LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 154

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154

District and Congregational Services

Resolved, That the congregations of the Wyoming District continue to engage their sister congregations in the LCMS in theological
dialogue, with the goal of getting back to theology, practices, and
emphases that truly conform to the historical confession of the LCMS;
and be it further
Resolved, That the faculties of its seminaries and the CTCR of the
Synod be asked to make a clear confession of our position on these
important issues; and be it further
Resolved, That the congregations of the Wyoming District resist
the current theological direction of the LCMS and instead remain
faithful to God’s Word and the Lutheran Confessions; and be it finally
Resolved, That the congregations of the Wyoming District memorialize the Synod to reaffirm its historic position regarding God’s
Word as the only norm and rule of life and the Lutheran Confessions
as the proper exposition of God’s Word.
Wyoming District
2-04

To Encourage Study of Confessions
during Reformation Celebration
Whereas, The 500th anniversary of the beginning of the
Reformation by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther will be observed in 2017;
and
Whereas, It is most appropriate for the members of a Lutheran
church to join in the celebration of that anniversary; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Minnesota South District encourage every
congregation of the district to hold regular ongoing studies of all
writings contained in the Book of Concord of 1580 (i.e., the Lutheran
Confessions); and be it further
Resolved, That the Minnesota South District encourage each congregation of the district to encourage all of its members to attend these
studies regularly; and be it further
Resolved, That this memorial be reintroduced at the 2012 and 2015
conventions of the Minnesota South District as a reminder of what
the district has agreed to do in preparation for the 500th anniversary
of the beginning of the Reformation; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Minnesota South District memorialize the
Synod at its 2010 convention to encourage every congregation of
the Synod to hold regular ongoing studies of all writings contained
in the Book of Concord of 1580 (i.e., the Lutheran Confessions) and
to encourage all of their members to attend those studies regularly.
Minnesota South District
2-05

To Celebrate and Encourage the Practice
of Two-Kingdom Theology
Whereas, “When Jesus prayed for His followers, before His arrest
in Gethsemane, He set the terms: ‘I have given them your word and
the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I
am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world
but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world,
even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.’ (John
17:14–18)” (Gene Edward Veith Jr., The Spirituality of the Cross [St.
Louis: CPH, 1999], p. 96); and
Whereas, Lutherans celebrate the doctrine of “two kingdoms,”
that Christian people are citizens in the world but not citizens of the
world; and

Whereas, “God rules His earthly kingdom by power; He rules His
spiritual kingdom by love. God’s earthly kingdom is under the law;
His spiritual kingdom is under the Gospel. Christians are citizens of
both kingdoms. They are thus to be active members of their cultures,
called in vocation to serve their neighbors through moral action. They
are also members of Christ’s church, justified entirely by faith. In the
spiritual kingdom, they are passive recipients of God’s grace. In the
earthly kingdom, they are active for God in the tasks of their vocations. Christians must function in both realms at once, so that they
are ‘in, but not of the world’” (Veith, p. 98); and
Whereas, Martin Luther proclaims in The Freedom of the
Christian: “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none.
A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all” (Martin
Luther, “Treatise on Christian Liberty” [The Freedom of a Christian]
in Martin Luther: Selections from His Writings, ed. John Dillenberger
[New York: Anchor Books, 1961], p. 53); and
Whereas, “Christian citizens may be under no illusion that they
will be able to create heaven on earth through their activism, but
they must still uphold and apply God’s moral demands” (Veith, pp.
99–100); and
Whereas, “The doctrine of the two kingdoms actually frees
Christians for effective action in the secular arena and untangles the
dilemmas they often face in public policy” (Veith, p. 100); and
Whereas, The Lutheran Church has a rich theological heritage
concerning this doctrine, including the writings of Dr. Martin Luther
(e.g., The Freedom of a Christian [1520], AE 31:327–77; “Whether
Soldiers, Too, Can Be Saved” [1526], AE 46:87–137; “Lectures on
Romans—Chapter 13,” AE 25:109–12, 468–84) and the current
writings of Dr. Gene Edward Veith Jr. (e.g., “God at Work: Your
Christian Vocation in All of Life,” Crossways [2002]; The Spirituality
of the Cross [CPH, 1999]); and
Whereas, the September 2009 edition of The Lutheran Witness
featured LCMS Christian people working for the common good “in
the public eye”; therefore be it
Resolved, That the LCMS in convention celebrate its “two-kingdom” theology by giving thanks to God for those LCMS Christians
who give of their time and are involved politically on the local, state,
and national level; and be it further
Resolved, That the LCMS in convention vote to have Bible study
materials made available to all congregations and pastors on the “just
and why” of how LCMS Christian people can and should become
involved politically, using the resources of the two seminary faculties and Concordia Publishing House; and be it finally
Resolved, That through these means, LCMS Christians become
educated and empowered on issues that directly affect them as provided in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the
United States.
Circuit Nine Forum
Kansas District
2-06

To Encourage Pastors to Further Their Study
of Biblical Languages
Preamble
Dr. Martin Luther, the blessed reformer, wrote of the significance of the study and understanding of the biblical languages in his
work entitled To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany That They
Establish and Maintain Christian Schools (1524). He points out the
benefit of the use of the biblical languages in preaching and teaching by saying,

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