LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 119

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hare our conviction that LCMS/ALC altar and
pulpit fellowship is God-pleasing and good, and is
to be affirmed with joy.

Weare grateful that this convention is encouraging
local LCMS congregations to be evangelical and
. pastoral in matters of LCMS/ALC fellowship.
We are grateful for those of you who, though dis-
agreeing with us, have handled the fellowship
question without resorting to caricatures of us
and the faith we share.

f course, we are deeply disappointed at the LCMS
0 wship vote. We are disappointed because we believe
"3¢ a denial of the God-pleasing unity that God has given
5. We are disappointed because it is a step backward in
the clear expressions of Lutheran unity that have
ypified U.S. Lutheran life in this century. We are
isappointed because we fear a Lutheran inclination to
ectarian isolation rather than a glad sharing of
trengths with fellow Christians, especially those in the
sutheran family.

« Itis true that we can get along without each other.
‘hat, however, is not the point. The point is that God
has called us to life together. He has made us one in
“Christ. He has brought us to a shared commitment to
he faith expressed in the Lutheran Confessions. Our
doctrinal. agreement is overwhelming. Together we
“affirm the triune God; salvation by grace through faith
“in Jesus Christ; that we cannot by our own reason or
‘gtrength believe in Jesus Christ our Lord but the Holy
‘Spirit has called us through the Gospel; that the living
Christ is truly present in the Word and sacraments; that
the Holy Scriptures are God’s Word, inspired and
authoritative; that good works are a result of faith
active in love and no cause whatever for merit before
God. Because of that shared faith, we in the ALC believe
that our altars and pulpits should be open to each other.
God has made us for each other and has brought us to
unity of faith precisely in order to bring us together in
worship and work.

There are articles of doctrine that can be debated
without being divisive of church fellowship. We in the
ALC think the the Missouri Synod-instituted formula of
“the Gospel and all its articles” is a mischievous phrase.
It is self-serving in that the LCMS determines what “all
the articles” are and then requires identical subscription
by all others in order for fellowship to exist. As a result,
the LCMS is officially in fellowship with almost no one,
for it is extremely difficult to arrive at uniformity of

My Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

On behalf of the Lutheran Church in America, itis a
joy to bring you our most cordial greetings. I con-
gratulate your new President, Dr. Ralph Bohlmann,
and I look forward to working with him in every
possible way and especially through the Lutheran
Council in the U.S.A. The vitality of The Lutheran

GREETINGS OF THE BISHOP OF THE AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH 119

doctrine and practice. We believe the articles of faith
addressed in the ecumenical creeds and the Lutheran
Confessions cover all the essential doctrines on which
Christians agree. When we go beyond them, there is
need for the kind of theological debate that gradually
brings clarity to controverted articles. There will always
be some issues that are rising to the surface that will
require serious, open theological debate. The time for
settlement of such debates need not be pushed. And they
ought to include debate at all levels of the church’s life,
not just among official committees. The history of our
churches indicates that such controverted articles
gradually find solutions. One hundred years ago U.S.
Lutherans were in fierce theological debates over
slavery, the antichrist, and usury. Now, 100 years later,
those matters are not at issue. We think the same will
happen with issues such as the doctrine of inerrancy,
women’s ordination, and membership in ecumenical
organizations.

So how do we proceed from here? The ALC, together
with the LCA and AELC, intends to pursue a path of
increasing expressions of unity. It is with genuine
regret that we walk that path without The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod. We hope it will not be long
before the LCMS joins us in fully expressing the unity
God has created among us.

Meantime, one of your convention resolutions calls
for continued doctrinal discussions with the ALC. I am
confident the ALC will say yes to such discussons. The
people of our two churches live in the same communities,
we lift high the same confessions, we bear the same
name, our family members marry each other and join
each other’s churches, and the Lord of the church calls
us to express the unity that exists. If more discussion is
what is available to us, we will have more discussions.
They will include the fervent prayer that the discussions
will soon be replaced by God-pleasing expressions of
unity.

Wein the ALC believe that God-pleasing unity exists
among ALC and LCMS Lutherans. We believe that we
are brothers and sisters in Christ whether or not we are
able to say so in conventions assembled. We must
express our family unity, loyalty, and affection, and we
will do so to the best of our ability. Our doors, our hearts,
and our arms of fellowship are always open to you. For
we believe that Almighty God has called us to life in
Christ, together!

David W. Preus, D.D.

3. Greetings of the Bishop of the Lutheran Church in America

Church—Missouri Synod is apparent as one looks
through your convention agenda. I rejoice with you in
the overwhelming response to your Mission Appeal.
Through it and through much of your deliberation at
this convention, your ministry will be expanded as you
demonstrate your obedience to the mission of our Lord.

In the Lutheran Church in America, we are also