LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 224

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224 ; HIGHER EDUCATION

Resolved, That those individuals teaching theology and in other
departments at Concordia, Portland (or at any other Concordia Uni-
versity System school), who have spoken favorably for the ordina-
tion of women be granted the opportunity for final repentance by
publicly recanting of this false doctrine by Sept. 1, 1998, or be
summarily removed from office and from the roster of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

Bethany, Fort Wayne, IN; St. John, Topeka, KS

5-55

To Evaluate Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

WHEREAS, Both our St. Louis and Fort Wayne seminaries have
some of the best confessional professors in the world; and

WHEREAS, Despite the fact that our St. Louis and Fort Wayne
seminaries are sending out many faithful young pastors, rumors
continue to circulate that not all is well at one of our seminaries;
and

WHEREAS, A group of 102 Michigan pastors signed and circu-
lated a newsletter which expressed their concerns about what some
of our seminarians are being taught concerning the doctrine of the
public ministry (An Evangelical Lutheran Newsletter, 1997); and

WHEREAS, Reports continue to circulate throughout our Synod
that Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has professors who are advo-
cating a heretical doctrine of the public ministry which promotes
the unscriptural view that women may hold the pastoral office; and

WuerEAS, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has a professor who
is a woman and who is teaching at the seminary; and

WHEREAS, Such rumors and accusations can only hurt our Con-
cordia Seminary, St. Louis, in its attempt to fulfill its responsibili-
ties of training young men for the pastoral ministry; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in its
1998 convention instruct the synodical president to establish a spe-
cial fact-finding committee to study, evaluate, and determine if the
faculty of the Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is faithfully teaching
the scriptural and confessional view that only men may be pastors
(Acts 6:3; 1 Cor. 14:34; 1 Tim. 2:12; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9;
1 Peter 5:14; AC XXIII; SA III XI, p. 499:1-3; SC Appendix II,
$61:1-2 Concordia Triglotta); and be it further

Resolved, That the members selected for this evaluating com-
mittee be selected from the following three groups: (1) faculty from
the Systematic and Exegetical Departments of Concordia Theolog-
ical Seminary, Fort Wayne; (2) District Presidents from the fol-
lowing three districts—Central Illinois, Montana, South Dakota;
(3) dedicated laymen; and be it further

Resolved, That after this evaluating committee has finished its
study of the St. Louis seminary, they report their study's findings to
the synodical President, who shall then take the needed steps to
bring about a God-pleasing scriptural solution; and be it finally

Resolved, That the synodical President inform the entire Synod
through its official periodicals (Reporter and The Lutheran Wit-
ness) the findings of the evaluating committee and what steps were
taken to bring about a God-pleasing, scriptural, confessional con-
clusion of the entire theological concern.

Salem
Taylorsville, NC

5-56

To Investigate Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

WHEREAS, The Commission on Appeals (COA) ruled on Dec.
12, 1984, that Rev. Herman Otten (Otten) was the prevailing party
at the Board of Appeals vote of Nov. 11, 1960; and

Wuereas, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (hereinafter Concor-
dia Seminary) has not honored the COA ruling of Dec. 12, 1984, to
the present day; and

Wuereas, Concordia Seminary has not approved Otten for cer-
tification to this date; and

WHEREAS, Under the Bylaws as of Dec. 12, 1984, all members
of Synod under then prevailing Bylaw 8.69 were bound to accept
rulings of COA as binding; and

WHEREAS, The 1986 synodical convention approved all acts of
COA for the preceding biennium; and

WHEREAS, Concordia Seminary for its 1997 Theological Sym-
posium had Dr. Martin Marty as a featured speaker; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Marty allegedly holds unorthodox views
on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Sixth Commandment;
and

WHEREAS, The President of Concordia Seminary, the Rev. Dr.
John F. Johnson, allegedly claims the Scriptures nowhere mandate
the obedience of wives to their husbands; and

WHEREAS, It is uncertain whether the professors at Concordia
Seminary subscribe without reservation to Art. II of the synodical
Constitution; and

Whereas, A former member of the faculty at Concordia, while
there employed, allegedly fostered false witness against another
member of the faculty; and

WHEREAS, Concordia Seminary took no apparent action to in-
vestigate the alleged false witness; and

WuerEAS, The Board of Regents of Concordia Seminary has
taken no action to remedy the noncompliance of Concordia Semi-
nary to the COA ruling of Dec. 12, 1984; and

WHEREAS, The Board of Regents has not taken action on the al-
legations presented above; therefore be it

Resolved, That the synodical President appoint a special com-
mittee of his choosing and number to investigate Concordia Semi-
nary to determine why the COA ruling of Dec. 12, 1984, has not
been honored; and be it further

Resolved, That the special committee determine whether all the
faculty at Concordia Seminary subscribe without reservation to Art.
II of the synodical Constitution; and be it further

Resolved, That the special committee determine if false doctrine
is taught or tolerated at Concordia Seminary in view of the false
doctrine allegedly expressed by its President; and be it finally

Resolved, That the special committee report its findings to the
synodical President and that the synodical President make recom-
mendations concerning what remedial action, if any, ought to be
taken to the next synodical convention.

St. Paul
Paterson, NJ

5-57

To Give Thanks to God for His Blessings
on Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne

WHEREAS, In the first half of the 1990s our seminary in Fort
Wayne experienced a decided decline in enrollment and financial
support; and

WHEREAS, This decline led some in our Synod to suggest that
the seminary should be closed and even sold (similar to the situa-
tion that existed in the depression years of the 1930s, when the
Synod in convention in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1935 actually did vote
to close the seminary but then relented and kept the seminary alive,
thus helping Synod in its years of doctrinal tribulation in the 1970s
to remain faithful to the Word of God); and

WHEREAS, Within the past several years our gracious Lord has
granted a remarkable tumaround in Fort Wayne, resulting in a 50
percent increase in the enrollment in the seminary 1 class in Sep-
tember 1997 over the two previous years with prospects of another
sizeable increase in the enrollment in the seminary 1 class this fall;
and

WHEREAS, An increasing flow of students from the former So-
viet Union and from many other nations around the world has cre-
ated a truly global excitement for the spread of the Gospel of Christ
on the Fort Wayne campus; and