Council of Churches Wuereas, The World Council of Churches allows its members to deny historic Christianity; and Wuereas, The WCC admitted into membership the Hick- site Quakers, a unitarian body: therefore be it Resolved, That we petition The Lutheran Church — Mis- sourl Synod to remain out of the WCC. TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH New Haven, Mo. Larry Scheer, Secretary OTHER FELLOWSHIP MATTERS 2-164 To Acknowledge Blessings on Lutheran- Roman Catholic Dialogs Wuereas, Since July 6, 1965, fruitful dialog has been taking place between Lutherans and Roman Catholics at the national level; and Wuereas, The Holy Spirit has been richly blessing the dialogs, so that 1) the representatives of the churches in dialog have affirmed their adherence to the Nicene Creed as dogma of the church (Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue, I, 32): 2) the representatives of the two churches have found basic agreement on the nature and effect of the sacrament of baptism (Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue, II, 80): 3) The representatives found that both churches affirm regarding the Lord's Supper: a) the unrepeatable character of Christ's sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world (Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue. II, 189); b) the real presence of Jesus Christ in His body and blood under the signs of bread and wine throughout the eucharistic action (Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue, III, 192, 193): and c) the presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper as not coming about “through the faith of the believer, or through any human power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit through the word” which Christ spoke when he instituted the sacrament (Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue, II, 183): and 4) the representatives of the two churches acknowledge that each church has a valid eucharistic ministry (Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue. IV, 22, 32): therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod acknowledge with thanksgiving to God the agreements reached thus far: and be it further Resolved, That the Synod encourage pastors and lay peo- ple to study and discuss the Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogs in Bible classes, pastoral conferences, and in free conferences of Lutherans and Roman Catholics: and be it finally Resolved, That the Synod pray for the continued out- pouring of the Holy Spirit on all future Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogs. REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH Grand Forks, N. Dak. Michael Polovitz, President Eugene De Lorme, Secreta ry