LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1965, Page 251

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“MIMEOGRAPHED” REPORTS AND OVERTURES

These reports and overtures, received between June 1 and June 6, 1965, were
presented to the convention in mimeographed form as the first 36 pages of Today’s
Business. They are numbered in sequence after the reports and overtures in the
Convention Workbook and the Unpublished Reports and Overtures and are iden-
tified with the code letter M added to the number. Page references in these
ProceeviNes are to Today’s Business (TB).

(1-21 My 1. Missions

To Have Well-Qualified Deaf Man Elected
to Serve on Board for Missions to the Deaf

Wuereas, The Synod has always elected hearing men
as its Board for Missions to the Deaf ever since its offi-
cial inception in 1896; and

Wuereas, Dr. Harry Best, one of the foremost living
authorities on the psychology, specialized needs, and
problems of the profoundly deaf people, calls them “the
most misunderstood among the sons of men”; and

Wuereas, Even otherwise very capable hearing pas-
tors and laymen will have great difficulty in properly
understanding the deaf and their particular needs; and
Wuereas, It would seem appropriate, beneficial, and
helpful to our board to have in its councils a well-edu-
cated, mature, properly qualified, and dedicated Chris-
tian layman who is himself one of “the most misunder-
stood among the sons of men”; and

Wuereas, God has endowed some deaf men with suf-
ficient talents to serve as members of our board, and
we have such men in the membership of our deaf mis-
sion who could serve effectually as “the voice of the
deaf”; and

Wuereas, All gifts of God are bestowed upon men
for the common good of all; and

Wuereas, Two pastors who have served as mission-
aries to the deaf have been nominated as candidates
for board membership; and

Wuereas, Such a pastor, if elected, could well serve
as interpreter in board meetings and thus adequately
and successfully meet the communication problem; and
Wuerras, The effectiveness of our board would be
notably enhanced by a member who could and would
serve as a spokesman for the deaf, because of his solid
understanding of the deaf world and the deaf mind; and

Wuerras, The Department of Health, Education and
Welfare of the American federal government has recog-
nized the employment of a deaf man in the highest
echelon to be in its own enlightened self-interest; and
Wuereas, The children of light might in this in-
stance advance the banners of the King of kings by
adapting this plan for its deaf missions, and have the
viewpoint of the deaf represented by one of their own
deaf people; and

Wuereas, The membership of a deaf man on the
Synod’s official board would automatically accord the
deaf a measure of recognition and status; and

251

Wuereas, Such recognition would bring with it addi-
tional acceptance of responsibility on the part of the
deaf; and

Wuereas, This has been a desirable attitude long
largely lacking in a sizable segment of our deaf church
membership; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod weigh carefully the ad-
vantages to our Savior’s kingdom of having a well-
qualified and suitable deaf man elected to serve as a
fully accredited member of its Board for Missions to
the Deaf. Joun A. BEYER

Resolutions Passed by the Special
Conference Called in Iowa District West
to Hear Dr. Habel’s Essay “The Form
and Meaning of the Fall Narrative”
and Held at Holiday Inn, Fort Dodge,
Towa, May 25, 1965

Wuereas, Scripture is its own interpreter, under-
stood also by the simple; and

Wuereas, The Gospel of Jesus Christ is foolishness
to some and a stumbling block to others who believe
not; and

Wuereas, There can be no compromise between Bib-
lical faith and human reason in the interpretation of
God’s Word; and

Wuereas, Compromises have been attempted in times
past to harmonize Scripture with human reason by re-
sorting to the allegorical method of interpretation, such
as Philo, Origen, the Scholastics; and

Wuereas, The author’s essay gives evidence of such
a trend to resort to the symbolical or allegorical inter-
pretation which in the past has led to dire results;
therefore be it

Resolved, That we urge the essayist, Dr. Norman
Habel, to give prayerful thought to the revision of his
thinking in his essay “The Form and Meaning of the Fall
Narrative” on this mode of interpretation, which is un-
acceptable to us on a Scriptural and confessional basis
and should not be taught henceforth, and consider where
this thinking could lead in the training of future preach-
ers of the Gospel; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge that the joint conferences by
the faculties of St. Louis and Springfield and the College
of Presidents be continued.