LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 336

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336

LIFE TOGETHER

will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into
myths” (2 Tim. 4:3−4); and
Whereas, Holy Scripture declares, “All Scripture is breathed out
by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and
for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent,
equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16−17); and
Whereas, Rev. Dr. Matthew Becker has stated on his own
blog, Transverse Markings: One Theologian’s Notes (http://
matthewlbe9ker.blogspot.com/2013/10/what-is-he-trying-toaccomplish.html), that he has three goals for the LCMS, all of which
are contrary to the Scriptures and the positions of Synod:
1. To encourage members within the Synod to think differently about
two issues, namely (a) the Synod’s understanding of Scripture that
insists that only qualified men may serve as pastor in the Synod;
and (b) the Synod’s understanding of Scripture that requires one to
interpret the creation accounts in Genesis to be literal, historical descriptions of what God did in the not-too-distant past over the course
of six actual 24-hour days (“six-day creationism”);
2. To have the Synod change its position that restricts the office of pastor only to men;
3. To have the Synod reject “creationism” in favor of “a more robust
doctrine of creation, one that sets forth a theological understanding
that better accords with the language and genre of these Genesis
texts and that better accords with what people today know to be true
and valid about the natural history of our planet”; and

Whereas, Rev. Dr. Matthew Becker has filed dissent, yet continues to publicly teach and promote false doctrine including woman’s
ordination, having published articles on his own blog and on Daystar,
where he published an article titled “An Argument for Female Pastors
and Theologians” in which he states: “There is no legitimate biblical or dogmatic rationale for why the LCMS should now prohibit
women from serving as theologians and pastors in the church” (http://
thedaystarjournal.com/an-argument-for-womenpastors-and theologians/); and
Whereas, Rev. Dr. Matthew Becker continues to publicly teach
and promote false doctrine including by his participation, while
vested, in the installation of Charlene Rachuy Cox at Valparaiso
University; and
Whereas, Rev. Dr. Matthew Becker continues to teach and promote false doctrine publicly, including acceptance of homosexuality
and homosexual marriage, he having written to such effect on his
blog, Transverse Markings: One Theologian’s Notes, in an article/a
post titled “Further Signs of LCMS Times”; and
Whereas, Rev. Dr. Matthew Becker continues to teach and
promote false doctrine publicly, including promoting a figurative
interpretation of Genesis 1 and 2 by stating in his post, “The Scandal
of the LMCS Mind”...“Scientific data about the reality of physical
death in the animal and plant kingdoms prior to origin of human
beings (e.g., fossils of animals that lived long before the origin of
human beings) must lead those who interpret the Bible in light of scientific knowledge to restate the nature of God’s good creation prior to
the advent of human sin (e.g., such a good creation must have included
the reality of death prior to the existence of human beings) and the
character of the historical origin of sin (e.g., the advent of sin is to be
traced to the first hominids who disobeyed God’s will but not necessarily to their having eaten from a tree in an actual place called the
Garden of Eden several thousand years ago)”; and
Whereas, the LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters
(CCM) has ruled, ‘While the filing of dissent does not constitute
a case for removal, the member is required to teach and practice in
2016 Convention Workbook

accord with Synod’s stated confessional position during the dissent
process. If the member fails to honor and uphold the stated confessional position of the Synod during the dissent process, the member
becomes subject to disciplinary action due both to the violation of
the doctrinal position of the Synod and the offense against the other
members of the Synod created by such failure (Constitution Art. XIII
1). In such case it is incumbent upon the ecclesiastical supervisor of
the member to exercise disciplinary action against the member who
fails to teach and act within Synod’s stated confessional position,
whether apart from or during the dissent process (Bylaws 2.14.4;
2.15.4; 2.16.4)” [Opinion 13-2694, June 13, 2014]; and
Whereas, the LCMS Constitution and Bylaws define the responsibilities of the LCMS President to include:
(c) [the President] shall call up for review any action by an individual
officer, executive, or agency that, in his view, may be in violation
of the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod. [LCMS
Bylaw3.3.1.2 c.]; also
2. It is the President’s duty to see to it that all the aforementioned
[officers, employees, individual districts, and district presidents of
Synod] act in accordance with the Synod’s
Constitution, to admonish all who in any way depart from it, and, if
such admonition is not heeded, to report such cases to the Synod.
3. The President has and always shall have the power to advise, admonish, and reprove. He shall conscientiously use all means at his
command to promote and maintain unity of doctrine and practice in
all the districts of the Synod. [LCMS Constitution, Article XI, B.
Duties of the President]; and

Whereas, President Matt Harrison stated on the “Witness Mercy
Life Together” blog: “When a public teacher on the roster of Synod
can without consequence publicly advocate the ordination of women
(even participate vested in the installation of an ELCA clergy person),
homosexuality, the errancy of the Bible, the historical-critical method,
open communion, communion with the Reformed , does not change
its inability to call such a person to repentance and remove such a
teacher where there is no repentance, then we are liars and our confession is meaningless. I do not want to belong to such a synod, much
less lead it. I have no intention of walking away from my vocation. I
shall rather use it and, by the grace of God, use all the energy I have
to call this Synod to fidelity to correct this situation”; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Indiana District in convention commend
President Harrison in his diligence to uphold the teachings of Holy
Scripture and also the Constitution and Bylaws of the LCMS: And
be it further
Resolved, That the Indiana District encourage President Harrison
to provide a full report to the Synod of this matter involving Rev. Dr.
Matthew Becker; And be it further
Resolved, that the Indiana District request the Synod in convention
publicly to call upon Rev. Dr. Matthew Becker to repent and recant,
or remove him from the clergy roster of the Synod; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Indiana District encourage everyone throughout the Indiana District to pray fervently to the Lord of the Church
that His Holy Spirit, working through the holy and inerrant Word of
God, would lead Rev. Dr. Matthew Becker to repentance and to confess once again with us in doctrinal unity what we believe, teach,
and confess.
Indiana District