LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 107

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THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 107

Church—Missouri Synod, where there continue to be District
Presidents and other officials who commit and permit pastors,
teachers, and laymen under their care to commit the public sins
of divorce, unionism, and lodge membership and the public
teaching of false doctrine without administering discipline
against them; and

WHEREAS, This lack of discipline is not based on Holy
Scnpture and therefore can lead to confusion, disharmony,
disobedience, and a weakening of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod; therefore be it

Resolved, That District Presidents, the svnodical President,
other officials, teachers, pastors, and laymen be urged to
practice self-discipline in church matters; and be it finally

Resolved, That all synodical officials who are responsible
for administering discipline be directed to follow constitutional
guidelines in order to discipline properly those LCMS members
who continually commit public sins against the church.

St. Thomas Lutheran Church
Rocky River, Ohio

Richard Dorow, President
Kenneth Mayer. Secretary

3-34

To Strengthen Synod’s System
of Doctrinal Review

WHEREAS, The primary concern of the Synod’s system of
doctrinal review is that the doctrine set forth in the public
materials which speak for our church body should “be in
accord with the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions”
(1981 Handbook, 10.01 b, page 193, and 10.07 b, c, and d. page
194); and

WHEREAS, There have been a number of instances in which
this objective has not been achieved despite the fact that the
publications had been duly processed through our present
system of doctrinal review, for example:

a. items which lacked clear Law and Gospel
b. items which implied that “liberation theology” is saving
Gospel
_¢, items which lay the foundation for developing in the
minds of children and youth the idea that women are to be
accepted as pastors

d. items that imply that one can pray to the Father without
being a believer in Jesus Christ as Savior

e. items that lay the foundation for viewing the miracles of
Christ as if they may not actually have happened, labeling
them by implication as if they were parables instead of
miracles (thus introducing into our Synod again the concepts

_ of the historical-critical method of Bible interpretation); and

WHEREAS, The artwork in certain publications has at times
contradicted the doctrine of the Scriptures and the Lutheran
Confessions and has not to date been included in the process of
doctrinal review; and

WHEREAS, In the present system names for the position of
doctrinal reviewer are sometimes suggested by the same
persons who write. edit, or publish these materials, thus
creating the possibility of an inadvertent conflict of interest in
the process of doctrinal review: and

WHEREAS, This arrangement has on occasion resulted in
less of a doctrinal review than in an examination of other areas
of expertise, such as journalism. youth work. education. music,
cross-cultural concerns, etc.: and

WHEREAS, The emphasis in the doctrinal review process is to
be on the actual doctrine which is set forth in word and artwork
(1981 Handbook, 10.07, page 194: 10.01 b. page 193: 10.03 a
through f, pages 193—94: 11.01 a. page 197: 11.07 b. page 199:
and 11.25, page 200): and

WHEREAS, It would not be physically possible for all of the
work of doctrinal review to be done by one or even both of our
seminary faculties because of their already heavy work loads:
therefore be it

Resolved, That the following changes and additions be
made in the Handbook of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod:

1. In 10.03 a add the phrase “including the artwork,” after
the phrase “any material with doctrinal content.”

2. Change 10.05 a to read as follows:

a. Each board, commission, and other subordinate
group of the Synod (but not their respective staffs) .
shall advise the President of the Synod of the number
and the general area of competency of the doctrinal
reviewers needed by it. The faculty of each synodical
seminary, each as a group, and the Commission on
Theology and Church Relations as a group shall, for
each triennium, compile a list of individuals within
the Synod, either from within or from outside their
own groups, whom the respective groups deem to be
especially qualified to serve as reviewers of the
doctrinal content of the wording and the artwork of
the items subject to the doctrinal review process. The
President of the Synod may also add names to these
lists if he so chooses. The President of the Synod shall
then appoint the doctrinal reviewers as needed from
the total list of names thus compiled.

3. In 10.05 b change “two-year terms” to ‘“‘three-vear terms.”

Board for Parish Services
Raymond A. Mueller, Chairman
Charles F. Wildauer. Secretary

3-35

To Produce a Twentieth Century Formula
of Concord

WHEREAS, Many denominations today reject the binding or
exclusivist nature of all creeds and confessions, e.g.:

1. “Pluralism and Lutheran Confessionalism,” an article
appearing in the May 1977 Lutheran Quarterly. published by
the Editorial Council of the Theological Seminaries of The
American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in
America, well illustrates the ‘pluralistic’ and ‘‘non-
exclusivist” view of creeds and confessions tolerated within
the ALC, LCA. and AELC;

2. The United Church of Christ in 1959 adopted a “State-
ment of Faith” which was so broad that even Unitarians said
they found this non-Trinitarian statement quite acceptable;

3. The Consultation on Church Union. which is seeking to
unite some 25 million Protestants. has indicated that any
confession of faith it might adopt would be similar to the UCC
“Statement of Faith”:

4. When the National Council of Churches celebrated its
31st birthday in Cleveland. Ohio, on November 5—7, 1981, the
NCC confessed ‘A Statement of Faith” which was based upon
the non-Trinitarian UCC statement and some evolutionistic
writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. a Roman Catholic
priest who rejected historic Christianity:

5. Last year ata meeting convened by the World Council of
Churches’ Faith and Order Commission in Lima, Peru, some
100 Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant
scholars issued a joint doctrinal statement. While the theo-
logians in Lima still paid lip service to some ancient creeds of
Christendom, the liberals. who controlled the meeting, re-
garded such creeds as great museum pieces, statements about
what some sincere Christians believed centuries ago, but
which today can no longer be considered binding:

6. The UCC, which is in the process of uniting with the
Disciples of Christ, in 1982 approved a“ doxological version” of
its “Statement of Faith.” The new version is still non-
Trinitarian. Masculine terms were eliminated. ‘Father’ isnow
“God™:"He’ isnow “You: and “man” is now “persons”: and

WHEREAS. The Christian church has at various times in
history resolved controversies and restored unity by speaking
to the issues of the time in new creeds and confessional
documents: and