Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Sheet 543
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Sheet 543

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

512 CRUCIAL ISSUES IN CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP

ested in establishing certain manifestations of the
destiny God has in mind for His creation:

i) exhibiting and encouraging the practice of that
kind of self-discipline which proceeds from con-
cern for the welfare of one’s neighbor (Phil. 2:4)
and nation:

j) actively engaging in the extension of justice by
advocating the passage of just laws, the rescission
of unjust laws, and the responsible enforcement
of all law.

SECTION TWO
The Christian and Civic Order

I. Like the rest of fallen creation, political structures
work in a dialectical situation. By virtue of their being
situated between God’s yes and Satan's no, they find
themselves involved in the cosmic conflict between good
and evil (Luke 4:6: Eph. 6:12). They often deal there-
fore in matters which on their surface manifest a large
degree of ambivalence.

II. God created order out of primordial chaos (Gen.
1:1-2) and so brought about the conditions which make
life in community possible despite the ambiguities of
human existence which derive from the Fall. (Gen.
3: 1-8)

III. Civic order is a gift of this sustaining God. whose
will it is to check and control the demonic forces which
at all times threaten society with anarchy. (Cf. Luther's
explanation of the Fourth Petition as contained in his
Large Catchism:

This petition is especially directed also against our chief
enemy, the devil. For all his thought and desire is to de-
prive us of all that we have from God, or to hinder it; and
he is not satisfied to obstruct and destroy spiritual gov-
ernment in leading souls astray by his lies and bringing
them under his power, but he also prevents and hinders
the stability of all government and honorable peaceable
relations on earth.)

IV. Civic order is not to be thought of in static terms.
It is rather to be conceived of as that condition of so-
ciety in which the many and varied tensions inherent in
any kind of community life are kept in creative balance
to provide opportunity for fulfillment in terms of both
personal life and group enterprise. These are the con-
ditions which constitute that “quiet and peaceable life
in all godliness and honesty” to which the apostle refers
in 1 Tim. 2:2.

V. Civic order is an essential ingredient of commu-
nity life. At the same time it is a minimal element.
whose function it is to provide the opportunity for men
to work together in the task of expanding justice and
freedom; for men were created to be persons, and as
such they are expected to exercise that dominion which
is an inherent part of the image of God (Gen. 1: 26-27),
even though it has been debased by the Fall. (Gen.
3:1-7)

VI. In its proper sense civic disobedience consists
of violating a specific law in the interest of justice and
freedom, particularly as these relate to the needs of
others. Such disobedience is a responsible expression

of citizenship when it is undertaken after all other means
of obtaining justice have been exhausted and in full
awareness of the demonic and disruptive forces present
in any given social order. Under these conditions test-
ing a specific law occurs as a way of determining
whether the law at issue conforms to the demands of
the “higher law” and the principles set forth in other
legal documents, directives, and decisions. This respon-
sibility is perverted and abused when disobedience and
resistance are undertaken out of disrespect for law and
for the purposes of inducing violence or creating discord
and disorder. (Cf. the document on “Civil Obedience
and Disobedience” issued by the Commission on The-
ology and Church Relations)

VII. The maintenance of civic order at times requires
the responsible application of force to the solution of
social and political problems. It is the task of police
forces and military establishments, as arms of govern-
ment, to serve in this capacity: hence they deserve the
support and encouragement of Christian citizens.

SECTION THREE
The Christian, Violence, and War

I. Violence within nations and warfare among coun-
tries are potent reminders of the tenuous nature of order
in society. Both have their source in man’s rebellion
against his Creator (cf. James 4:1). Both are vivid
manifestations on a massive scale of the demonic aspects
of existence.

II. The Scriptures remind us that the tempo and fury
of disorder, calamity, and warfare will increase as the
end of history approaches (cf. Matt. 24:6-7 and paral-
lels). Such developments are there described as har-
bingers of our redemption. (Cf. Matt. 24:32-33 and par-
allels)

III. The responsibility of taking up arms against
other human beings, either as part of a police force or of
a military establishment, is to be carried out without
hatred of one’s fellowman: for such animosity and anger
constitute the most serious violations of the command-
ment, “Thou shalt not kill.” (Cf. Matt. 5: 21-22)

IV. The word used in this commandment for “kill-
ing” is one that implies malice and hatred. It is no-
where used in the Old Testament for taking life in
battle. This would suggest that the tragic task of tak-
ing up arms for combat under orders from legitimate
authority is not by itself a violation of the Fifth Com-
mandment. (Cf. Johann Stamm, “Sprachliche Erwae-
gungen zum Gebot. ‘Du sollst nicht toeten,’” ThZ, Aug.
1945, pp. 81—90)

V. The one-to-one relationship between individuals
is changed during hostilities by the interposition of a set
of divergent loyalties on the part of persons opposing
each other in combat. Under these conditions a hier-
archy of relationships is created, requiring the applica-
tion of justice in the practice of love.

VI. Christian love expects the one-to-one relation-
ship of individual to individual to return and to be ap-