LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 39

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THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 39

Davidie authorship of the Psalm.” (Cf. The Witness of Jesus and
Old Testament Authorship)
8. On the subject of Biblical authorship, the commission has
stated:
The Synod has affirmed that we are to accept whatever the Bible
says about itself, including its human authorship, but has also recog-
nized that isagogical matters not conclusively answered by the
Scriptures are not matters of doctrine and should therefore not be
treated as factors affecting the Christian fellowship.” (An Evaluation
of “A Call to Openness and Trust’. p. 6, point 4 b)

The commission has also discussed the question of authorship in
its document The Witness of Jesus and Old Testament Author-
ship and in A Response to Questions on “The Witness of Jesus
and Old Testament Authorship.”

9. Holy Scripture is the sole standard for determining what
is “doctrine” and whether “doctrine” is true or false. The
Lutheran Confessions, because they are “drawn from the Word
of God” (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Rule and Norm,
10), are a secondary norm for the faith and life of the church.
But the confessions do not claim to deal with all doctrinal ques-
tions. Treatment or nontreatment in the confessions is therefore
not a criterion for determining whether a question is doctrinal.
Accordingly, questions not treated in the confessions but dealt
with in the Scriptures may well be “doctrinal” questions.

Conclusion

The Commission on Theology and Church Relations holds
that the document entitled “A Review of the Question ‘What
Is a Doctrine?’” does not maintain that matters pertaining to
the authorship of Biblical books and the historicity of certain
Biblical accounts are outside the scope of “doctrine.” Teachings
and judgments on such matters ordinarily are not considered
“doctrine” or “doctrines” in themselves. However, any teaching
or judgment which denies or contradicts what the Scriptures
teach must be considered “false doctrine.” For such a denial
or contradiction is in conflict with the doctrine of the authority
of Holy Scripture, the only infallible source and norm of all
doctrine. Moreover, the doctrine of the person of Jesus Christ
is also involyed in the consideration of any of His statements,
including those which deal with isagogical or historical matters.
In short, the commission holds that it is a doctrinal matter to
contradict or deny whatever the Bible teaches on any subject.

Adopted by the CTCR. May 24. 1971

APPENDIX C
“Key 73° Guidelines

We thank and praise God for all those who with us realize
that the Gospel of Christ is His power unto salvation to all who
believe it and for the opportunity that the “Key 73” program pre-
sents to proclaim that saving message in “Calling Our Continent
to Christ.”

Unfortunately, not all church bodies are in doctrinal agree-
ment. Therefore participating in a venture such as “Key 73”
involves pitfalls and inherent dangers which ought to be avoided
in the interest of the proclamation of Scriptural truth. It was for
this reason that Synod’s decision to participate in the “Key 73”
program was under the explicit condition that such participation
“not violate our doctrinal positions’ and be ‘to the extent that
our fellowship principles permit” (Res. 8-02, 1971, Proceedings.
p. 187). To aid members of the Synod, the CTCR was directed
to draft guidelines for participation in the “Key 73” program.

Under the theme ‘Calling Our Continent to Christ,” the “Key
73” program is so structured as to provide for participation on
essentially three levels:

a. Separately: Those parts of the program done by the
churches on their own.

b. Simultaneously: Those things done by the individual
church concurrently with other participating churches.

c. Cooperatively: Those things done jointly by the churches.
Each church has the privilege of determining for itself the
degree and level of participation.

The greatest degree of tension would arise for members of
The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod on the cooperative level
of participation. It is especially urgent that The Lutheran
Church— Missouri Synod avoid any activity that would negate
its distinctively Lutheran witness. Care should be taken that we

do not implicitly or explicitly convey an attitude of indifference
to Scriptural truth and thereby negate the witness that confes-
sional Lutheranism can and must make in our day. This concern
would apply particularly to joint participation in rallies, worship
services, prayer meetings, and such other cooperative activities
where our doctrinal position may be compromised. But the prin-
ciple must also be applied to all aspects of the program.

Lutheran theology has a unique contribution to make in such
an evangelization effort. The Christ-honoring proclamation of
God's pure grace and of man’s need for it because his nature is
depraved, the proper distinction and use of Law and Gospel.
and the emphasis upon the depth of God's love seeking an es-
tranged and alienated mankind when man would have none of
Him are such distinctively Lutheran doctrines to which we must
bear witness in any evangelism program in which we participate.

In light of the above factors, it is the recommendation of the
CTCR that:

1. The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod’s participation be
principally on the separate level. Many things for which The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod assumes separate respon-
sibility, however, may well be carried out simultaneously to
maximize the impact on the community.

2, The Synod’s Board of Evangelism provide literature.
tracts, worship and publicity materials which communicate what
is distinctively Lutheran.

3. The training of callers, canvassers, and counselors be
carried out by our own personnel using materials recommended
by the Synod's Board of Evangelism.

4. Worship services, prayer meetings, rallies, and such
gatherings be conducted under Lutheran auspices. either by
members of the Synod or with others with whom the Synod is in
fellowship.

5. The Board of Evangelism provide Bible study materials
suitable for neighborhood Bible study groups for use by our
people.

6. The members of the Synod in all things try to uphold and
observe the doctrinal position and the fellowship policies of
The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod.

7. The members of the Synod implore the blessing of Al-
mighty God that the efforts of the “Key 73" program, under His
grace and by the power of His Holy Spirit, may lead many to
faith in Jesus Christ and salvation.

‘Adopted by the CTCR. March 14, 1972)

APPENDIX D

An Evaluation of the Faculty Document

“Faithful To Our Calling. Faithful To Our Lord. Part I:
A Witness to our Faith”

The Commission on Theology and Church Relations is grate-
ful to the faculty of the St. Louis seminary for the preparation of
this document in which they give a corporate expression of their
faith and for the insights which it gives the church into certain
of their teachings. The Commission on Theology and Church
Relations also rejoices with them in the expression of their faith
in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. a faith shared
by all true Christians.

As the Commission on Theology and Church Relations seeks
to respond to the many requests for an evaluation of this docu-
ment, it will not attempt to deal exhaustively with all the ques-
tions raised by the document. Rather, it will address itself prin-
cipally to two considerations: (1) Does the document reflect
a correct understanding of the issues under debate in the
Synod? (2) Is the document suited for use in discussion forums
throughout the Synod where the issues under debate are to be
studied?

This approach is suggested by the document itself. The docu-
ment has been presented to the church as a ‘‘corporate expres-
sion of our faith and a discussion on the issues under debate”
(p. 3; emphasis added). It is further stated that “the discussions
provide us with a responsible set of statements which are suit-
able for use in discussion forums throughout Synod.” (Ibid..
p. 4; emphasis added)

The purpose of this evaluation, then. is to determine whether
or not the document Faithful To Our Calling. Faithful To Our
Lord. Part I, carries out its stated purpose. It is not the intent of
this evaluation to investigate the personal faith of individual