LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 189

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THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 189

3-121

To Protest Disney’s Contra Civilization Behavior

Wuereas, God wants His saints to worship Him in lifelong re-
pentance and through the power of the Gospel live as good citi-
zens, good witnesses, and good soldiers in Christ (1 Peter 2:13-17;
Matt. 5:13-16; 2 Tim. 2:3); and

WuereaS, God declares that both the passive as well as active
unrepentant homosexual will not inherit the kingdom of God
(1 Cor. 6:9); and

WHEREAS, History shows that unchecked homosexuality is con-
tra civilization (Gen. 19:1-11); and

Wuereas, Christian love enjoins us to humbly yet boldly pro-
claim a word of Law for the sake of the Gospel regarding this issue
(Gal. 4:24); and

WHEREAS, Fellow Christians from other church bodies have ini-
tiated an economic boycott against businesses in the United States,
and the Walt Disney Company in particular for its aggressive con-
tra civilization and contra Christian policies affirming the death-
style practice of homosexuality; therefore be it

Resolved, That we, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in
convention, adopt as policy a resolution publicly admonishing the
Walt Disney Company for its loveless promotion of an unrepen-
tant lifestyle which leads to the death of a civilization, death of in-
nocent people, the needless death of homosexuals, and eternal
death (Rom. 6:23); and and be it further

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod ask its
members, that according to the dictates of their conscience (Gal.
6:10a), to prayerfully ponder participating in some measure of an
economic boycott against the Walt Disney Company; and be it fur-
ther ‘

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod com-
mend the Disney Company for promoting those things which are
healthy, pure, right, noble, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy
(Phil. 4:8); and be it further

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—-Missouri Synod use this
opportunity to proclaim that all sin is damnable in the sight of God
and unless people are delivered through the forgiveness of sins
Jesus Christ has merited for all freely and fully, they are without
hope and without God (Eph. 2:12); and be it finally

Resolved, To reaffirm the first of Martin Luther’s Ninety-five
Theses, namely, “when our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘Re-
pent,’ He meant that the whole Christian life should be one of con-
tinual repentance.”

Circuit 9 Forum
Missouri District

3-122

To Use Boycotting Responsibly

WHEREAS, Boycotting (the practice of intentionally avoiding a
company’s goods and services in order to influence its policies) is
a political tool open to Americans; and

WuereasS, Both Christian and non-Christian organizations have
advocated boycotts in the interest of their particular views of justice
or the common good; and

WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of Christian citizens to be in-
formed and to evaluate these particular visions of justice and the
common good; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod advise members to consider and eval-
uate carefully all boycott appeals, along with the assumptions and
particular views of justice and the common good the boycott is to
serve; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod does not normally commit itself to
particular boycotts or advise its members to, leaving discretion to
its elected boards; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod caution her pastors and teachers to
carefully distinguish the absolute claims of the Word of God from

particular political strategies intended for justice and the common
good; and be it further

Resolved, That apart from the question of boycotting Synod
members recognize that it may be immoral to procure certain goods
and services (i.e., illegal drugs, elective abortions, etc.); and be it fi-
nally

Resolved, That we recognize the freedom of thinking Christians
to disagree in their evaluation of any particular boycott.

Redford
Detroit MI

3-123

To Maintain Confession of Only Three Creeds
in LCMS Congregations

WHEREAS, Many pastors are now writing their own creeds for
their congregations to confess during Communion services, as de-
fended in the Evangelical newsletter signed by 102 pastors and lay
delegates written to the 1997 Michigan District Convention as fol-
lows: “What is necessary for those who plan worship is time spent
in the ‘truth,’ the Word, and in prayer. In the atmosphere of Word
and prayer, those who plan worship will receive wisdom on how
best to minister in the contemporary setting where God has placed
them.’’ By Rev. David Maier, Evangelical Lutheran newsletter,
May 1997; and

WHEREAS, Such practice is also defended by unanimous vote of
the Michigan District Circuit Counselors to all congregations in the
Michigan District as follows:

WHEREAS, There have been concerns expressed pertaining
to mission starts and mission worship, in response, the Circuit
Counselors of the Michigan District of The Lutheran Church—
“Missouri Synod, in their formal meeting, unanimously adopted
the following statement:

The Circuit Counselors and Vice-Presidents of the Michi-
gan District thank President Dr. John Heins and declare our sup-
port for him—for his faithful adherence to Scripture and the
Confessions of the Lutheran church regarding freedom in wor-
ship forms and other matters of adiaphora (things neither com-
manded nor forbidden by Scripture), so that pastors and congre-
gations can meet the spiritual needs of a changing culture;

and

WHEREAS, The authority to write and lead others to confess a
creed is not within the duties of the call into the pastoral ministry of
the LCMS; and

WHEREAS, Singing an approved credal hymn does not consti-
tute the confession of a creed; and

WHEREAS, Pastors may write any statement of faith they choose
for their membership to confess without calling them creeds; and

WHEREAS, The Michigan District Board of Directors, Michigan
District President, in addition to other District boards and presi-
dents in the LCMS, refuse to limit their confession of faith to the
three ecumenical creeds during a Communion service; and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Confessions were written to lead our
churches to the Holy Scripture and the creeds: “... but that we
wished indeed to lead our churches and the schools, first of all to
the fountains of Holy Scriptures and to the Creeds... (page 21).
Therefore we also have determined not to depart even a finger’s
breadth either from the subjects themselves, or from the phrases
which are found in them’’ (Preface to the Book of Concord); and

WHEREAS, Most of the communicants in the LCMS were con-
firmed with the following vows: “Do you also, as a member of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, intend to continue steadfast in the
confession of this Church and suffer all even death, rather than fall
away from it? I do so intend, with the help of God’’ (Rite of Con-
firmation, page 24, The Lutheran Agenda to TLH); and

WHEREAS, The Book of Concord states we will not make or re-
ceive another confession of faith in reference to the three creeds as
follows: