LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 40

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40 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

faculty members. For that reason it will not concern itself with
Part II of the faculty statement, nor with the * Affirmations of
Faith” of Part I. Rather, it will address itself primarily to the
Preamble and the nine discussions of Part I, since the faculty
states that these discussions “are an illustration of how we treat
the major subjects under discussion in Synod." (Ibid., p. 4)

I. Does the document reflect a correct understanding of the issues
under debate in the Synod?

In the Preamble. the faculty document states that “at the
heart of the discussions in our Synod is the question of whether
the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is the sole source of our per-
sonal faith and the center of our public teaching” (p.3). The
faculty document also refers to efforts “to supplement the
Gospel so that it is no longer the sole ground of our faith” (p. 3)
and to a “tendency to make the doctrine of inspiration or the
inerrancy of the Scriptures a prior truth which guarantees the
truth of the Gospel or gives support to our faith” (p. 21). In addi-
tion, the faculty document speaks against “any approach to the
Scriptures which focuses ‘emphasis added) on the need for his-
torical factuality rather ‘emphasis added) than on the primary
need for Christ." (P. 23)

While it is conceivable that individuals within the Synod
may on occasion have given an erroneous impression to the
contrary, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod as such has
always held to the position that the Gospel is the sole source of
our personal faith and the center of all our preaching. The Synod
has never taught that the Gospel has to be supplemented with
a doctrine about Scripture, or that it is more important to focus
on the need for historical factuality rather than on the primary
need for Christ. Moreover, the Commission on Theology and
Church Relations finds no evidence for such views in the docu-
ments produced by responsible representatives of the Synod in
the present controversy.

The faculty has made the assertions that these are the issues
without any supporting documentation. It is the Judgment of the
CTCR that to represent the debate in our Synod as centering
on these issues is misleading.

The Council of Presidents which initially requested that each
faculty member state his position relative to the points in con-
troversy listed the following as the issues: (1) Law and Gospel,
'2) Holy Scripture, (3) the relationship between the Gospel and
Holy Scripture, (4) the canonical text, (5) Old Testament proph-
ecy. and (6) original sin. In the Opinion of the CTCR, this is a
correct and comprehensive assessment of the matters in contro-
versy. It also corresponds closely with the areas of disagreement
designated in the Statement of Scriptural and Confessional
Principles published by the President of the Synod.

In view of what has been stated, it is the opinion of the CTCR
that the faculty document does not correctly represent the issues
under debate in our Synod.

Il. Is the faculty document suitable for use in discussion forums
throughout the Synod where the issues under debate will be
studied?

Two different problems present themselves in answering
this question. The first concerns itself with the misunderstanding
displayed in the document concerning the issues under debate
in the Synod, while the second deals with those portions of the
document which address some of the issues which are under
debate.

With regard to the first, the faculty document would be more
useful in discussion forums if it had dealt more directly, explic-
itly, and fully with the issues as specified by the Council of
Presidents. Instead, the document has a tendency to address
itself to issues which are not now, nor ever have been, in con-
troversy within our Synod. Discussion materials which create
the erroneous impression that the issues which were previously
cited from pages 3, 21, and 23 of the faculty document are those
under debate in our Synod will tend to confuse rather than edify
the church.

The answer to the second problem must be determined by
examining what the faculty document says when it does address
itself to issues which are under debate, for instance, the inspira-
tion, inerrancy, and authority of the Bible. Following are quota-
tions from the faculty document that pertain to these topics:

1. “Accordingly, the inspiration of the written Word pertains to the

effective puwer ‘emphasis added) of the Scriptures to bring men
and women to salvation through the Gospel. We affirm. therefore,

that the Scriptures are the inspired Word of God.” (P. 36)

2. “The reliability or ‘inerrancy’ of the Scriptures cannot be deter-
mined by twentieth century standards of factuality. Nor do the
Scriptures link the work of the Holy Spirit with this kind of ‘iner-
rancy.’ The purpose of the Spirit imparted by our Lord is to lead
Us into the whole truth about what God was doing in Jesus Christ,
that we might be redeemed and He may be glorified. In disclosing
that Truth God does not err, and in achieving that Purpose the
Spirit active in the Word does not lead us astray: to that the Spirit
within us bears witness." (P. 37; emphasis added)

3. “The Gospel gives the Scriptures their normative character,
not vice versa." (P. 21)

Pertaining to the inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of
Scripture, the Commission on Theology and Church Relations
has recognized the following statements as representing the
Lutheran position:

1. “We believe, teach, and confess that all Scripture is given by in-
spiration of God the Holy Spirit and that God is therefore the true
author of every word of Scripture. We acknowledge that there is
a qualitative difference between the inspired witness of Holy Scrip-
ture in all its parts and words and the witness of every other form
of human expression, making the Bible a unique book.” (A State-
ment of Scriptural and Confessional Principles. Study Edition,
p. 18)

2. “With Luther, we confess that ‘God's Word cannot err’ (LC, IV,
57). We therefore believe, teach, and confess that since the Holy
Scriptures are the Word of God, they contain no errors or contra-

a violation of the sola scriptura principle, for it rests upon the

acceptance of some norm or criterion of truth above the Scriptures.

We recognize that there are apparent contradictions or discrep-

ancies and problems which arise because of uncertainty over the

original text.
We reject the following views:

(lh...

(2) That the Scriptures are inerrant only in matters Pertaining
directly to the Gospel message of salvation.

(3) That the Scriptures are only functionally inerrant, that is, that
the Scriptures are ‘inerrant’ only in the sense that they accom-
plish their aim of bringing the Gospel of salvation to men."
(Ibid., p. 31)

ting the question falsely suggests that we must choose between
mutually exclusive alternatives. A ‘both/and’ is turned into an
‘either/or.’ Lutheran theology has always affirmed the authority
of the Bible on a twofold basis: (1) That as Gospel the Sacred
Scriptures are the power of God unto salvation through which

The effect of the faculty document's concept of Biblical
authority, inspiration, and inerrancy is reflected in its treatment
of the Biblical accounts of creation (pp. 12—14), the fall (pp.
15-17) and miracles (pp. 18— 20).

It is for these reasons that we believe that the document is
useful only to the extent that it points up the fact that there are
substantive differences within our Synod on important doctrinal
issues. If the purpose of the discussion forums being held
throughout Synod is to promote unity through a truly Lutheran
settlement of the issues in debate, then, in light of the foregoing
Statements, we believe that unless its serious inadequacies are
pointed out, this document is not Suitable for use in these forums.

Adopted March 28. 1973. by the CTCR
‘Krentz and Mayer abstaining)

APPENDIX E

Evian in Retrospect

The Synod in 1965 (see Res. 3-14), and again in 1967 (see
Res. 3-18), directed the Commission on Theology and Church
Relations to undertake a “thorough and critical exploration of
future relations with the Lutheran World Federation,” and
requested that “the entire issue of future relations with the
Lutheran World Federation be made the subject of intensive
conversation with our sister churches.” In 1969 the commission
released to the Synod a “Preliminary Report Regarding the
Lutheran World Federation,” a document setting forth the
commission’s finding in summary form. The report incorporated,