# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S358
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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SPECIAL AND SUNDRY MATTERS 355

Wuereas, The Synod at the Milwaukee convention adopted
a statement on ethics: therefore be it

; Resolved, That Synod declare itself as to whether or not
it considers journalism of the type represented by the Nov.
5, 1972, issue of the Southern Illinois Communicator to be

ethical and Christian. Trinity Ev. LUTHERAN CHURCH

Bluffs, Il.

George Krusa. President
Gary Vortman, Secretary
Donald Kroll. Pastor

11-21

To Retract Repudiation of “Christian News”

Resolved, That the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
ask the Council of Presidents of the LCMS either to with-
draw its repudiation of Christian News or show where Chris-
tian News has told untruth worthy of condemnation.

Trinity LUTHERAN CHURCH
New Haven, Mo.
Larry Scheer, Secretary

11-22A
To Reprimand Editor of “Lutheran Forum”

WuereaS, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod in its
Milwaukee convention in the summer of 1971 adopted the
“Statement on Ethics” proposed earlier by the Council of
Presidents of the Synod (Res. 5-23, Proceedings, PP. 162--
163); and

Wuereas, The Synod without mentioning offenders by
name strongly criticized sins against the 8th Commandment
and made particular reference to offenses against the synod-
ical President; and

Wuereas, The Synod resolved “to call to repentance all
who sinned against the 8th Commandment in these activities,
particularly with reference to sins against the synodical
President,” and it also resolved that “the Synod call upon
the Presidents of its Districts to apply the principles of the
‘Statement on Ethics’ to all the members of the Synod”; and

Wuereas, The Lutheran Forum, subsequent to the Mil-
waukee convention, has continued its attacks upon the the-
ology and person of the synodical President, and in so doing
has ignored the “Statement on Ethics”; and

Wuereas, Proof for this statement is found in the follow-
ing issues of the Lutheran Forum:

a) January 1972 — where the Forum blames Dr. Preus for his
insistence on inerrancy despite the fact that Synod’s Bylaw
4.21 states that professors who are installed into office must
accept the inerrancy of the Scripture:

February 1972 —an article by Wayne Saffen accusing the

synodical President of using “power and power plays’; the

same issue in effect blames the synodical President for the

Handbook requirement that the Commission on Constitutional

Matters must interpret Synod's resolutions and speaks of Dr.

Preus as imposing his understanding of the Scriptures on the

Synod;

c) Mareh 1972 —speaks of Dr. Preus’ mistaken theological
views:

d) August 1972 — blames Dr. Preus for the impasse in the elec-
tion of the president of the Senior College by stating ‘the list
presented oy the faculty committee was judged too liberal
for Dr. Preus” (thus ignoring the fact that the electors at an
election of a college president consist of the President of the
Synod, the chairman of _ the Board for Higher Education or
his representative, the District President, and the Board of
Control acting as a unit); and

Wuereas, The Rev. Richard E. Koenig of Amherst, Mass.,
is the editor of the Lutheran Forum, and the President of ihe
Atlantic District, the Rev. Rudolph P. Ressmeyer, is a mem-
ber of the board of directors of the Lutheran Forum: there-
fore be it

Resolved, That the Synod affirm its determination that its
members live in Christian love and in harmony with the
aforementioned Statement on Ethics: and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod censure the Rev. Richard E.
Koenig for his continuing uncharitable attacks upon the
synodical President: and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod remind the Rev. Rudolph Ress-

b

meyer, under whose supervision the Rev. Richard E. Koenig
was during most of the biennium (prior to the splitting of
the Atlantic District into three Districts), that the Synod had
called in resolution 5-23 “upon the Presidents of its districts
to apply the principles of the Statement on Ethics to all
members of the Synod”: and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod reaffirm its intention to

strongly support its officers both at the District and synodical
level as they carry out the will of the Synod in accordance
with its Constitution and Handbook and under the norm of
the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.

St, PauL LUTHERAN CHURCH

Sanford, Mich.

Ernest O. Sutton, President

A. Lynn Robinette, Secretary

Identical:

11-22B

Our Savior Lutheran Church, New Orleans, La., V. L.
Traxler, Secretary.

11-23

To Ask St. Louis Seminary to Declare
Pastor Otten Eligible

Resolved, That we ask the Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod to demand that Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, re-
quire that Rev. Herman Otten is eligible to be a pastor

within the LCMS. Trinity LUTHERAN CHURCH

New Haven, Mo.
Larry Scheer, Secretary

11-24

To Declare Rev. Herman Otten Eligible
for Ministry in the LCMS

Wuereas, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, officials refuse to
certify Rev. Herman Otten as long as he continues to oppose
the theology and hermeneutic used at the seminary; and

Wuereas, President John Tietjen has made it clear that
no one should be teaching at the seminary unless he uses
the historical-critical method of interpretation, and

Wuereas, Such method of historical-critical interpreta-
tion has been opposed by the Commission on Theology and
Church Relations as a method which destroys Lutheran pre-
suppositions: therefore be it

Resolved, That the convention recognize that the semi-
nary refuses to certify Rev. Herman Otten because he op-
poses the method of interpretation which seminary officials
insist upon but the Commission on Theology and Church Re-
lations condemns: and be it finally

Resolved. That the convention in assembly declare Rev.
Herman Otten eligible for the ministry in The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod. TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH

Sturgis, Mich.

Bruce Schaeffer, Chairman
H. M. Heidenreich, Pastor
Tom Baker, Assistant Pastor

11-25A

To Welcome Rev. Herman Otten
into the LCMS Ministerium

Wuereas, The original refusal of the Concordia Seminary
to recommend Rev. Herman Otten for the LCMS ministerium
is now over a decade ago: and

Wuereas, One of the bases for refusal was on a Board of
Appeals case that resulted in a 5:5 vote; and

Wuereas, The BA 5:5 vote actually signified that the fac-
ulty had not proved its case that Rev. Otten’s entry into the
mijnisterium should be denied; and

Wuereas. The action of the Seminary to continue its re-