Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 173
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 173

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

CHURCH RELATIONS 173

fessions of the Lutheran Church as a correct exposition
of the doctrine of the Word.
St. Pauv’s First LuTHERAN CHURCH
North Hollywood, Calif.
J. Davin WALTHER, Secretary

Essentially the same overture was received from:

(3-207)

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Bishop, Tex., David Theis,
President; W. O. Moerbe Jr., Secretary.

(3-208)

St. John’s Lutheran Church, Bakersfield, Calif., Joe
Bierman, President; Dan Well, Secretary; Marvin C.
Anderson, Pastor, with the addition of a final resolved:
“That we urge every member of the Synod to work and
pray with love for the unity of our church and the
purity of its Confessions, so that no divisions or false
teachings among us will destroy the oneness that has
been historically ours by God’s blessing and guidance.”

(3-209)

St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Chicago, Ill, Harold
Robish, President; Arthur Kenning, Secretary. This
overture omits the last two resolveds and changes the
first resolved to read: “. .. Synod decline to establish
altar and...”

(3-210)
To Decline and to Register Deep Regret

Wuereas, The American Lutheran Church in con-
vention at Omaha, Nebr., October 1968, voted fellowship
with the Lutheran Church in America even though
it was not in complete doctrinal agreement with the
LCA; and

Whereas, The ALC had been in doctrinal discussion
with The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod toward
fellowship at its Denver convention if there was con-
sensus in doctrine and practice; and

Wuereas, The ALC presently holds membership in
the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World
Federation, two groups with which the LCMS is not in
doctrinal or fellowship agreement; and

Wuereas, There is a complete difference between
The ALC and the LCMS as to the practice of the lodge
question; and

Wuereas, The official writings of The ALC allow for
or permit error in the Holy Scripture contrary to our
doctrine of Sola Scriptura; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod decline to establish altar and pulpit fellowship
with The American Lutheran Church: and

That we through our representatives register our
deep regret over the action taken by The ALC to estab-

lish fellowship with the Lutheran Church in America
at a time when altar and pulpit fellowship with the
LCMS was being seriously considered; and

That we continue to support every effort toward
Lutheran union that is based on an unqualified accep-
tance of the Holy Scriptures as the inerrant, verbally
inspired Word of God and of the Confessions of the
Lutheran Church as a correct exposition of the doctrine

of the Word. St. Mark's LuTHERAN CHURCH

Houston, Tex.
R. H. LAwrenz, Pastor
(3-211)

To Decline Offer of Altar and Pulpit
Fellowship

Wuereas, The American Lutheran Church has offi-
cially declared fellowship with the Lutheran Church in
America, a church body well known for its liberal the-
ology contrary to Missouri Synod doctrine, and its
permissiveness in many areas of religious activity; and

Whereas, The ALC is presently a member of the
syncretistic World Council of Churches —a thoroughly
unionistic association of unchristian groups (Gal. 1:8):
and

Wuereas, Fellowship with The ALC would involve
Missouri Synod with the World Council of Churches,
the National Council of Churches, and the Lutheran
World Federation — such involvement having been re-
peatedly declined in the past and with much greater
reason existing today for a continuation of this policy:
and

Wuereas, The current and official teachings in The
ALC — as found in God’s Word and My Faith (Teachers
Guide, pp. 31, 32, 34 — 1964), The Bible: Book of Faith
(p. 148 — 1964), and “The Church's Confessional Stand
Relative to the Scriptures” (Dr. Schiotz, June 9, 1966,
Tacoma, Wash.) — contradict plain Scripture (2 Tim.
3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21) and clearly violate the three
accepted Confessions and the writings of Martin Luther
(Formula of Concord, Epitome [Tappert, p. 465, par. 7]:
Smalcald Articles, Part II, Art. II [Tappert, p. 295, par.
13—15]); and

Wuereas, Resolution 2-16 of the convention of the
Missouri Synod in New York in 1967 reaffirmed its
historical position on Scripture and freely subscribed
to Art. II of the Constitution: and

Wuereas, It is apparent from recent publications and
statements of The ALC that some leaders and theolo-
gians would not subscribe to this Resolution 2-16; and

Wuereas, Surveys and studies have repeatedly and
consistently demonstrated much weaker Biblical con-
victions and practices among ALC pastors than among
those of the LCMS (Milwaukee Journal, February,
March, April 1966: The Lutheran Ethics and Social
Change, 1969: Christianity Today, Oct. 13, 1967): and

Wuereas, Fellowship with The ALC would draw us
into communion with a confessionally and theologically
weaker Lutheran body, which would naturally water