LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1965, Page 208

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208 UNPUBLISHED REPORTS AND OVERTURES

is seriously considering becoming a member of the
United Church of South India and in complete fellow-
ship with churches that tolerate denials of the funda-
mental doctrines of historic Christianity (Lutheran
World, Oct. 1962, p.389); and

Wuereas, The leaders of the Church of South India,
a merger of bodies of Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian,
Reformed, and Congregational traditions, support theo-
logians and pastors who do not believe that Christ is
the only Way to heaven; and

Wuereas, Article VI of the constitution of The Lu-
theran Church — Missouri Synod lists as one of the
Scriptural conditions of membership in the Missouri
Synod the “renunciation of unionism and syncretism of
every description, such as: . . . Participating in hetero-
dox tract and missionary activities”; therefore be it

Resolved, That we memorialize the 1965 Detroit con-
vention of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod to
request the India Evangelical Lutheran Church to with-
draw from membership in the Federation of Evangelical
Lutheran Churches; and be it further

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod inform the India Evangelical Lutheran Church
that the Missouri Synod cannot remain in fellowship
with any church body which joins the new proposed
United Church of India or with any church body which
is affiliated with or supports the World Council of
Churches; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Missouri Synod inform the India
Evangelical Lutheran Church that The Lutheran Church
— Missouri Synod can no longer support the India
Evangelical Lutheran Church if it joins the new United
Church of India as long as this United Church of India
tolerates modernism and includes heterodox confes-
sions in its official statement of faith.

Rev. WALTER OTTEN
Rev. Cari HOFFMEYER
Rev. Pau, LEHENBAUER
Rev. Roy FauLstick
Mr. FreD BENDEWALD
Dr. WARREN HAMULA
Dr. ROBERT TAYLOR

[3-40 Un]

To Defer Action on Joining Lutheran
Council in the United States of America

Wuereas, The preamble on Scriptures in the consti-
tution of the Lutheran Council in the United States of
America is not sufficiently specific in view of the liberal
position of many regarding the Scriptures, e.g., the ra-
tionalistic approach to many historical parts of the Old
Testament as symbolic and allegoric, especially the first
11 chapters of Genesis; and also the liberal practice of
many; and

Wuereas, Article IV states that the purposes and ob-
jectives of this Council are: “to further the witness, the
work, and the interests of the participating bodies”
(there can be no “joint witness” where there is no mu-

tual acceptance of the principles of interpretation of
Scripture that affect its basic meaning; furthermore,
there can be no joint work on the college and univer-
sity campus, among the Armed Service personnel, or in
the counseling area of welfare work with the ALC and
LCA when there is such a distinct cleavage in the
treatment of God’s Word); and

Wuereas, The proposed Lutheran Council would in
many ways cause us to lose our independence of action,
our efficiency, and even our identity in a certain sense;
and ;

Wuereas, The added expenditure of financing a staff
that duplicates much of our already existing work can-
not be justified; and

Wuereas, We can effectively carry on on a consulta-
tive basis in the next 2 years while further study is
given to the matter of “cooperation” in areas where co-
operation is hardly possible unless we compromise our
position; therefore be it

Resolved, That we defer action on entering the Lu-
theran Council in the United States of America at least
until the next convention, so that congregations may
give more study to this matter.

Rev. W. H. WERNING
Youngstown, Ohio

[3-41 Un]

To Consider Church Fellowship and What
L. W. F. Membership Really Means

The undersigned herewith respectfully petitions the
Synod to weigh carefully — on the basis of Scripture —
how doctrine and practice would be adversely affected
by the Synod’s joining the Lutheran World Federation;
and that in consideration of this issue also the findings
of the Parish Education Committee of the Queensland
District of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Aus-
tralia, as found in “The E.L.C. A. at the Crossroads in
1965— A Report of two pressing problems, compiled
especially for laymen and issued by the Parish Educa-
tion Committee, Queensland District, Evangelical Lu-
theran Church of Australia,” be reviewed and evaluated.
Two copies of the aforesaid report are enclosed here-
with.

In order that the portion of this report bearing di-
rectly on the issues of church fellowship and the Lu-
theran World Federation may be thoroughly considered,
the undersigned further respectfully petitions the Synod
to take the following steps.

I. Make available to all convention delegates chapter
3 of the aforesaid report, this chapter being titled “Aus-
tralian Lutheran Union.” It covers pages 47 to 55 of the
aforesaid report.

II. Approach the findings of the aforesaid report with
Christ-honoring humility, in a spirit of readiness to
check these findings against Scripture, willing to bring
“into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
(2 Cor. 10:5)

III. Humbly, penitently, and conscientiously make

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