LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 80

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80 PARISH, YOUTH, AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES

the NKJV is expected to do so, which will help us communicate
with other Christians, which may give lower costs, and which
will encourage the publishing of study helps (an NIV concord-
ance has already been published); therefore be it

Resolved, That the CTCR compare the accuracy of transla-
tion of the NKJV andthe NIV with that of the RSV; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Board for Parish Services evaluate the
readability of the NKJV and the NIV relative to the RSV; and
be it further

Resolved, That both boards submit reports on their findings
as soon as possible, but no later than January 1, 1983, to the
President of the Synod; and be it finally

Resolved, That in the event that these reports indicate that
the better of the NKJV and NIV is not significantly lower in
either accuracy or readability but is significantly better in one
of them, the President of Synod be empowered to authorize
converting all synodical publications to that better translation
as soon as practical.

Adair Circuit Forum

Iowa District West

Douglas C. Young, Counselor
Willis E. Miesner, Secretary

2-18A

To Use One Bible Translation
in Our Educational Materials
and Church Services

WHEREAS, Congregations and pastors are at present using
different Bible translations in their Sunday schools, vacation
Bible schools, confirmation instructions, and church services;
and

WHEREAS, In our mobile society this creates a real problem,
especially for children who have memorized one translation in
one congregation and then have to relearn it in another
congregation; and

WHEREAS, One objective of the Synod as stated in Synod's
Constitution is to encourage congregations to strive for uni-
formity in church practice and customs; and

WHEREAS, A former staff member of the Board for Parish
Services of the Synod recently made a plea in the Lutheran
Witness for a more unified use of a Bible translation in our
churches; and

WHEREAS, Using the same Bible translation in our educa-
tional materials would make the memorizing process of our
children much easier in their own congregation or when they
transfer to another; and

WHEREAS, Using the same translation in the church service
as in the educational materials would help both adults and
children recall what they once memorized and give the church
service an immediate sense of familiarity; and

WHEREAS, Using the same translation in all our churches
would give visitors in a sister congregation or those thinking
about transferring to a congregation in their new location a
feeling that this is just like home; and

WHEREAS, We must surely be close to the end of ever new and
more translations of the Bible into English; and

WHEREAS, The King James Version of the Bible is now
available in modern English and has received favorable
reviews also by scholars in our own church; therefore be it

Resolved:

1. That the President of the Synod be authorized to appoint
a committee to study the various Bible translations available
and to recommend atranslation to be used in all new materials
produced by our synodical departments, as well as in the
Sunday bulletins produced by Concordia Publishing House;
an

2. That the committee bring a resolution to the convention
which would encourage all congregations to use this one
translation in all their educational agencies and church ser-
vices as soon as possible; and

3. That this committee report at the next synodical
convention.
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Lubbock, Tex.
James McDonald, President
Bernice Newsom, Secretary
Identical or similar:

2-18B and 2-18C

Trinity, St. Francis, Minn.
Our Redeemer, Jackson, Minn.

2-19

Glenn Coop
James Fandrey

To Avoid the Use of Translations
of the Bible That Are Inconsistent
About the Deity of Christ Jesus

WHEREAS, Our church is a Christ-centered-faith church
body that still contends for the deity and authority of Christ
Jesus; in this context then, with God’s help, we are able to
discern which translations of the Bible should be used in
corporate worship and basic instruction so that the Comforter
can speak clearly to the heart and build absolute faith in the
authority of Christ Jesus alone; and

WHEREAS, Our Christ-centered literature for corporate
worship and basic instruction is compromised when readings
and proof references cite translations based on a text with
shortened passages that offer inconsistencies about the deity
of the Christ, Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, as we confess
in the Nicene Creed, only to confuse and distract young and
new readers; and

WHEREAS, In 1975 the CTCR Bible Version Committee
conducted a comparative study of (English) Bible translations
and paraphrases, and the well-published report on 12 popular
translations shows that only the King James Version Bible
has no unusable passages in dealing with the person and work
of Christ Jesus (Small Catechism, 2d Art, Quests. 121—159);
an

WHEREAS, The King James Version, and the New King
James Version, both based on the traditional Received Text
used by Dr. Luther and the KJV translators, are consistent
about the deity of Christ Jesus; and

WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon us to follow the CTCR
leadership and in the fear of God further study and compare
translations—as in the accompanying ‘“‘Passage Comparison
Study” (see appendix) consisting of key portions of 31 passages
to discover why the Holy Spirit is not permitted to speak clearly
and without inconsistencies about the deity of Christ Jesus so
that on one or more of the following teachings related to the
Bible references in this study people aren’t sure, or do not
believe:

* Jesus is the Christ, the Promised One (John 6:47; Acts
2:30; Acts 7:37);

* He has already come (Mark 11:10; Rom. 9:5; 1 Cor. 15:47;
Eph. 3:14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 11:11; 1 John 4:3);

* There is only one way or plan given for salvation of the
people unto everlasting life (John 6:47; Ps. 67:2);

* Christ Jesus is God incarnate, born of the Virgin (Luke
2:33, 43);

* There is a personal devil such as encountered by Christ
Jesus (Luke 4:8);

* The Lord Jesus Christ is begotten of the Father, not made
(a translation ‘one and only Son” leaves room for the
interpretation that He has an earthly father—Luke 2:33,
43; John 1:14);

* The Word—God the Son—was already present with God
the Father and God the Holy Spirit before the foundation
of the world was laid, and through Him was the world and
man created, at which time He committed Himself to save
the new creation from the power of Satan and eternal
death (Eph. 3:9);

* There is a heaven and life after death (Heb. 10:34);

And so, with the inconsistencies about the lineage and

authority of Christ Jesus in some translations people will be
unable to petition God the Father with complete confidence in