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LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1935, Page 172

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

172 Proceedings of Thirty-Sixth Regular Convention,

ancient Chinese worshiped the true God under the name Shangdi;
hence the present-day Chinese need but return to the pure worship
of their fathers.

Still others, and they are the conservatives, stress the literal
meaning of the term Shangdi (ruler on high). They hold that the
idol never had any right to this title and that it must be restored to
its rightful owner, the true God.

Finally there are those who hold that Shangdi expresses the
highest concept the heathen Chinese have of the Deity and that for
this reason the term should be used for God.

But Shangdi was never generally accepted as the right Chinese
word for god, and it has always been a disputed term. As a result of
a compromise both terms are now being used in most of the Protes-
tant churches, also in our mission. Shangdi is generally, but not
always, used when the word god refers to the true God. Shen is
always used when speaking of false gods and quite often also when.
speaking of the true God.

On the basis of the use made of these two terms in the Chinese.
Bible and in Chinese Christian literature and practise it appears that
all parties agree that Shen can always be used, both of the true God.
and of false gods, while Shangdi can never be used of false gods and.

not always of the true God. i

From the beginning, objections were raised against the use of’
Shangdi for God. The first was a theological objection.

It was said that, though Shangdi was the highest and noblest of
all Chinese idols, he was nevertheless wholly and totally an idol.
(Ps. 96,5.) To ascribe the proper name of this idol to the true God:
would mean to identify both, which would be a sin against the First
Commandment. And though such jdol-identification were not in-
tended, such use would result in confusion and idol-identification on.
the part of heathen hearers and for this reason should be avoided.
When it was argued that proper safeguards would obviate this danger,.
the answer was that in actual practise such safeguards were not
always possible, nor were they always employed.

With respect to this doctrinal phase of the controversy the com-.
mittee of the St. Lovis Faculty, the Board of Foreign Missions, and’
the synodical committee agreed on the following theses: —

“1, We agree that, as the proper name of the Chinese idol, the-
name Shangdi with its idol connotation may not be used of the true-
God, since Scripture definitely forbids such use.

“2. We agree that Shangdi in itself, when divested of its heathen
connotation and filled with Biblical content, may be used as a name:

of the true God, since Scripture does not prohibit such use.