Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Sheet 536
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Sheet 536

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

“WHAT IS A DOCTRINE?” 505

of Providence. (5) The doctrine of the angels, as the
ministering beings among the works of God.*!

It is clear that by the 19th century the terms “doctrine”
and “doctrines” had come to be applied to parts of and
divisions within the one Christian doctrine.**

E. “Doctrine” in C. F. W. Walther

This terminology, understandably, was employed in
the writings of the fathers of the Missouri Synod. They
also distinguish between Biblical doctrines which are
articles of faith and Biblical doctrines which are not.
This is illustrated by the discussions on Wucher (usury)
in the 1869 synodical convention at Fort Wayne.

During the year 1864 the German Evangelical Lu-
theran Congregation of the Unaltered Augsburg Con-
fession in St.Louis, Mo., under the leadership of Dr.
C. F. W. Walther had discussed the question of “usury.”
The minutes of these meetings, enriched by testimonies
of heathen, Jews, and Turks against usury, were pub-

lished in 1869.72 In these discussions Dr. Walther had
taken an uncompromising stand not only against abuses

of usury but against all taking of interest. Not all
pastors and congregations in the Synod agreed with
Walther’s position on usury. The convention discussed
the question on the basis of theses prepared by Pastor
Th. Brohm

The following citations from the Proceedings of this
Synod indicate that Dr. Walther and those who agreed
with him believed that Scripture teaches a “doctrine of
usury” but that this was considered a moral doctrine,
not an article of faith.

The apostolic word, “Rndeavoring to keep the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace,” urges us all to do every-
thing in our power that we, who confess that we are
agreed in the fundamental articles of the faith [Funda-
mental-Artikeln des Glaubens], may become agreed also
in this doctrine [Lehre] which touches the Christian life
so closely.*+

Someone might think that the question, whether the lend-
ing of money on interest is a sin, is not of very great
importance because it does not concern an article of faith
{Glaubensartikel]. .. . It is true, this question does
not concern an article of faith, but it is not for this reason
unimportant, because on the one hand it is very closely
related to the Christian life, and on the other hand it is
a doctrine [eine Lehre] which is contained clearly and
plainly in the Holy Scripture. ... The commandment.
“Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace,” makes it our duty to strive to be agreed not only
in the articles of faith, but also in all other doctrines [in
allen andern Lehren| which are set forth clearly and
plainly in Holy Scripture, and if we are not agreed, to
find agreement through the grace of God."

21 Tbid., p. 103.

22 A parallel development took place within Reformed dog-
matics as may be seen from Heinrich Heppe. Reformed Dogmatics
(London, 1950), pp. 47 ff.

23 Die Wucherfrage: Protokoll der Verhandlungen der deutschen
evang.-luth. Gemeinde U.A.C. zu St.Louis, Mo., etc. (St. Louts,
1869) .

24 Vierzehnter Synodalbericht der Allgemeinen Deutschen
Evang.-Luth. Synode, etc., 1869, St. Louis, p. 53.

25 Ibid., p.54. On another occasion Dr. Walther related his un-
derstanding of the terms ‘‘Scripture doctrine [Schriftlehre]” and
“article of faith [Glaubensartikel]” to the question of church fel-
lowship. He wrote: ‘We indeed know how to distinguish between
articles of faith and doctrines of Scriptures which are not articles of
faith. On the one hand, we permit no one to turn a clear doctrine

Although the Lutheran dogmaticians and early theo-
logians of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
sometimes used the term “doctrine” to denote a moral
teaching of the Bible. this usage is relatively uncom-
mon today.

F. “Dogma,” “Article of Faith,’ and “Teaching”
Dogma

In New Testament usage the term “dogma” means
a decree. The New Testament does not use it to denote
the Christian faith but to refer to commandments,
whether of men or of God. See Luke 2:1; Acts 16:4;
Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14.

In the Lutheran Confessions the Latin text at times
uses the term “dogmas” for false doctrines. For example,
the Formula of Concord states: Haec dogmata omnia
falsa sunt, and refers to the teachings it condemns as
omnia falsa, ambigua, suspecta et damnata dogmata.*

As a theological term, “dogma” emphasizes the role
of the church in formulating her doctrine. In Roman
Catholicism a “dogma” is “revealed truth defined by
the church.” 2* and usually set forth as such by a pope
or general council. In other Christian churches “dogma”
is often used for those articles of faith which the church
has drawn from the Bible and formulated in her creeds
and confessions in response to her specific needs. Not
all “doctrines” are “dogmas” in this sense, but all true
“dogmas” are also “doctrines.”

Article of Faith

The Lutheran dogmatician Hollaz writes:

The term, article, is derived from artus, and this from
arcto. It properly signifies members of the body closely
joined together, as the joints of the fingers closely co-
here. Metaphorically, the word article is applied to the
parts of the doctrine of faith, which are most intimately
joined together.~*

In this usage “article of faith” emphasizes not only the
relationship of parts to the whole but also the intimate
relationship of all such parts to saving faith and the
Gospel. This understanding underlies the following
statement in the Formula of Concord:

We believe, teach, and confess that no church should con-
demn another because it has fewer or more external cere-

of Scripture, whether it may seem great or small, into an ‘open
question’ for us. We consider it necessary to contend to the utmost
for every article of faith (on every one of which our faith and
hope depend), to condemn the contrary error, and to deny the
hand of fellowship to those who contradict stubbornly. On the
other hand, we by no means consider it necessary under all cir-
cumstances to fight to the utmost for such Scripture doctrines which
are not articles of faith, much less to pronounce the anathema on
the opposing error (although we reject it) and to deny the hand
of fellowship to those who err in this matter. If, in a doctrinal con-
troversy, the dispute is about doctrines which do not belong to the
articles of faith, everything depends for us on whether those who
contradict show that they do so because thev do not want to submit
to the Word of God, and therefore on whether, while appearing to
Jet the basic doctrines of the Word of God stand, they nevertheless
overthrow the very foundation upon which all these doctrines rest:
the Word of God.” Der Lutheraner, XXVII (May 1, 1871), 131.

°6 Formula of Concord, Epitome, XI, 21; Solid Declaration, The
Summary Formulation, etc., 19. For a neutral use of “dogma” see
the full heading of _this latter section of the Formula: “The Sum-
mary Formulation, Basis, Rule, and Norm, Indicating How All Doc-
trines [Latin: Dogmata,; German: Lehr] Should be Judged... .”

07 The Catholic Encyclopedia, New York, 1913, s.v. “dogma.”
28 Quoted from Schmid, p. 93.