LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 467

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CHURCH AND CULTURE
individuals who object to same-sex marriage on religious grounds,
including but not limited to the possible revocation of tax-exempt status for such groups and the legal requirement that such individuals
act contrary to the dictates of conscience; and
Whereas, At the Diet of Worms (on April 18, 1521), Martin
Luther declared, “I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my
conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant
anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe”; and
Whereas, Our consciences also are captive to the Word of God;
and
Whereas, The Word of God teaches that, as citizens of God’s lefthand kingdom, we must obey our government (Rom. 13:1−4; LC III
141−42, 150; AC XVI 1); however, when the government interferes
with the rights of conscience and the clear commands of Scripture,
“We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29; AC XVI 6–7); and
Whereas, It is the role of the universal Church to proclaim boldly
the Gospel of forgiveness, and to teach and confess boldly the truths
revealed in the Scriptures; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2015 Indiana District convention affirm its
adherence to 1998 LCMS Res. 3-21 (“To Affirm the Sanctity of
Marriage and to Reject Same-Sex Unions”) as a faithful exposition
of the Scripture passages cited therein; and be it further
Resolved, That the 2015 Indiana District convention thank LCMS
President Matthew C. Harrison and the LCMS “Free to be Faithful”
campaign for standing up for religious freedom and the rights of
conscience, including but not limited to the right to boldly teach and
confess the Scriptural truth concerning the institution of marriage,
and encourage them to continue in their bold witness; and be it further
Resolved, That the Indiana District reaffirm our commitment to
teaching both the Law and Gospel concerning marriage, both calling
our nation and those struggling with same-sex attraction to repentance and proclaiming the Gospel of Christ’s forgiveness to all who
call upon Christ’s name; and be it finally
Resolved, That the 2015 Indiana District convention memorialize
the 2016 LCMS convention to develop a comprehensive response to
recent court decisions concerning marriage that will comport with the
Holy Scriptures and the traditional Lutheran understanding of marriage, including but not limited to the role of LCMS pastors acting as
agents of the state and conducting a marriage ceremony.
Indiana District
14-07

To Give Witness to Inseparability
of Marriage, Life, and Family
Preamble
On June 26, 2015, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court of the
United States of America struck down every state marriage law that
is based on the complementarities of male and female. That same
day, the Synod President Matthew Harrison responded with an official statement that plainly stated that the Supreme Court got it wrong.
In that same statement, President Harrison drew the connection to a
similarly activist and erroneous ruling of Roe v. Wade, which struck
down state laws prohibiting elective abortions.
The parallel between these two Supreme Court rulings is not only
clear from a constitutional standpoint, but they are also related from
a theological standpoint. Marriage, life, and family are intertwined
in a perichoretic [interpenetrating] relationship to one another. Our
God designed it this way from the beginning of creation. It was no

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coincidence that the first “no-fault” divorce laws were sweeping
through the United States in the years just prior to the issuance of
Roe v. Wade. Nor is same-sex marriage unrelated to the attacks on
marriage, life, and family, which have undermined American society
for well over a half century.
To be sure, these are civil concerns, but they are also deeply spiritual. While the state must make laws concerning marriage, marriage
is an institution which exists prior to—and independent of—the state.
Hence there are also weighty reasons for the Church to speak boldly
and clearly at this critical moment. To name three:
1. Catechesis: Civil laws tend to teach attitudes and values to citizens with a force and pervasiveness that can easily overwhelm the
teaching voice of the Church. When the civil laws are in basic agreement with the laws of God, we receive them as welcome allies in the
catechetical endeavor. But when civil laws are directly contradictory
of divine law, it is incumbent upon the Church to denounce openly
and powerfully unjust public laws for the catechesis of her membership. Such is the case now, both with regard to marriage and the
sanctity of human life.
2. Citizenship: In addition to general catechesis, the Church also
has a mandate from God to instruct various people in all walks of life
how the Word of God should be lived out in their particular vocation.
John the Baptist so taught when he was approached by tax collectors and soldiers (Luke 3:12–14). Also Martin Luther, in the Small
Catechism, teaches the same: “Consider your place in life according
to the Ten Commandments: Are you a father, mother, son, daughter,
husband, wife, or worker?” From the beginning of Christendom, the
Church of God has followed the example of John the Baptist in holding rulers and authorities to the same accountability as those who do
not hold public office. For calling King Herod to conform to God’s
word on marriage, John was beheaded. Later, St. Ambrose risked his
own life to call Emperor Theodosius to repentance for mass murder.
What makes our American context somewhat unique is that every citizen over the age of 18 holds a public office. Voters exercise authority
under the American Constitution and so the Church in America has
a greater responsibility and a greater opportunity to teach the proper
exercise of suffrage than practically any other time or place in ecclesiastical history.
3. Repentance: In addition to catechesis for her members, the
Church is also called to mission. This means that we are to call all
sinners to repentance that they might escape from the wrath to be
revealed when Jesus comes again in glory. Again, in the case of many
sins, our call to repentance resonates with the civil laws themselves.
But in the case of both marriage and the sanctity of human life, we
no longer speak in line with society but precisely against it. For this
reason, we ought to take every opportunity as a synod to redouble our
support for all who would reach out to their neighbor with the message of repentance and forgiveness.
We, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, recognize the great
need to give an unambiguous and unyielding witness to the truth of
marriage, life, and family at this critical juncture in history; therefore be it
Resolved, That the LCMS reaffirm the clear and unalterable teaching of God through the Holy Scriptures that marriage is a permanent
and sexually exclusive union between one man and one woman (Gen.
2:21–25; Matt. 19:4–6; Eph. 5:22–33); and be it further
Resolved, That the LCMS publicly confess that God Himself
“made them male and female” (Gen. 1:27). As we address those
who struggle with gender identity disorder in mercy and love, we do
so within the truth of biblical anthropology that there are only two
2016 Convention Workbook