LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 193

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THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 193

no “subordination” appears until after the fall in Genesis 3, and that
anyone in Christ is a new creation, so any “order of creation/re-
demption” supersedes the effects of the fall.

10. That when Paul address the issue of gender clearly and un-
ambiguously in Gal. 3:28 he stresses the oneness of male and fe-
male in Christ (whereas in most other references to women Paul
uses a Greek term that could, and often does, mean “wife” and not
“woman’’); and

WHEREAS, A number of other passages and concepts should be
studied and looked at as part of the entire biblical witness on the
issue of gender; and

WHEREAS, The fact that many young women of our Synod have
not been convinced by our biblical interpretations defending our
traditional position, but have left the Synod to become pastors in
other Lutheran denominations, resulting in a great loss to the min-
istries of our Synod; and

WHEREAS, Synod members think that our position on women
has become a barrier to outreach and an obstacle to the proclama-
tion of the Gospel in a society that has no understanding of why
we do not ordain women; and

WHEREAS, We should never make policies or change procedures
based on popularity, but only on the basis of the Scripture as inter-
preted through the Lutheran confessional, Christocentric lens; and

WHEREAS, As Lutherans we should, above all, be equally sure
that we do not elevate tradition over the Scriptures, but that the
Scriptures shall be our only rule and norm for faith and life; and

WHEREAS, The Scriptures are not so fragile that they cannot
stand up to study and scrutiny, nor are we as a Synod so fragile that
we cannot endure a rethinking, under Scripture, of our tradition,
for we have done it many times before and survived as a confes-
sional church; therefore be it

Resolved, That we petition the LCMS, meeting in convention
in July 2001, to do the following:

|. Encourage the members and leaders of the Synod to refrain
from the labeling of fellow Synod members with whom we dis-
agree on this subject, smearing them as somehow being un-
Lutheran or un-Christian or unbiblical, but to recognize that we all
seek to be faithful to the Scriptures, yet differ on some interpreta-
tions.

2. Direct the President of the Synod to appoint a special com-
mittee, comprised of theologically trained men and/or women of
the Synod, some of whom support and are committed to our tradi-
tional position of banning women from the pastoral office, and
some of whom think we should change our traditional position and
allow women to be ordained and are committed to that premise.

3. That this special committee shall proceed as follows: have
each side present position papers, which shall be reacted to by
those holding the other position, and then the reactions be re-
sponded to, so that the following six-part document would emerge:
(1) The traditional view, biblically defended; (2) reaction by those
opposed to the traditional view; (3) response to the reaction by
those for our traditional view: (4) the view, biblically defended,
that the Bible does allow for the ordination of women, (5) reaction
by those opposed to this change; and (6) response to the reaction.

4. That the document produced by this committee be shared
with the congregations for study, so that one of two things might
result: either (a) that our traditional position has been so convinc-
ingly demonstrated from clear Scripture that those who question it
would be convinced of the error of their ways and would stop
speaking and working for the ordination of women, or (b) that our
traditional position would be replaced by a new understanding of
the entire biblical witness, and a future convention of the Synod
might consider changing our position, but it would be clear to any
and all that if we were to change our view, it would be based on
Scripture, and not for any other reason.

Circuit 18
North Wisconsin District

3-112

To Clarify Stance on Role of Women in the Church

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has consis-
tently stated and reaffirmed on the basis of 1 Cor. 11:1-4;
14:33-35; and | Tim. 2:11-14 that the pastoral office is to be en-
trusted only to men; and

WHEREAS, In the context of | Cor. 11:14, St. Paul states that
“woman’s head is man”; however, in succeeding verses he speaks
of an interdependence between man and woman that shows neither
order of creation nor inequality between man and woman in the
words “yet, in Christ’s fellowship woman is as essential to man as
man to woman. If woman was made out of man, it is through
woman that man now comes to be: and God is the source of all”;
and

WHEREAS, In the context of 1 Cor. 11:14, St. Paul also states,
“a woman brings shame on her head if she prays or prophesies
bare-headed”’; and

WHEREAS, In these verses St. Paul allows that a woman may
prophesy (to speak by divine influence); and

WuereEAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod does not for-
bid women to pray or prophesy bare-headed; and

Wuereas, The context of 1 Cor. 14:33--35 has St. Paul speaking
about the manner in which speaking in tongues and prophecy are to
be given and interpreted in public and then adding that “women
should not address the meeting, and they have no license to speak,
but should keep their place as the law directs”; and

WHEREAS, The text may very well be dealing primarily with
keeping order in the church, i.e., handling speaking in tongues—
occurrences that are not universal in The Lutheran Church—Mis-
sourt Synod congregations; and

WHEREAS, It is not clear which divine law St. Paul refers to
when he states that women have no license to speak when he
writes, “keep their place as the law directs”; and

WHEREAS, In | Tim. 2:9, St. Paul states, “Women again must
dress in a becoming manner, modestly and soberly, not with elabo-
rate hairstyles, not decked out with gold or pearls, or expensive
clothes”; and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod neither pre-
scribes nor prohibits any manner of dress for worshipping women
as advised by St. Paul (heads covered, no fancy hairdos, no gold
or pearls, no expensive clothes to be worn for worship); and

WHEREAS, THE Synod’s citing of verses from St. Paul’s writ-
ings to support that only men may be entrusted with the pastoral
office, while ignoring other matters mentioned by St. Paul in sur-
rounding verses, is disturbing and confusing because no rationale is
given as to why some of the apostle’s advice is seen as being ap-
plicable to today while other bits of advice are not adhered to; and

WHEREAS, This inconsistency in interpretation is intellectually
dishonest and is depriving the church of today of the gifted leader-
ship of capable women; therefore be it

Resolved, That the English District urge The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod to provide the rationale for its stance in
following some of St. Paul’s advice in ] Cor. 11; 1 Cor. 14; and
] Tim. 2 while ignoring his other advice.

English District; Holy Spirit, Elk Grove Village, IL

3-113

To Reject as False Doctrine the Opinion
that Women May Be Pastors

WHEREAS, Repeatedly the Synod in convention frequently af-
firms its conviction that the Bible teaches that men only are to serve
as pastors; and

WHEREAS, Small but sometimes vocal groups of LCMS pastors
and laypeople continue to agitate for the ordination of women as
pastors; therefore be it

2001 Convention Workbook