# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S257
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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Intersynodical and Doctrinal Matters. — 287

lodge evil. is still troubling our brethren, they take a firm stand and
der. the circumstances do the best they can.” “There were, as
men. of the Committee probably know, a few bad spots; but
assured that headway is being made through proper instruc-
g tion and an evangelical practice.” In view of these statements it
| not do to be apologetic regarding the attitude of our Synod
ywards the lodge when this subject is discussed at intersynodical
ineetings. If discipline were united to testimony in the Lutheran
Church generally regarding the evil of the lodge, a serious obstacle’
to..a- better understanding among Lutherans would be removed.
<The Bureau of Information was given authority jointly with
the Board for Young People’s Work to devote further study to the
‘matter of Boy Scouts, with the object in view of removing “dis-
similar practice in our midst concerning Boy Scout troops under
a Lutheran scoutmaster.” Under these instructions your synod-
ical committees obtained all the official handbooks both for scouts
and scoutmasters, covering every phase of the work, and examined
these for any ingredients of the program which would militate
: against a Lutheran scoutmaster’s committing himself to this
* program. We were unable to find any factors: which would violate
our principles and have not been able to discover anything in the
practices of scouting, as outlined in these handbooks, to. which
*. a Christian parent, scoutmaster, or pastor would take exception.
Moreover, a Lutheran Committee on Scouting has issued a manual
‘entitled Scouting in the Lutheran Church, which definitely claims
for the pastors and congregations the sole and unrestricted right
of the Lutheran church committee (of which the local pastor is
understood to be a member) to control everything of a religious.
nature that is to be superimposed upon the official scout program.
In a letter to the Committee, Chief Scout Executive Elbert K. Fret-
well writes from Scout headquarters:
“We recognize that there is no Boy Scout authority which
' supersedes. the authority of the local Pastor and the Congregation
. in any phase of the program affecting the spiritual welfare of
Lutheran men and boys in Scouting, and ‘the purpose of this
Lutheran Manual is to guide the local Pastor and Congregation
in their efforts to supplement the Scout Program with the spiritual
program of the Church.”
Accordingly, your Committee believes that the matter of scout-_
.. ing should be left to the individual congregation to decide and
that under the circumstances Synod may consider her interests
sufficiently protected. ,

- Tre Bureau or INFORMATION
Paut G. BrRETSCHER O, F. ENGELBRECHT

. Trropore GRAEBNER
17