LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1965, Page 243

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13. WORSHIP, LITURGICS, AND HYMNOLOGY 243

12. Church Literature and Publications
[12-12 Un]

To Make Available Theological Publications
Not Easily Accessible or Out of Print

Wuereas, The 1962 convention of The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod resolved:

That this convention of the Synod request the Commis-
sion on Church Literature to consider the publishing
and reprinting of theological books and essays not now
easily accessible, such as A. L. Graebner’s Outlines of
Doctrinal Theology, Theodore Engelder’s Scripture Can-
not Be Broken and Reason and Revelation, the Concordia
Triglotta with its historical introduction, and any other
books or essays which the commission feels would be
pertinent to present-day needs. (Resolution 8-02, Pro-
ceedings 1962, p. 140)

and

WuerEas, Communism and Socialism, by C. F. W.
Walther, and For Better, Not for Worse, by Dr. Walter
A. Maier, are no longer easily accessible to most of the
members of our Synod; therefore be it

Resolved, That we memorialize the Synod to request
Concordia Publishing House and the Commission on
Church Literature to reprint A. L. Graebner’s Outlines
of Doctrinal Theology, Scripture Cannot Be Broken, by
Theodore Engelder, Reason and Revelation, by Theo-
dore Engelder, the Concordia Triglotta with its his-
torical introduction, Communism and Socialism, by C. F.
W. Walther, and For Better, Not for Worse, by Walter

A. Maier.
Rev. Water Otten

Rev. Cart HorrMEYER
Rev. Pau, LEHENBAUER
Rev. Roy Fautsticx
Mr. Frep BENDEWALD
Dr. Warren HamMuLa
Dr. Rosert TAyYLor

13. Worship, Liturgics, and Hymnology
[13-17 Un]

To Declare the Pipe Organ the Official
Organ of Our Church

= Wuereas, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod,
at her 45th regular convention in Cleveland, Ohio,
deemed instrumental music so important as to amend
the second “Whereas” of Memorial 711, p. 308 of Reports
and Memorials of that convention as Resolution 9-01,
p. 144, of Proceedings to include “instrumental music,”
as follows:

Wuereas, The constant relevancy of the Christian faith
to life in all its aspects should be reflected in our wor-
ship and singing and instrumental music.

and

Wuereas, The pipe organ is a majestic instrument
called the king of instruments, the instrument that psy-
chologically moves our emotions most effectively to a
mood of worship; and

Wuereas, The choice of an organ made through the
advice and supervision of experts and talented musi-
cians in our church results in instruments truly worthy
of serving our Lord and Savior, such as the pipe organs
at the Valparaiso University Chapel, the Fort Wayne
Senior College, and the comparatively smaller but noble
“Gloria Dei” organ of the Lutheran Laymen’s League
building, described by Carl Schalk, director of music
of The Lutheran Hour, in its dedication brochure as
“proclaiming the Gospel faithfully within the limita-
tions of its art, reflecting the Christian faith in the
simplicity, honesty, and integrity of its construc-
tion”; and

Wuereas, No other instrument or instruments have
been found or invented to duplicate faithfully the musi-
cal sounds of a pipe organ, other than a full symphony
orchestra; and

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod,
a leader of churches, consistent in proclaiming the
purest of doctrine, should have organs consistent in like
qualities and should set an example for other churches;
and

Wuereas, The present general market, a market of
exploitation, is deluged with various brands of imitation
organs, many claimed by their innumerable, aggressive
salesmen to have features perfected through modern
science, surpassing the pipe organ; and

Wuergas, Church magazines, for example, Your
Church and Church Buildings, have advertisements that
promote imitation organs, boasting figures in the
thousands of those now installed in churches, some cost-
ing as much as $65,000 and others displacing fine old
pipe organs merely in need of repair after many decades
of use; and

Wuereas, A survey of Lutheran churches in the
small area surrounding Joliet, Ill, 40 miles southwest of
Chicago, indicates a predominance of imitation organs
as follows:

Among churches of the Missouri Synod there are
2 pipe organs and 6 imitation organs; among Lutheran
churches of other synods there are 2 pipe organs and
7 imitation organs. Two of the largest Lutheran
churches of these other synods were talked into replac-
ing their pipe organs with imitations; as a result one of
the churches is forced to triple expense because, led by
a number of annoyed musicians of the congregation,
it is replacing with another pipe organ the imitation
organ that replaced its first pipe organ. Two other
churches are merging under the new name “The Lu-
theran Church in America”; it is not yet decided which
organ will be retained, the imitation organ in the church:
that will serve both congregations or the pipe organ
in the church that will be dismantled. A newly built
church of the Missouri Synod a few miles farther from
Joliet, costing $255,000, has a $10,000 imitation organ;
and ,

Wuereas, It is prayerfully hoped that the above
local survey does not give a true picture of the state
of organ music in our church throughout the nation;