Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1954, Page 17

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Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America, 1954 17

DOCTRINAL ESSAYS

The Inadequacy of the “Common Confession”
as a Settlement of Past Differences

(An essay prepared for the Synodical Conference, assembled
August 10—13, 1954, at Detroit, Mich.)

E. H. WENDLAND, Benton Harbor, Mich.

Introduction

The position of our Wisconsin Synod over against the Common
Confession, Part I, is summarized in a resolution adopted at our
New Ulm convention in 1951. Prior to the adoption of this res-
olution we devoted the greater portion of our convention to a
thorough study of the Common Confession, because it had been
submitted to us by The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, in
accordance with the constitution of the Synodical Conference, to
secure our consent to it. As a result of our study, held in the
presence of members of Missouri’s Committee on Doctrinal Unity,
who were given every opportunity to defend their synod’s accept-
ance of it, we unanimously resolved to concur in the findings of our
Standing Committee on Church Union, which in its “Review of the
Common Confession” had specifically noted a number of points
in which the Common Confession had failed to provide adequate
settlement of doctrinal controversies which had existed between
the American Lutheran Church and The Lutheran Church — Mis-
souri Synod.

The resolution. which we then adopted, and which still sum-
marizes our position today, reads as follows: “That we inform, the
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod that we not only find the
Common Confession to be inadequate in the points noted (cf. Re-
view of the Common Confession), but that we also hold that the
adoption of the Common Confession by the Lutheran Church —
Missouri Synod involves an untruth and creates a basically un-
truthful situation since this action has been officially interpreted
as a settlement of past differences which are in fact not settled.”
(Proceedings, 3lst Convention, Wisconsin Synod, p. 147.)

In this essay we wish to consider:

I. Our understanding of the word “settlement” in this res-
olution.

Il. Our reasons for finding the Common Confession, Part I,
to be inadequate as a settlement in the chief points noted
by our Synod’s Standing Committee on Church Union.

Ill. The further inadequacy of Part II of the Common Con-
fession as far as the allaying of our doubts and misgivings
over against Part I is concerned.

IV. Our serious charge that the adoption of the Common Con-
fession by The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod as
a settlement of past differences “involves an untruth and
creates a basically untruthful situation.”