LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1965, Page 279

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THEOLOGY OF FELLOWSHIP 279

article of the Lord’s Supper, these have to be set forth
expressly and distinctly in this explanation and thorough
settlement of the controverted articles in order that
everybody may know that he must guard himself against
them. There are also many other reasons why condem-
nations cannot by any means be avoided. However, it
is not our purpose and intention to mean thereby those
persons who err ingenuously and who do not blaspheme
the truth of the divine Word, and far less do we mean
entire churches inside or outside the Holy Empire of
the German Nation. On the contrary, we mean spe-
cifically to condemn only false and seductive doctrines
and their stiff-necked proponents and blasphemers .. .
inasmuch as such teachings are contrary to the expressed
Word of God and cannot coexist with it.... But we have
no doubt at all that one can find many pious, innocent
people even in those churches which have up to now
admittedly not come to agreement with us. These people
go their way in the simplicity of their hearts, do not
understand the issues, and take no pleasure in blas-
phemies against the Holy Supper as it is celebrated in
our churches. . . . Consequently the responsibility de-
volves upon the theologians and ministers duly to remind
even those who err ingenuously and ignorantly of the
danger to their souls and to warn them against it, lest
one blind person let himself be misled by another.38

The Lutheran confessors in the same preface to the
Book of Concord express their warm love and concern
for the Reformed Christians, who were at that time un-
dergoing persecution in some places, in the words:

For just as Christian charity causes us to have special
sympathy with them, so we entertain a corresponding
loathing for and a cordial disapproval of the raging of
their persecutors.39

In all these expressions in the Preface to the Book
of Concord the Lutheran confessors are reaffirming the
necessary distinction between heretics, who are outside
the body of Christ, and erring Christians, who are and
by God’s grace remain children of God, even though
troubled by error. They are also reaffirming their un-
derstanding of the church; “Properly speaking, the
church is the assembly of saints and true believers.” 4°

2. Pulpit and Altar Fellowship in the Lutheran Church

The subject of pulpit and altar fellowship is not dis-
cussed expressis verbis in the Lutheran Confessions.
However, the basis for pulpit and altar fellowship, as it
has been understood in the Lutheran Church where it
was loyal to its confessions, is set forth in Augustana,
Art. VII:

And to the true unity of the church it is enough to agree
concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and the admin-
istration of the sacraments.

The doctrine of the Gospel is not here to be under-
stood as one doctrine among many, or as a bare recital
of John 3:16, but rather as a doctrine composed of a
number of articles of faith. For the doctrine of the Gos-
pel cannot be understood or preached without the Arti-
cle of God, which the Lutheran confessors say they
teach magno consensu, (AC, I), the Article of Original
Sin, which shows man’s need for the Gospel, the Article
of the Son of God, who became incarnate and redeemed
man. The true understanding of Article VII of the
Augsburg Confession is correctly set forth by Herbert
J. A. Bouman as follows:

This does not mean that the specific locus “de justi-
ficatione” considered by itself is all that the Lutherans
consider indispensable. Rather they regard the entire

corpus doctrinae as bound up inextricably with justifica-
tion. All doctrines have their place in this doctrine. All
doctrines stand or fall with the doctrine of justification.41
This is also the meaning of the Formula of Concord

when it says, Epitome, Art. X:

We believe, teach, and confess that no church should
condemn another because it has fewer or more external
ceremonies not commanded by God, as long as there is
mutual agreement in [the] doctrine and in all its
articles . . 42

It should be noted here that doctrine is singular, but

that this doctrine consists of a number of articles.

It should furthermore be noted that our Confessions

use the terms doctrina and evangelium as synonyms:

. . . the assembly of saints who share the association
of the same Gospel or teaching.43

Though the subject of pulpit and altar fellowship is
not discussed expressis verbis in the Lutheran Con-
fessions, these confessions themselves became the effec-
tive limits for pulpit and altar fellowship for Lutherans.
Those who subscribed to them were automatically in
pulpit and altar fellowship with one another. Those who
did not subscribe to them, but adhered to other con-
fessions, were, according to the Preface to the Book of
Concord, not condemned as heretics; the Lutherans
could even “have special sympathy with them.” How-
ever, church fellowship, communicatio in sacris, with
them was impossible. This followed inevitably from the
doctrine of the church as it is contained in the Lutheran
Confessions, which demand for true unity of the church
“that the Gospel be preached in conformity with a pure
understanding of it and that the sacraments be admin-
istered in accordance with the divine Word.” #4

However, while communicatio in sacris was impossi-
ble with men who were not considered heretics but
erring Christians, the Preface to the Book of Concord
recognizes a responsibility of Lutherans toward such
erring Christians:

... the responsibility devolves upon the theologians and
ministers to remind even those who err ingenuously and
ignorantly of the danger to their souls and to warn them
against it, lest one blind person be misled by another.‘

In line with this responsibility so-called colloquies
(Religionsgespraeche) were repeatedly held by Lu-
theran theologians with Roman Catholic and also with
Reformed theologians. At the colloquy of Regensburg
in 1601 neither Lutherans nor Roman Catholics appear
to have considered it improper to open the colloquy and
the individual sessions of the colloquy with prayer.
Numerous passages in the official minutes of this col-
loquy state that all meetings were opened with liturgical
prayers and that representatives of both sides changed
off in conducting the opening devotions.*6

At the Colloquy of Thorn in 1645 where Roman
Catholics, Lutherans, and Reformed met, the Lutherans
asked that the same procedure be followed. When the
Catholics refused, and insisted that they alone conduct
the opening devotions the Lutherans refused to attend
the devotions under these conditions.47

From these cases it appears that the Lutherans, dur-
ing the period of orthodoxy, did not refuse, as a matter