LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 181

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LATE OVERTURES
— Sacramental emphasis is diminished, while sacrificial
(prayer, praise, testimonial, etc.) is highlighted.
— Lay service leadership is increased and brought to the
front.
— The Pastor’s role is seen primarily as leading and equipping the laity.
— Entertainment practices and music appeal to and manipulate the emotions.
— Worship is seen as evangelism and therefore must be understandable and appealing to the non-Christian;

And thus “Evangelical Protestant Revivalism”(which most
refer to as Contemporary Worship) is none other than the
heterodox worship of modern generic Protestants and nondenominational churches. Those “Lutherans” who hold to
the false tenets of the Church Growth movement fall into
the same errors; AND
WHEREAS, This “Evangelical Protestant Revivalism”
(1) is not centered in the doctrine of justification, but views
worship primarily as something I do for God. It has good
works (sanctification) as its goal, not the forgiveness of
sins;
(2) believes that the Word of God (substance) needs something
else (style) in order to be effective. The correct application
of Law and Gospel is replaced with an emphasis on approach (methods), and appeals to the felt needs and desires
of people; and
(3) justifies its changes on the practical grounds of evangelism
and increased church attendance. By appealing to observable results, it does what “works.” In order to reach people, it uses entertainment methods to move the emotions
and it waters down the content of the Christian faith in
order not to offend; and

Style and Substance (a false division)
WHEREAS, Lutherans put complete and utter trust in the
Holy Spirit working through the Word of God (including the
Word-instituted Sacraments) to accomplish God’s purpose
of creating and strengthening faith. Contemporary Worship
likes to say that they are simply using Evangelical style but
keeping Lutheran substance. Those who think that they
can increase the effectiveness of God’s Word by jazzing up
the service, etc., are directing attention away from the
Word alone to other causes. At no point is there ever another cause or reason for a person coming to faith. Neither
is there ever anything besides the Holy Spirit working
through the Word that keeps us in the true faith or
strengthens our faith in Christ. AC, VIII: “The sacraments
are efficacious even if the priests who administer them are
wicked men, for as Christ himself indicated, ‘The Pharisees
sit on Moses’ seat’ (Matt. 23:2). Accordingly the Donatists
and all others who hold contrary views are condemned.” Ap,
XIII, 13: “It is good to extol the ministry of the Word with
every possible kind of praise in opposition to the fanatics
who dream that the Holy Spirit does not come through the
Word but because of their own preparations.” John 6:63: “It
is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The
words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” Also
see 1 Cor. 3:1–7: “God gave the increase,” and FC, SD, II,
48; and

181

Pre-Evangelism (Word + something)
WHEREAS, To think that our own words and actions
could better prepare someone to hear the Word or make
them more receptive to the Word is a denial of original sin.
FC, SD, II, 5: “Against both of these parties {one being the
Enthusiasts} the pure teachers of the Augsburg Confession
have taught and argued that through the fall of our first
parents man is so corrupted that in divine things, concerning our conversion and salvation, he is by nature blind and
does not and cannot understand the Word of God when it is
preached, but considers it foolishness; nor does he of himself approach God, but he is and remains an enemy of God
until by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the Word
which is preached and heard, purely out of grace and without any cooperation on his part, he is converted, becomes a
believer, is regenerated and renewed.” FC, Ep, II, 7, 19:
“Likewise we reject and condemn the error of the Enthusiasts who imagine that God draws men to himself, enlightens them, justifies them, and saves them without means,
without the hearing of God’s Word and without the use of
the holy sacraments….Prior to man’s conversion there are
only two efficient causes, namely, the Holy Spirit and the
Word of God as the Holy Spirit’s instrument whereby he effects conversion. Man should hear this Word, though he
cannot give it credence and accept it by his own powers but
solely by the grace and operation of God the Holy Spirit.”
SC, III, VIII, 10: “Accordingly, we should and must constantly maintain that God will not deal with us except
through his external Word and sacrament. Whatever is attributed to the Spirit apart from such Word and sacrament
is of the devil.”
1 Cor. 2:6–14: “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of
the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we
speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However,
as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind
has conceived what God has prepared for those who love
Him’— but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The
Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For
who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the
man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the
thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from
God, that we may understand what God has freely given
us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by
human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without
the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot
understand them, because they are spiritually discerned”
(NIV). Also see 2 Cor. 10:3–6 and Rom. 8:5–8; and
Doctrine of Justification (Central Article)
WHEREAS, The Doctrine of Justification is the main doctrine of Christianity by which the church stands or falls.
Note the logical progression from these excerpts from Articles IV. Justification, V. Pastoral Office, and VI. Good
2007 Convention Proceedings