LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 92

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92 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

areas of the country where pastors and congregations of the
Synod are carrying out evangelism work among Jewish people.
In response to this assignment the commission, therefore,
adopted the following resolution as a way of providing guid-
ance to the members of the Synod and its boards and agencies:

WHEREAS, Anti-Semitism and other forms of racism are a
continuing problem in our world; and

WHEREAS, Some of Luther's intemperate remarks about the
Jews are often cited in this connection; and

WHEREAS, It is widely but falsely assumed that Luther’s
personal writings and opinions have some official status
among us (thus, sometimes, implying the responsibility of
contemporary Lutheranism for those statements, if not com-
plicity in them); but also

WHEREAS, It is plain from Scripture that the Gospel must be
proclaimed to all people— that is. toJews also, no more and no
less than to others—(Matt. 28:18-20); and

WHEREAS, This Scriptural mandate is sometimes confused
with anti-Semitism, therefore be it

Resolved, That we condemn any and all discrimination
against others on account of race or religion or any coercion on
that account and pledge ourselves to work and witness against
such sins; and be it further

Resolved, That we reaffirm that the bases of our doctrine
and practice are the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions
and not Luther, as such; and be it further

Resolved, That while, on the one hand, we are deeply
indebtedto Luther for his rediscovery and enunciation of the
Gospel, on the other hand, we deplore and disassociate our-
selves from Luther's negative statements about the Jewish
people; and, by the same token, we deplore the use today of such
sentiments by Luther to incite anti-Christian and/or anti-
Lutheran sentiment, and be it further

Resolved, That in our teaching and preaching we take care
not to confuse the religion of the Old Testament (often labelled
“Yahwism”’) with the subsequent Judaism, nor misleadingly
speak about “Jews” in the Old Testament (‘‘Israelites” or
“Hebrews” being much more accurate terms), lest we obscure
the basic claim of the New Testament and of the Gospel to
being in substantial continuity with the Old Testament and
that the fulfillment of the ancient promises came in Jesus
Christ; and be it further

Resolved, That we avoid the recurring pitfall of recrimi-
nation (as illustrated by the remarks of Luther and many of the
early church fathers) against those who do not respond
positively to our evangelistic efforts; and be it finally

Resolved, That, in that light, we personally and indi-
vidually adopt Luther’s final attitude toward the Jewish
people, as evidenced in his last sermon: ‘‘We want to treat them
with Christian love and to pray for them, so that they might
become converted and would receive the Lord” (Weimar edition,
Vol. 51, p. 195).

3. Tuition Tax Credits

In the fall of 1982 President BohImann appointed a special
committee to prepare information for the use of the Synod and
its various departments on the question of tuition tax credits.
This committee.presented a document to the President with the
suggestion that the CTCR review and endorse its introductory
statement. In response to this suggestion President Bohlmann
sent this document to the CTCR with the request that the
commission endorse the introductory statement and with the
invitation that the CTCR “add or subtract anything that will
strengthen the document in any way.” Having reviewed the
materials forwarded by Dr. Bohlmann, the commission, at its
November 1982 meeting, concluded “that it finds nothing
contrary to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions in the
introductory statement of the ‘Tuition Tax Credit Information
Bulletin.”

4. Board of Directors Request on Classification
of “Ministers” for Purposes of Federal Law

Following its December 1982 meeting the Board of Directors
of the Synod submitted to the commission for review a

resolution to be proposed to the 1983 convention requesting the
Synod to approve classification of positions of workers in the
Synod. Having carefully examined this proposal on the basis
of its study of the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions as
summarized in “The Ministry: Offices. Procedures, Nomen-
clature,”’ the commission has concluded the following:

It is the opinion of the CTCR that there is nothing in the
basic proposal of the Board of Directors for the classification of
ministers that is contrary to the Scriptures and the Lutheran
Confessions. This proposal does not imply any deviation from
the Synod’s traditional position on the doctrine of the ministry.

The CTCR commends the Board of Directors on its concern
for developing clear categories of classification and proper
recognition for all of the professional church workers who
serve the congregations and schools of the Synod so faithfully.

II. CHURCH RELATIONS
A. Inter-Lutheran Relationships
1. Partner Churches
a. International Lutheran Conference

The 10th consultation of the International Lutheran Con-
ference convened in St. Louis on Aug. 5—12, 1981, under the
theme ‘“‘The Challenge to the Theology of the Cross of New
Cults.” Participating in this session of the ILC were repre-
sentatives from the following Lutheran churches throughout
the world: Lutheran Church of Argentina, Evangelical Luther-
an Church of Brazil, Lutheran Church—Canada, the Council
of Lutheran Churches in Central America and Panama,
Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Denmark, Evangelical
Lutheran Church Synod of France and Belgium, Independent
Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Germany, Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Ghana, Lutheran Church—Hong Kong
Synod, India Evangelical Lutheran Church, Japan Lutheran
Church, Lutheran Church in Korea, Lutheran Synod of Mexico,
Lutheran Church of Nigeria, Gutnius Lutheran Church—
Papua New Guinea, the Lutheran Church in the Philippines,
the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, Conference of Luther-
an Churches of Venezuela, Evangelical Lutheran Church of
England, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and the
Lutheran Church of Australia (observer). Dr. Ralph Bohlmann
officially represented the LCMS. Dr. Edward Westcott and
Rev. Leland Stevens also participated in the conference as
guests.

The International Lutheran Conference meets every three
years to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern. The
next consultation of the ILC is scheduled to be held in Obot
Idim, Nigeria, in 1984. The ILC was saddened by the sudden
death of its chairman, Dr. E. G. Pearce, on Nov. 24, 1982. Dr.
Pearce served as chairman of four consultations of the ILC
(1972—Madras, India; 1975—Porto Allegre, Brazil; 1978—
Papua New Guinea; 1981—St. Louis, Mo., USA) and provided
outstanding leadership as a churchman and theologian dedi-
cated to the unity and strength of the churches of the ILC.

b. Confessional Lutheran Church of Finland

President Bohlmann reported at the September 1982 meet-
ing of the CTCR that he had received a letter dated May 11,
1982, from Rev. Markku Sarela, president of the Confessional
Lutheran Church of Finland, in which on behalf of the CLCF
he extended once again the hand of church fellowship to The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. As the commission re-
ported to the 1971 convention of the Synod, the CLCF withdrew
from church fellowship with the Synod in 1970, indicating that
it considered the Synod to have departed from its confessionsal
standards. Over the years the Synod, through its president,
has maintained contacts with the CLCF in the hope that our
brethren in this church would once again express their desire to
restore fellowship with the Synod, a relationship our churches
enjoyed for nearly 50 years prior to the CLCF’s decision in
1970. The commission was pleased to hear Dr. Bohlmann
report, therefore, that the CLCF has now come to regard the
LCMS “‘as an orthodox church body” and once again has
extended “the hand of fellowship” to The Lutheran—Church
Missouri Synod.

At Dr. Bohlmann’s request the commission considered Rev.