LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1986, Page 130

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130 RESOLUTIONS

Wuereas, Parents find it difficult to shield themselves
and their children from exposure to the influence of such
destructive media; and

Wuenreas, Pastors, teachers, youth leaders, counselors,
social agencies, and law officials are seeing families broken
and lives adversely affected; and

Wuereas, Persons of all ages and both sexes are vic-
timized and exploited by pornography and obscenity; and

Wuereas, Silence is often interpreted as consent; and

Wuereas, The Lord tells us in Phil. 4:8 to fill our minds
with “those things that are good and deserve praise, things
that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable”;
and

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is
committed to helping its congregations equip men, women,
youth, and children to resist the evils of pornography, viol-
ence, obscenity, and indecency and to continue to build up
one another in Christian love, mutual respect, and care for
personal health and the public welfare; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod intensify its efforts to en-
courage every congregational member to examine their
personal life-style and develop an awareness of the depth
of the problems resulting from pornography, violence, ob-
scenity, and indecency and the implications for the church
and the world; and be it further

Resolved, That members of The Lutheran Church—Mis-
souri Synod congregations be urged to take an active, sup-
portive role in working to combat the effects of
pornographic, violent, obscene, and indecent material
through such means as

1. praying—to pray for those individuals engaged in
battling the pornographic establishments; to pray for
those individuals fighting the temptation of pornog-
raphy; to pray for the innocent victims, young boys
and girls, as well as women, to pray for those who
are consumed by pornographic passions and desires;
to pray for those who sell and distribute porno-
graphic material;

2. using selective listening, reading, and viewing prac-
tices;

3. withdrawing support of products and retailers in-
volved;

4. contacting sponsors and advertisers supporting in-
decent media, urging their practices to change;

5. contacting legislators and authorities;

and be it further

Resolved, That the Task Force on Christian Values,
Public Decency, and Morality be expanded to include dis-
trict and parish-level members to provide grassroots in-
volvement; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod through the Board for Parish
Services and the Board for Youth Services endorse and
make available for congregational study, the Statement on
Pornography which follows this resolution, educational
materials, and any other guides, relative and pertinent
information, and a list of resources available on the sub-
ject; and be it finally

Resolved, That members of congregations throughout

the Synod be urged to intensify their witness of the joys
and blessings that come to individuals and families when
life-styles and expressions of sexuality are in harmony
with the Creator’s design.

A Statement on Pornography

Webster’s New World Dictionary defines pornography
as “1. writings, pictures, etc. intended primarily to arouse
sexual desire. 2. the production of such writings, pictures,
etc.” Literally, “pornography” is the combination of two
Greek words that mean “writing about prostitutes.” The
verbal root of “porno” means “to sell,” “to harlot for hire.”

As such “pornography,” of course, is not mentioned in
the Scriptures; it is not included in the Biblical catalogs
of the works of the sinful flesh (though the term porneia,
which often heads the list in Paul’s writings, is inclusive
enough to embrace this form of sexual immorality; (cf. 1
Cor. 7:2, where the plural of porneia is used to point to
“the various factors that may bring about sexual immo-
rality,” Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, and Danker, Greek-Eng-
lish Lexicon, p. 700). However, Christian moral judgments
regarding pornography and its use are indeed informed by
what the Scriptures say about human sexuality. We ask,
therefore, what judgments must be made concerning por-
nography by those committed to the Biblical revelation of
God’s will for man and woman as sexual beings? We offer
the following guiding statements for moral reflection on
the issue of pornography.

1. What takes place in the sphere of a person’s thought
and will—not just overt behavior—is subject to the
limitations of the divine will for human sexuality.
The “fornications” (porneiat) of which Jesus speaks
come from the heart, “the center of the inner life of
man” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament,
vol. 3, p. 611). At the same time it is a Biblical truism
that people driven by “the lusts of their hearts” (not
merely sexual, of course) are prone “to the dishon-
oring of their bodies among themselves ...” (Rom.
1:24). Immoral behavior is preceded by immoral
thoughts and a perverted will, Pornography and its
use must be condemned not only for the sexual abuse
which may ensue, but also for the fantasies in which
those who read and view it indulge themselves.

2. Pornography seeks to arouse sexual desire that is
directed not toward the good of another within the
fellowship of the marital union, but toward self-grat-
ification—a mark of the unredeemed life (1 Thess.
4:5). Accordingly, pornographic literature depre-
cates, and even disdains, marital fidelity and the giv-
ing of oneself to another in a permanent commitment
of love as an unhealthy suppression of human po
tentiality and development. Those who respond to
its appeal for the satisfaction of sexual appetites
inevitably become subject to forces that threaten and
bring dishonor to the institution of marriage (Matt.
5:27-30).

3. Pornography abstracts and divorces bodily functions
from the personhood of the individuals portrayed, S0
that in animalistic fashion they are viewed as ve-
hicles for sexual self-indulgence, not persons created