LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 79

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
tionships and global leadership within the greater
Body of Christ, the Christian church on earth?
• Why not the LCMS as a church body marked by unity
of purpose—a diverse group of believers united around
a common understanding of Holy Scripture, a common
confession of faith and a common determination to
share the message of Scripture in bold and winsome
ways?
• Why not the LCMS as a church body full of people and
pastors, working side by side to express the love of
Jesus Christ in our conduct, actions, and decisions to
people in the world who wonder if faith in Christ can
really make a difference in their lives in a time of war,
terror, moral meltdown, and economic uncertainty?
• Why not the LCMS as a church body that not only
publicly proclaims what it opposes but also positively
articulates what it supports and that for which it
stands, particularly the centrality of the Gospel of forgiveness, life, and salvation through faith in Jesus
Christ, by God’s grace and not by works?
In this process, it is critical that we remain faithful to
the Scriptures, faithful to the Lutheran Confessions and
faithful to the Sacraments that God has given to His church
on earth as the means of His grace and visible signs of His
presence among us.
In this regard, and in light of allegations and accusations that you as delegates have received over the past several months regarding my personal beliefs, I do need to say
a word about my own confession and position on matters of
faith and life. Three years ago, following my election as the
12th President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, I
articulated my principal beliefs in my acceptance speech,
affirming:
• the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament as the
inspired, inerrant, infallible, written Word of God and the
only rule and norm of faith and of practice;
• the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church as a true and unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of God;
• the creation of the world in 6, 24-hour days;
• the flood as an historical event;
• the parting of the Red Sea by Moses;
• the swallowing of Jonah by a big fish;
• that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of
the Virgin Mary, that He healed the lame, the deaf, the
blind, and raised the dead back to life;
• that He was crucified, buried, descended into hell, rose
from the grave and ascended into Heaven;
• that the Holy Spirit calls individuals to faith in Christ
through the Gospel and the Sacraments and gives His
gifts to His people whenever and however He wishes;
• that abortion is not a moral option except as a tragically
unavoidable by-product of medical procedures necessary
to prevent the death of another human being, such as the
mother;
• the position of our Synod opposing the ordination of
women to the pastoral office;

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• the position of our Synod that homosexual behavior is intrinsically sinful;
• the importance of the Ten Commandments, one of which,
the 8th, is in frequent violation among us.
Since that time, I have shared these beliefs repeatedly,
without reservation. My “Personal Statement of Faith” is
posted on my Web site. Further, I have in public and in private, clearly and consistently supported the Synod’s opposition to same sex marriage, human cloning, the use of
human embryos for stem cell research, and any consideration whatsoever of the ordination of homosexually active
clergy. And, yes, I accept with all my heart the historical
understanding of the Trinity as enunciated by the 3 ecumenical creeds.
Any communication, speculation, innuendo, or insinuation to the contrary is, at best, misinformed – at least, mistaken—and at worst, a deliberate misrepresentation of the
truth! I repeat, deliberate misrepresentation of the truth!
Many of you have received such communications through
published newspaper tabloids and books; written, sent, or
forwarded Internet news pieces; distributed videotapes or
DVDs; or just plain old gossip.
To anyone who transmits misinformation about the beliefs that I hold near and dear and for which I would give
my very life, I say this: “In the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and on behalf of a church that deserves and expects
better than the confusion and mistrust created by such
communications, please cease and desist these judgmental
rumor-mongering and reputation-harming activities!”
There may even be attempts by some among us to disturb and disrupt this very convention with similar communications or machinations intended to create further confusion and mistrust in our midst. My dear brothers and
sisters in Christ, these things simply should not be. Such
intentional actions must certainly be counted as those that
must be avoided in accord with the apostle’s exhortation in
Romans 16.
Most respectfully and quite sincerely, I invite and encourage each and every one of you to join me in a godly crusade to alter the negativity and lack of basic Christian demeanor that often attempts and frequently succeeds in
defining the culture of our Synod, beginning with and continuing through and beyond this Convention of our beloved
Synod. I do so with painful cognizance of my own sinfulness
and daily awareness of my own imperfection. I also do so
with joyful assurance of the grace of God in my life, made
new each day with the reminder that I am a baptized child
of God, redeemed from sin and Satan by the blood of Jesus
Christ, my Lord.
And I boldly and happily remind you of the same eternal
blessings that are yours through that very same grace of God
in Jesus Christ, your Lord. Under His grace and forgiveness
as redeemed children of the heavenly Father, we move forward with the mission He has entrusted to our care.
By the grace of God, I believe we can face the challenges
and overcome the difficulties before us. I believe we are seeing them turned into opportunities. By the power of the
Holy Spirit, swords are turned into plowshares. Now is the
time God has appointed for us to plow ahead into the fertile
mission field He has prepared for our planting.
2004 Convention Proceedings