LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1971, Page 163

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

RESOLUTIONS 163

Wuereas, The concerns expressed in the aforemen-
tioned Denver convention resolution have been realized
with particular reference to violations of the Eighth
Commandment in journals and newsletters originating
in our church; and

Wuereas, The synodical President especially has been
attacked publicly, not only for his position on various
issues and his theological stance, but personally; and

Wuereas, Documents and evidence have been sub-
mitted to the committee which clearly reveal that per-
sons within the Synod have permitted the secular press,
as well as the religious press, to publicize their criticisms
of the synodical President and others, and have made
use of resulting embarrassment of the Synod as a pres-~
sure tactic to promote their purposes; and

Wuereas, The Council of Presidents of the Synod at
its April 1971 meeting unanimously adopted a State-
ment on Ethics in response to Denver Resolution 4-38
(1969 Proceedings, pp. 112—113); and

Wuereas, The aforementioned Statement on Ethics
reminds us that Christ expects us “in honor [to] prefer
one another . . . [to] understand fairly and interpret
charitably the words and action of others .. . [to] speak
the truth in love ... {and asks us to share our differing
expressions of opinion] with fellow members through
established channels provided by the church”; and

Wuereas, The aforementioned Statement on Ethics
indicates that Christ’s people “will deplore subjective
reporting that does not present all the facts, that resorts
to the impugning of motives . . . [that they will] pursue
the cause of harmony and peace in keeping with the
spirit of Christ . . . [and] they will not publicize these
differences before the public nor use indiscriminate
mailings and publications that agitate fellow members
by encouraging them to take sides . . .”; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod adopt the aforementioned
Statement on Ethics; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod reject such judgments as
expressed in the following words and phrases in which
the synodical President has been accused of “managed
news, thought control, and suppression of free speech,”
“having private aims for the Milwaukee convention,”
using his efforts to assist American prisoners of war in
Vietnam as a “cynical political ploy,” having made con-
vention appointments in such a way as to give “almost
the appearance of a conspiracy,” exerting “unconscion-
able repression of those who disagree with him,” “play-
ing a schismatic game,” acting “from opportunistic mo-
tives,” having the reputation “among more than a few
synodical servants as that of a man who cannot be
trusted,” and showing in his administration “the marks
of Satan”; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod, in order to effect recon-
ciliation and to foster unity in the church, call to re-
pentance all who sinned against the Fighth Command-
ment in these activities, particularly with references to
offenses against the synodical President; and be it fur-
ther

Resolved, That the Synod call upon the Presidents
of its Districts to apply the principles of the Statement
on Ethics to all the members of the Synod; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Synod express its sorrow to its
President for the offenses to which he has been sub-
jected by those who have publicly sinned against him,
and that the Synod, while fully reserving the right to
differ with him on issues, pledge anew to respect the
office of the presidency as well as the person who occu-
pies that office and to show him the love and considera-
tion that Christ would have us show to our brethren
and our leaders; and be it finally

Resolved, That we express our repentance to one
another and reconcile ourselves to one another by sing-
ing Hymn 4 in the Orders of Worship prepared for the
convention.

Action: Adopted as amended (8).

(The final resolved was added by amendment. A motion
to table failed, as did an amendment to include a reference
to President Kent Knutson of The ALC in the third resolved.
The committee agreed to add the words “and these groups”
if another amendment would carry which proposed to change
the wording of the third resolved to “ _. against the past
and present synodical President and any synodical official.”
However, that amendment was defeated, 381 to 455. Another
filed to eliminate the second and third resolveds also
ailed.

To Define Status of Synodically Adopted
Doctrinal Statements

RESOLUTION 5-24

Report 5-01, Appendix C; Overtures 5-37—5-40 (CW,
pp. 244, 261—262)

Preamble

The Synod faces a serious dilemma. On the one hand
it is firmly committed to the proposition that it has no
desire to alter the second article of its Constitution,
which measures pure doctrine by nothing more or less
than the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament and
the Lutheran Confessions. On the other hand the Lu-
theran Confessions are not an all-inclusive compendium
of Biblical doctrine. They speak primarily to the ar-
ticles of faith in controversy in the days of the Reforma-
tion. There are significant articles of faith which are
not specifically treated in the Confessions. Scriptures
are, of course, “the only rule and norm of faith and
practice.” A problem arises, however, when persons dif-
fer over the teaching of Scripture in areas where the
Confessions are silent on the controverted point. How
then can the Synod ever speak authoritatively to these
modern theological issues? How then can the Synod
ever effectively cope with new errors not dealt with in
the Lutheran Confessions of the 16th century? Short
of formulating new confessions, can The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod take a definite stand on such
doctrinal issues? Is our church in effect reduced to the
position of declaring such topics to be open questions
on which each person may interpret Scripture as he in-
dependently understands it and so teach and preach?