Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1954, Page 200

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200 Proceedings of the Forty-Third Convention,

Proceedings of the convention held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the
month of July, 1872, page 43, to wit: “This doctrine (of universal
justification) is expressly stated in Romans 5:18; and it is, there~
fore, not only a Biblical doctrine, but also a Biblical expression
that ‘justification of life has come upon all men’ (Luther’s transla-
tion). Only a Calvinistic interpretation could explain this passage
so as to make out that only the elect have been justified... . Those
who say that God has made the whole world righteous, but deny
that He has declared the world righteous, deny thereby in reality
the whole of justification; for this, that the Father has declared
the world righteous, must not be separated from this, that the Son
made the world righteous when the Father raised Christ from
the dead.” (Syn. Conf. Proceedings, 1872, p. 43, translated from
German.) And

Wuereas, A similar anxiety on the part of our Norwegian
brethren in Point 2 of their Overture is expressed regarding union-
ism; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synodical Conference hereby reaffirm its
stand against unionism by making the definition of unionism quoted
in Section II of the Overture of the Norwegian Synod its own, to
wit: “Religious unionism consists in joint worship and work of
those not united in doctrine. Its essence is an agreement to dis-
agree.... All joint ecclesiastical efforts for religious work (mis-
sionary, educational, etc.) and particularly joint worship and mixed
(promiscuous) prayer among those who confess the truth and
those who deny any part of it, is sinful unionism.” And

Wuereas, Points 3, 4, and 5 of the Overture of the honorable
Norwegian Synod are also doctrinal questions which are under
debate among us; therefore be it

Resolved, That Points 3, 4, and 5 be referred ‘to one of the
several committees which will be appointed as outlined in the
report of the Floor Committee adopted by this convention,

Overture Concerning the Common Confession
(Received by the Convention at Chicago, III.)

To THE BRETHREN OF THE SYNODICAL CONFERENCE:

We wish to lay before the Synodical Conference the following
facts pertinent to the Common Confession and the doctrinal dis—
cussions between the Missouri Synod and the American Lutheran
Church.

Fact 1. Two synods of the Synodical Conference, as well as
a number of congregations, pastoral conferences, and individual
members of the Missouri Synod, hold that the Common Confession
does not show that the doctrinal differences between the American
Lutheran Church and the Synodical Conference have been com-
posed according to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions
(cf. Mo. Syn. Proceedings, 1950, pp. 575—585 and 918; 1953, pp. 530
to 532, 585—538; 542—544; and a declaration of 89 members of the
Missouri Synod to the 1952 Synodical Conference convention, dated
June 10, 1952).

Fact 2. The American Lutheran Church continues to lend its
approval, support, and membership to the National Lutheran