LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 168

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168

Theology and Church Relations

Whereas, LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick, as an invited guest
at the ELCA’s convention, told the assembly that its decision “will
negatively affect the relationships between our two church bodies”;
and
Whereas, The Central Illinois District Pastors’ Conference commends President Kieschnick for his well-placed remarks to the
ELCA’s assembly; and
Whereas, Our Lord Jesus has instructed His Church to mark and
avoid those who are unrepentant in teaching and promoting false doctrine (Rom. 16:17–18; Gal 1:6–8); therefore be it
Resolved, That the Central Illinois District Pastors’ Conference
assembled in conference in October 2009 respectfully request that
President Gerald Kieschnick not invite the Presiding Bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to bring greetings to, or otherwise address, the LCMS in convention in July 2010, as has been
the custom in the past; and be it further
Resolved, That the conference respectfully request that the Synod
President not attend future conventions of the ELCA, as has been the
custom in the past; and be it finally
Resolved, That pastors and congregations of the Central Illinois
District of the LCMS be encouraged to pray for those members of the
ELCA who seek to be steadfast and faithful to our Lord’s teachings.
Pastors’ Conference
Central Illinois District
3-11

To Respond to ELCA Statement re Homosexuality
Whereas, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA),
at its Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis in 2009, adopted a statement that practicing homosexuals and lesbians may serve as pastors;
and
Whereas, This statement has received widespread publicity in the
nation’s press and has led many Americans to conclude that almost
all Lutherans support the position taken by the ELCA; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2010 LCMS convention adopt this statement
for the nation’s press:
“By God’s grace, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in
2010 still believes, confesses, and teaches:
+ The Holy Scripture is the true, inerrant Word of God in its entirety
(2 Tim. 3: 16).
+ The moral code of God’s Law is for all people for all time, and this
moral code is clearly expressed in the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20),
by Jesus Christ (Matt. 5–7), and by Christ’s apostles (Eph. 5:3–21).
+ Salvation from sin and eternal death is solely by God’s grace through
faith in His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Acts 4:12;
Eph.2:1–10).
+ The sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman has
God’s design and blessings (Gen. 1–2; John 2:1, 11; Eph. 5:21–33).
+ The sanctity of human life (Ps. 139:13–16; Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:41–44).
+ Sex outside of God’s design of marriage is sinful and therefore
harmful to both the individuals who practice such and to society
at large (Lev. 18:20–23; Rom. 1:21–31; 1 Cor.6:9–20; 1 Tim. 1:10;
Heb. 13:4; Jude 7).
+ ‘The Great Commission’—in the power of the Holy Spirit, to share
the Good News with all the world, to love the sinner, and to call
everyone to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus (Matt. 28:18–20;
Luke 24:46–49; 1 John 4–5).

We are far from perfect. We are repentant sinners and rest in
the comfort of God’s sure forgiveness through the bloody sacrifice
of Christ Jesus on the cross of Golgotha. We pray for those who
defend sin and justify its practices that they may repent and no longer
mock the atonement of Christ. We pray for those who call themselves
‘Lutherans’ but are so in name only, that they may truly follow the
lead of Dr. Martin Luther (1483–1546), hold to the sacred Scriptures

as the inerrant Word of God, remain steadfast to the historic Luther’s
Small Catechism and the Lutheran Confessions, and refrain from the
‘political correctness’ and ‘secular moral relativism’ shaping their
theology and practice.”
Trinity
New Haven, MO
3-12

To Respond to Certain Actions of the 2009 ELCA
Churchwide Assembly
Whereas, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
at its August 29 Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis adopted
statements to grant non-celibate homosexual pastors and other professional workers living in committed relationships the privilege of
serving as rostered leaders in the ELCA and to affirm same-gender
unions as pleasing to God; and
Whereas, These actions have received wide publicity in our
nation’s press, and, for the uninformed, there may be the thought
that all “Lutherans” believe the same—perhaps even including LCMS
Lutherans as supporting these decisions made by the ELCA; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2010 LCMS convention adopt this statement
for the nation’s press on where the Missouri Synod stands:
In response to the statements adopted by the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) at its August 2009 Churchwide Assembly
in Minneapolis granting non-celibate homosexual pastors and other
professional workers living in committed relationships the privilege
of serving as rostered leaders in the ELCA and affirming same-gender
unions as pleasing to God, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
(LCMS) speaks a resounding “no” to these changes regarding human
sexuality that contradict the Commandments of God (Lev. 18:22, 24;
20:13; 1 Cor. 6:9–20; 1 Tim. 1:9–10; Rom. 1:26–27) and two thousand
years of practice in the Christian Church.
The reason for this polarity is cited by LCMS President Rev. Dr.
Gerald Kieschnick in his August 24, 2009, statement in which he pinpointed the root cause for these differences: “Simply stated, this matter
is fundamentally related to significant differences in how we [our two
church bodies] understand the authority of Holy Scripture and the interpretation of God’s revealed and infallible Word.” While the culture we
live in is constantly changing and, therefore, many think that churches
also should change, God’s Word does not change! The Missouri Synod
has not bought into the liberal thinking of higher or historical criticism
(developed over the last two to four hundred years), while the ELCA has
(along with other church bodies). Thus, while both the ELCA and the
LCMS carry the name “Lutheran,” they are miles apart on the authority
of the Bible, so that doctrinal differences will only increase. We encourage both LCMS and ELCA members to study and learn what higher
criticism is and how it developed so that they may better understand the
current situation.
Our hearts grieve over these new and additional doctrinal differences that now separate our church bodies, hoping for the day when we
can again be one in doctrine and one in Christ. We speak respectfully
in this situation, recognizing that many in the ELCA do not agree with
these decisions while others are thankful for them. Our prayers go out
to both sides as they wrestle with and integrate these changes into their
church body.

Circuit 3 Forum
North Wisconsin District
3-13

To Pursue Official Theological Talks with WELS
Whereas, The LCMS proudly and boldly proclaims that the Holy
Scriptures are the inspired, inerrant Word of God (2 Tim. 3:15–16;
2 Peter 1:20–21); and

2010 Convention Workbook

2010 Convention.indb 168

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