Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1973 · 50th Convention › Page 123
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 123

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

SEMINARY ISSUES 123

3-28
To Resist Any Addition to Article II

Wuereas, Article 2 of Synod’s Constitution states the con-
fessional basis for our Synod and its constituents; and

Wuereas, Attempts to add to that confessional basis have,
in the past, been declared unconstitutional; and

Wuenreas, The President of Synod has indicated that his
Statement is not intended to be a “new standard of ortho-
doxy”; and

Wuereas, Widely differing conclusions have been reached
among us by Districts, pastoral conferences, and individuals
on the value of the Statement: therefore be it

Resolved, That Synod declare its continued acceptance of
Article 2 of its Constitution as its doctrinal basis and resist
any efforts to add to that basis the Statement or any other
documents, no matter how “orthodox.”

BETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCH
Minnetonka, Minn.

Harold W. Marquardt, Chairman
Esther Asmus, Secretary

3-29A

To Reaffirm Confessional Commitment
of Article II of Synod’s Constitution

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod was
founded upon the sole confessional base of the Holy Serip-
tures “as being the only rule and norm of faith and practice,
and the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical church as a true
and unadulterated statement and exposition of that Word
of God”; and

Wuereas, This platform is the confessional Article of the
Constitution of our Synod to which each pastor and congre-
gation has pledged his support; and

WuereaS, Synod in the past has refused to alter that base
through the addition of new documents, or by giving such
documents “confessional” status; and

Wuereas, The “doctrinal purity” of men within our Synod
today is being examined and judged on the basis of docu-
ments or resolutions other than that of the Scriptures and
the Confessions; therefore be it

Resolved. That we, the pastors of the Golden Gate Pas-
toral Conference of the California and Nevada District con-
firm our loyalty to the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran
Confessions (Book of Concord); and be it further

Resolved, That we deplore any efforts to judge men’s
confessional loyalty by documents other than those listed
under Article II of Synod’s Constitution as it presently
stands; and be it finally

Resolved, That we memorialize Synod in convention in
New Orleans, 1973, to reaffirm this stance for all pastors
and congregations of Synod.

Go.peN GATE PASTORAL CONFERENCE
CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA DIstTRICT
Louis C. Marting, Secretary

Similar:

3-29B

Sierra-Nevada Pastoral Conference, California and Ne-
vada District, Oren Geiger, Chairman: James A. Kabel, Sec-
retary.

3-30

Not to Adopt “A Statement of Scriptural
and Confessional Principles”

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
in convention reject any overture that would seek to make
A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles a
doctrinal statement of the church.

Reasons:

1. Res. 5-24 of the Milwaukee convention discussed the
status of synodically adopted doctrinal statements.

2. Res. 5-24 said: “That the Synod distinguish between
resolutions concerning doctrine formulated and adopted at
a convention and more formal statements of belief which
are produced by officially authorized groups, and which are
then presented to the congregations and clergy of the Synod
for study and discussion and whieh are subsequently adopted
by a synodical convention.”

3. The implication of this part of Res. 5-24 is that a doc-
ument to be adopted as one of Synod’s statements on doc-
trine be submitted to clergy and congregations with clear
indication that it will later be presented to the convention
for a vote.

4. A Statement of Seriptural and Confessional Principles
was not submitted to the clergy and congregations with an
indication that it would later be presented to the conven-
tion for a formal adoption as a doctrinal statement of the
Synod.

5. A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles,
while containing many fine passages, contains forms of ex-
pression and lines of reasoning which need careful and de-
liberate study in an unhurried atmosphere.

6. Neither the clergy nor the congregations of Synod have
had time to submit all concerns on A Statement to the Com-
mission on Theology and Church Relations or prepare their
presentations on the document as an official statement of the
Synod.

IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH
Amherst, Massachusetts
Charles Cole, President

Mrs. James Terrill, Secretary

3-31

To Take Action on “Statement of Scriptural
and Confessional Principles”

Resolved, That we, the Atlantic District of The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod, ask the President of the Synod to
repudiate, immediately and publicly, any attempt by anyone
anywhere to use the Statement of Scriptural and Confes-
sional Principles as a new standard of orthodoxy; and be it
further

Resolved, To petition Synod to encourage academic free-
dom in its truest sense, within the framework of the Scrip-
tures and of the Lutheran Confessions, at its schools, col-
leges, and seminaries: and be it finally

Resolved. To commend all pastors, laymen, and com-
mittees to give these matters further study so that each cir-
cuit present statements to the Floor Committee of the syn-
odical convention in New Orleans.

Reasons:

1. President Preus issued A Statement of Scriptural and
Confessional Principles on March 3, 1972.

2. The St. Louis faculty issued a response on April 4, 1972.

3. These documents have created great controversy with-
in the Synod. The Committee on Synodical Matters of the
Atlantic District feels these documents must be dealt with by
the Atlantic District.

4. While we appreciate the statements in the Statement of
Scriptural and Confession Principles, particularly those ar-
ticles about “Christ as Savior and Lord” and about “Law and
Gospel,” we are deeply concerned about the possible pur-
poses which the Statement of Scriptural and Confessional
Principles can be made to serve in our Synod.

AtTuantTic DISTRICT
Arlin Mass, Secretary
3-32A
To Use “A Statement” Only for Study

WuereaS, There are some in the Synod who are promot-
ing President Preus’ A Statement of Scriptural and Con-
fessional Principles for synodical endorsement and enforce~