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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 85

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

THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 85

since fellowship has been declared with the ALC (e.g., the
authority, inspiration, and truthfulness of Scripture, etc.);
and

Wuereas, Further differences in doctrine and life be-
tween our Synod and the ALC have manifested themselves
since the declaration of fellowship (e.g., the failure of the
ALC to speak out against abortion, the ordination of women
in the ALC, the calloused attitude toward an evangelical
lodge practice in spite of adequate joint statements by rep-
resentatives of LCUSA [see Dialog, Winter 1971, p.9], the
failure to make any statement regarding the verbal inspira-
tion and inerrancy of Scripture, etc.); therefore be it

Resolved, That the Missouri Synod in convention as-
sembled suspend fellowship with the ALC until obstacles to
true consensus be clearly set aside and true concord con-
sisting of full agreement in the doctrine of the Gospel and
all its articles be achieved; and be it further

Resolved, That our Synod through its representatives ap-
pointed by the President continue faithfully to discuss those
issues which remain obstacles to true concord and full con-
sensus with the ALC so that, by God's grace, we all might
achieve that unanimous consensus that Scripture (1 Cor.
1:10) and our Confessions call for.

CurisT LUTHERAN CHURCH
Coos Bay, Oreg.

Ed Schwartz, President
Gary Tonn, Secretary

Identical or Similar:

2-129B

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Rock Falls, Il., Curtis
A. Peterson, Pastor; Kim Groharing, Chairman.

2-129C

Nazareth Lutheran Church, Buffalo, N.Y., Donald J.
Sampson, Secretary.

2-129D

Trinity Lutheran Church, Bend, Oreg., Walter Anderson,
Pastor; Roy A. Scurlock, Secretary.

2-130A

To Suspend Fellowship

Wuereas, The ALC still maintains that they cannot sub-
scribe to the verbal inspiration of Scripture, by statements
like: “We... cannot subscribe to Scriptural inerrancy be-
cause our knowledge of Scripture prevents us from making
such claim,” Luther IV. 2, Spring 1967, p. 6; also: “The ver-
bal inspiration method is based on a theory,” Theological
Perspectives, p. 50 ff.; and

Wuereas, The deity of Christ is called into question, the
Vicarious Satisfaction of Christ, denial of Christ’s full power
of Godhead during His humiliation, as seen in the ALC’s
Tower Book Series, and “Creation, Fall and Flood,” and in
Dr. Knutson’s book His Only Son Our Lord, and

Whereas, The ALC is unionistic in practice as evidenced
by the many announcements in daily newspapers of ecu-
menical services held with non-Lutheran churches, and

Wuereas, The ALC still continues to receive lodge mem-
bers into membership, contrary to their own constitution;
and

Wuereas, The decision for fellowship with the ALC in
Denver, 1969, was made by majority vote, contrary to the
Handbook Article VIII, Section C, which states very clearly:
“All matters of doctrine and of conscience shall be decided
only by the Word of God. All other matters shall be decided
by majority vote.” This is a matter of doctrine and con-
science, and therefore, unconstitutional, as well as un-scrip-
tural, John 8:31-32; Matt. 28:20; John 15:14; Rom. 16: 17-18;
Matt.7:15; therefore be it

Resolved, That we, the members of St. John’s Lutheran
Congregation of Chaska, Minn., in a lawfully called Voters’

Assembly on Feb. 27, 1973, do request The Lutheran Church
— Missouri Synod, in convention in New Orleans, July, 1973,
to suspend fellowship with the ALC until there is unity in
all doctrines of Scripture and in practice.

St. Joun’s LuTHERAN CHURCH
Chaska, Minn.

Henry Wrase, Chairman
Robert Berkey, Secretary

Similar:
2-130B

St.Paul Lutheran Church, Rochelle, Il, Theodore A.
Weiss, Pastor: Mark Junge, Secretary.

2-131A
To Suspend Fellowship with the ALC

WHEREAS, The LCMS in its Milwaukee convention in 1971
resolved to “register its strong regret over the American Lu-
theran Church's action on the ordination of women to the
pastoral ministry” and “to respectfully request the American
Lutheran Church to give serious reconsideration to this ac-
tion” and to “respectfully request the American Lutheran
Church not to implement its resolution to ordain women”
(Proceedings, 48th Convention, 1971, p. 136, Res. 3-21); and

Wuereas, The LCMS took this action on the basis that
fidelity to God's Word was at stake (cf. Res. 2-04: “Resolved
that the Synod reaffirm its position that the Word of God
does not permit women to hold the pastoral office or to serve
in any capacity involving distinctive functions of this office,”
Proceedings, 1971, p. 114); and

Wuereas, The ALC at its sixth biennial convention in
October of 1972 affirmed its decision to admit women to
the ministry by a vote of about 1,000 in favor and only 1
opposed and thereby clearly rejected the request from the
LCMS (“The Scriptures do not teach that women are for-
bidden to serve as ministers of Word and Sacrament or that
women are always to be subordinate to men,” ALC resolu-
tion, reported by LCUSA News Bureau, Oct. 12, 1972, p. 2);
and

Wuereas, There can be no God-pleasing fellowship where

the Word of God is not correctly taught and its directives
are not obediently followed; therefore be it

Resolved. That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
declare that the unscriptural position of the American Lu-
theran Church on the question of ordaining women into the
pastoral office is divisive of fellowship; and be it finally

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
in assembled convention in New Orleans, La., in 1973 re-
gretfully suspend church fellowship with the American Lu-
theran Church.

First Ev, LUTHERAN CHURCH
Clearwater, Fla.

Donald R. Drung, President
Duane L. Hubbard, Secretary
David V. Dissen, Pastor

Similar:

2-131B

St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Liberty, Mo., James Gor-
don, President; Quentin Almstedt, Pastor.
2-131C

Trinity Lutheran Church, Rock Springs, Wyo., Clarence
E. Sorensen, Chairman; Maynard E. Suhr, Secretary.
2-131D

Trinity Lutheran Church, Casper, Wyo., La Vern R. Bel-
lamy, Pastor: Don Eckelberg, Secretary.
2-131E

Trinity Lutheran Church, Ironwood, Mich., Leonard
Korpi, President: Paul Forslund, Secretary.