Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 66
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 66

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

66 THEOLOGICAL MATTERS

Moellering, “Recent Roman Catholic Thought on Bib-
lical Inspiration”

Preus, “Prophecy and Fulfillment in Post-Reformation
Theology: A Presage of Modern Biblical Hermeneu-
tics”

Roehrs, “The Typological Use of the Old Testament in
the New Testament”

Surburg, “Form Criticism of the Old Testament as a
Hermeneutical Procedure”

Not all members of the committee were able to carry
their topics through to completion, but four of the
studies have now been shared with the CTCR, and two
more are in the latter stages of completion. The CTCR
has authorized the publication of the completed essays
together with other materials descriptive of the com-
mittee’s work.

The committee has spent considerable time discuss-
ing the four completed studies in detail: those by Drs.
Bartling, Franzmann, Roehrs, and Surburg. In addition,
brief written responses to each of these have been pre-
pared by other members of the core group. These re-
sponses seek to underscore whatever points seem to be
especially significant or valuable contributions in our
effort to move toward a better common understanding
of the hermeneutical task. On the other hand, these
responses also seek to disclose whatever weaknesses of
argument or unmet difficulties still seem to remain in
these presentations, to which difficulties or weaknesses
further attention must therefore be given.

The committee is fully convinced that the basic her-
meneutical issues which appear to be the source of ten-
sion and confusion in our church today are not uniquely
a problem of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
and that their solution or removal from the area of
Christian concern will not be achieved by our unique
contribution alone. At the same time, however, we also
believe that the action of the Synod in authorizing this
comprehensive study and the work that has been done
on it so far furnish our church with an opportunity for
growth in Biblical understanding and mutual edification
which would now be abandoned only at great loss to
ourselves — loss of courage, loss of freedom, loss of
trust in the power of God’s Word to overcome our dark-
ness with His light.

RICHARD JUNGKUNTZ (FOR THE COMMITTEE)

APPENDIX D
Report Regarding the Lutheran World Federation

The Synod in 1965 (Res. 3-14) and again in 1967
(Res. 3-18) directed the Commission on Theology and
Church Relations to conduct a “thorough and critical
exploration of future relations with the Lutheran World
Federation.” The Synod also directed that “this ex-
ploration ... be made together with the Lutheran World
Federation secretariat,” and that “the entire issue of
future relations with the Lutheran World Federation
be made the subject of intensive conversation with our
sister churches.”

The commission has undertaken the implementation
of these directives in several ways. Through the cour-
teous cooperation of the LWF secretariat several meet-
ings have been held in which members of the commis-
sion were able to discuss relevant questions with official
representatives of the federation. Dr. Ivar Asheim,
director of the LWF Department of Theology, met with
representatives of our commission in February 1967.
The federation’s general secretary, Dr. André Appel,
was in St. Louis twice for the same purpose, once alone
in June 1966, and again in November 1967 together with
Dr. Fredrik Schiotz, the president of the LWF. In prep-
aration for this latter meeting the commission had sup-
plied Doctors Schiotz and Appel with a number of spe-
cific questions, which served as a basis for a full day’s
discussion.

In addition to these contacts the executive secretary
of the CTCR was invited to attend the regular meeting
of the LWF’s Commission on Theology in St. Peter,
Minn., in June 1967. In July 1968 he visited the Geneva
headquarters of the federation to gain particular infor-
mation directly from staff persons of various LWF de-
partments and offices. Doctors Bouman, Fuerbringer,
and Nickel represented the CTCR and President Harms
at the conference of heads of churches and representa-
tives of theological commissions of our sister churches
in Europe that was held in Frankfurt, Germany, in
June 1966, to discuss the doctrine of the church, includ-
ing the question of the nature of the LWF. Again this
past summer Doctors Franzmann and Gaertner of the
CTCR attended the Cambridge Conference of the Inter-
national Lutheran Theological Conference (composed
of the LCMS and sister churches), at which the question
of the implications of LWF membership was once more
the major item on the agenda.

In light of what has been learned through these vari-
ous avenues of inquiry and consultation as well as by
careful study of the LWF constitution, the commission
respectfully submits the following findings.

Findings

1. The LWF is in fact what its constitution declares
it to be, namely, “a free association” of Lutheran
churches.

This means that —

* a member church does not forfeit its autonomy
in regard to decision or action.

* the federation cannot legislate for the churches.

* the federation does not exercise any churchly
function on its own authority.

* membership in the federation does not establish
altar and pulpit fellowship with other member
churches.

2. The doctrinal basis of the LWF sets forth the
proper and sufficient norms for its identity as an associa-
tion of Lutheran churches, namely, the Holy Scriptures
as the only and infallible norm of church doctrine and
practice, and the three Ecumenical Creeds, together