LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1965, Page 289

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THEOLOGY OF FELLOWSHIP

to achieving doctrinal unity, Christians not only
may but should join in fervent prayer that God
would guide and bless the discussions, trusting
in Christ’s promise Matt. 18:19: “Again, I say unto
you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as
touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall
be done for them of My Father which is in
heaven.” 18

The opening prayer on such an occasion should
be suited to the specific situation. If all parties
meet in an atmosphere of mutual confidence there
will be no problem. In a tense or an uncertain
situation it may be suggested that the conference
use the great hymns and liturgical prayers of
the church, as was done at the Colloquy at
Ratisbon where representatives of the two sides
changed off opening the sessions with the “Veni
Creator Spiritus” (Come, Holy Spirit) and the
“Pater noster” (Our Father);!9 and as did the
fathers of The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod, when at the Milwaukee Colloquy the local
pastor opened every session with a liturgical
service.?°

. Our Synod should clearly recognize that, in the

case of necessary work on the local, national, or
international level, where the faith and confession
of the church are not compromised, and where
it appears essential that the churches of various
denominations should cooperate or at least not
work at cross purposes, our churches ought to
cooperate willingly to the extent that the Word of
God and conscience will allow.

. In the many cases which do not seem to fall

readily under the guidelines enunciated above
(e.g. prayers at all kinds of meetings), every
Christian should for his own person observe the
apostle’s injunction, “Let every one be fully
convinced in his own mind” Rom. 14:5; and his
warning, “He who doubts is condemned if he
eats, because he does not act from faith; for
whatever does not proceed from faith is sin”
(Rom. 14:23).

With respect to his brother, whose conscience
may not judge in all such matters as does his own,
let every Christian observe the instruction of the
same apostle, “Why do you pass judgment on your
brother? Or, why do you despise your brother?
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat
of God. . . . So each of us shall give account of
himself to God” (Rom. 14:10, 12).

. It will be remembered that THEoLtocy or FELLOw-

sui, Part II, closes with a discussion of churchly
practice as a criterion of church fellowship, and
of the difficulties experienced internally by the
Synodical Conference in connection with the ap-
plication of this criterion.2!

Our Synod will be well advised to retain the
principle that Scriptural practice is important for
church fellowship. When ecclesiastical practice is

289

in harmony with Scripture and the Lutheran Con-
fessions, the church is edified. On the other hand,
when ecclesiastical practice constitutes a demon-
strable denial of the Gospel, the work of the
church is undermined. However, Christians ought
not apply this principle legalistically or employ
doubtful logic and labored conclusions to prove
that a certain practice is against the Gospel. In
the matter of churchly practice the individual con-
gregation should be guided by the same considera-
tions as are set forth under point 5 above, on the
basis of Rom. 14:5, 10, 12, 23.

Conclusion

The Commission on Theology and Church Relations
now submits this THEOLOGY oF FELLowsuiP, Part JI, II,
and III, to The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod for
reference and guidance.

May our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved the church,
and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25), protect and bless
His church in all the world; may He Himself guide His
children everywhere into all truth, and cleanse the
church of all heresy and schism. May He bless also the
church as it exists in The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod and in the synods in fellowship with it. May He
grant us grace to proclaim His Word with boldness and
with power and to exhort with all longsuffering and doc-
trine (2Tim. 4:2); to love the brotherhood (1 Peter
2:17); to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15); to walk
worthy of the vocation wherewith we have been called,
with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, for-
bearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, for there is one
body and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope
of our calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one
God and Father of all, who is above all, and through
all, and in us all (Eph. 4:1-6).

Tu. F. Nicket, Chairman
Hersert J. A. Bouman, Secretary

FOOTNOTES

1 Proceedings of the Forty-Third Regular Convention,
St. Paul, 1956, p. 550.

2 Theology of Fellowship, Preamble.

3.1 John 1:3; Gal. 3:26-29; Eph. 4:11, 12.

* Gerhard, Loci Theologici, ed. Preuss, Berlin 1863, I,
202, 216; V, 355.

5 At the Colloquy at Ratisbon in 1602 Lutherans and
Roman Catholics had taken turns with the opening prayers.
(Cf. Theology of Fellowship, Part Il, Footnote 46.) It ap-
pears that at Thorn the Lutheran spokesmen, among them
Huelsemann and Calov, expected that the same arrangement
would prevail. Upon arrival, however, they found that the
Roman Catholics insisted that all opening services were to
be conducted by Roman Catholics. The result was that the
Lutherans refused to attend the opening services, and
prayed instead in a private meeting of their own. In his
Historica Syncretistica (1682) Abraham Calov not only gives
valuable information and documents relating to the Colloquy
of Thorn but also about the whole syncretistic controversy
which developed in connection with the union efforts spear-
headed by Georg Calixt. Calov gives among others these
reasons advanced by the Lutherans why they could not yield
to the Roman Catholic demands in the matter of the prayers: