LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 147

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MERCY
Whereas, The early political response has been a call for armed
guards in schools, greater gun control, more stringent oversight of the
emotionally disturbed by the various social welfare agencies, etc.; and
Whereas, It is incumbent at this time as well as an opportunity
before us that the church should address the issue at the moral and
spiritual level because the Bible gets at the root of such problems; and
Whereas, Over the past 200 years, God has been devalued in
America—Deism acknowledged that God had made it all, but since
has stepped aside; then some began questioning the historicity of Holy
Scriptures, weakening the biblical foundation of Western civilization; in 1859 Charles Darwin explained how life began without God
at all: evolution, now taught in our nation’s public schools; Karl Marx
wrote about a new social order, communism, which assumed no god
except the state, put into practice in Russia and China in the twentieth
century; in the 1930s John Dewey and other intellectuals concocted
the Humanist Manifesto I, which said there is no god and man is the
measure of all things—so that, now, the trail of how God was systematically removed from our mainstream culture is only too clear; and
Whereas, Without God, all that’s left is evil which is passed
on from generation to generation through original sin to all human
beings; and
Whereas, Our culture is saturated with violence on television,
movies, video games, and various other venues, which only stimulate the passions within; and
Whereas, God is not dead nor is the world beyond His control,
although many have been deceived into thinking this way, and the
Bible provides not only moral values but also purpose, hope, and a
future; therefore be it
Resolved, That the LCMS continue to winsomely proclaim the
pro-life message, which values all human life from conception to
grave as being created in the image of God and is, therefore, of great
value to God and worthy of our protection and esteem; and be it
further
Resolved, That the LCMS should join her voice to those calling
for less violence in the media, heeding the scriptural admonition to
flee temptation; and be it finally
Resolved, That the LCMS continue to preach a message of revival
and hope in her churches and throughout our country as opportunity avails.
Christ, Trego, WI; Circuit 3 Forum, North Wisconsin District
2-09

To Give Thanks and Praise to God for LIRS 75th
Anniversary
Whereas, In 1939, Lutherans in the United States, committed to
the mercy work of the church, rose up to help Lutheran refugees from
Europe displaced by World War II; and
Whereas, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), in
partnership with Lutheran congregations across the country, has resettled over 400,000 refugees in its 75 years of ministry; and
Whereas, The mission of welcoming the stranger (Matt. 25:36)
continues to catch fire in the hearts of Lutherans who never tire of
the mercy work to protect, embrace, and empower migrants and refugees through ministries of service and justice; and
Whereas, LIRS, in partnership with Lutheran congregations,
continues to serve over 10,000 refugees and 20,000 detained torture survivors, victims of trafficking, and unaccompanied children
every year; and

147

Whereas, The ministry of LIRS is still sorely needed in today’s
war-strewn, conflict-ridden world; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod declare Sunday, June 22, 2014, as
Refugee Sunday in which congregations offer thanks and praise to
God for the 75 years of mercy work for migrants and refugees through
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod invite congregations to tell the stories
of their acts of welcome to refugees and migrants—signs of witness,
mercy, and life together; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod utilize its communications mechanisms
to share these stories and inspire action throughout the 75th anniversary year; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod encourage congregations and organizations to engage with and support the LIRS mission of welcoming
the stranger through gifts of time, talent, and treasure.
Board for National Mission
2-10

To Speak Boldly re Employment of Women
in Military Combat
Whereas, On January 24, 2013, the U.S. Department of Defense
announced its intent to lift our nation’s 65-year-old ban against sending women into combat—an exclusion which the Supreme Court
upheld in 1981; and
Whereas, In 1992, a presidential commission re-examined the
use of women in combat. It conducted hearings inviting theological
input. The LCMS did not contribute or attend. The final report found
that no major American religious establishment had adopted a theological position or spoken clearly on this issue. In 1993–1994, the
Secretary of Defense ordered the military services to permit women
to compete for some combat assignments and to open some specialties formerly reserved to men. Regretfully, we in the LCMS must
acknowledge: our silence wrongly implied consent to these changes,
which we did not intend and must extend no longer; and
Whereas, We recognize our nation’s freedom, prosperity, and
security as gracious gifts from God’s generous hand. These lie beyond
the achievement of human capabilities alone. Dependent upon His
mercies, we dare not defy His will; and
Whereas, God ordered His creation of man and woman in a good
relationship with Himself and one another that His order of redemption does not erase, but confirms and fulfills. God designed woman
as His vessel for bearing life. To employ a woman as an instrument of
death and destruction inverts His design; to ignore His order is damnable abomination; and
Whereas, Moses’ fourth book (Numbers) established the principle: only men are to be counted for warfare. In cases of aggression,
Israel’s army was to drive intruders back to their own cities, then
extend an offer of peace. If this was not accepted, only men were
put to the sword; women and children were to be excepted (Deut.
20:12–15); and
Whereas, Advocates of women warriors often cite Judges 4 for
support. In fact, this account is incomprehensible without the underlying presumption that men, not women, have the duty to go forth into
combat. The Lord exposes the cowardice of Barak through Deborah
and shames him by delivering the enemy leader into the hands of a
woman, Jael. God sends neither woman into combat. He declares particular scorn for women as warriors at several points in Holy Scripture
(e.g., Is. 19:16; Jer. 50:31; 51:30; Nah. 3:13). From Deuteronomy
22:5, Dr. Martin Luther concludes: “A woman shall not bear the
2013 Convention Workbook