LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 134

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134 SEMINARY ISSUES

of the Scriptures.” Cf, also Seminary News Letter, Summer 1970:
“It is nct Lutheran to require uniformity in exegetical conelu-

an TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
Scarsdale, N. Y.
Merlin C. Meyer, Pastor
Alfred Barsuhn, President
Identical:
3-61B

Christ Lutheran Church, Mason City, Il, E. L, Schnelle,
Pastor; Henry Wendt, Chairman.

3-624

To Enforce Teaching Inerrancy of Scripture

WHEREAS, Holy Scripture characterizes itself as true and
inerrant in such Passages as John 10:35: 17:17; Rom. 3:2-4:
1 Cor. 2:7-16; 1 Tim. 2:7; as the inspired revelation (2 Tim,
3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21) of the Spirit of truth (John 15: 26:
16:13); and

WHEREAS, Jesus Christ, His apostles, and other New Testa-
ent writers speak of Adam, Noah, David, Elijah, Elisha,
Jonah, Daniel as actual individuals who lived on this earth

as factual occurrences (ef. Matt. 12:3: 24:37 f.; Mark 13:14;
Luke 1:73: 3: 23-38: 4:27: 11:30 ff.; Acts 2:29 ff; Rom. 11:2 ff;
1 Cor. 15:45; Gal. 4:22; Heb. 11; James 5:17; 1 Peter 3:20: 2 Pe-
ter 2:5); and

_ WHEREAS, The Lutheran Confessions bear unmistakable
witness to the complete truth and inerrancy of Holy Scrip-
ture, as evidenced by the following statements:

_, God's name is hallowed when the Word of God jis taught in
its truth and purity ... but he that teaches and lives otherwise
profanes the name of God among us. From this preserve us
heavenly Father. (S.C. III, 5]

God's Word cannot err. [L. C. IV, 57]

At least believe the Scriptures; they will not lie to you.
[L. C. V, 76]

We offer the confession of our preachers and ourselves show-
ing what manner of doctrine from the Holy Scriptures and the
pure Word of God has been taught in our churches. [F. C.

ref. 8}

doctrines and teachers alike must be appraised and judged, as
it is written Ps. 119:105; Gal. 1:8. Other writings, however, of
ancient or modern teachers, whatever name they bear, must not
be regarded as €qual to the Holy Scriptures, but all of them
together be subjected to them. [F. C, Epit. Rule and Norm 1,7)

The only judge, rule, and norm according to which, as the
only touchstone, all doctrines should and must be understood
and judged as 800d or evil, as right or wrong [is Scripture].
But the other symbols and writings cited are not judges, as are
Holy Scriptures, but only a testimony and declaration of the
faith, as to how at any time the Holy Scriptures have been
understood and explained by those then living. (F.C. Epit. Rule
and Norm 7, 8]

We receive with our whole heart the Prophetic and Apostolic
Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, as the pure and clear
fountain of Israel, which is the only true Standard by which all
teachers and doctrines are to be judged. [F. C. Sol. Dee. Comp.
Sum. Introd, 3}

The adversaries have condemned several articles contrary to
the manifest Scriptures of the Holy Ghost. | Apo}. Introd. 9]

Since all Scripture given by inspiration of God is to serve
not for security and impenitence but for reproof... (quoting
2 Tim. 3, 16] [F.C. S. D. XI, 12)

The Holy Ghost employs the Law so as to teach the regen-
erate from it and to point out and show them in the Ten Com -
mandments what is the acceptable will of God (Rom, 12:2), in
what “good works God hath before ordained that they should
walk" (Eph. 2:10) [F. C. S, D. VI, 12);

and

logical seminaries limit, question, or make light of the iner-
rancy and historicity of Holy Scripture (cf. pp. 42—44): and

WHEREAS, The majority of the faculty of Concordia Semi-
nary, St. Louis, Mo., in their Response of the Faculty of Con-
cordia Seminary, St. Louis. dated April 14, 1972, character-
izes “inerrancy, historicity” of Scripture as “human criteria

. which the Holy Scriptures do not claim for themselves”
and consider the words of A Statement of Seriptural and
Confessional Principles: “Since the Holy Scriptures are the
Word of God, they contain no error or contradictions but

are in all their parts and words infallible truth” (V, F.), as
“inadequate theologically” (Section 4, Par. 5); and finally

WHEREAS, Casting doubt on the veracity of Scripture in
some of its parts reflects unfavorably upon all Scripture in
all its statements and teachings and may throw a shadow
of doubt on the very Gospel of Jesus Christ and His salva-
tion (cf. Matt. 7:15-20- Deut. 13:1-5; 1 Cor. 5:6; Gal. 4:9-10:
1 Cor. 1:17; Phil. 3: 15-18; 1 Tim. 6:1-6); therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
in convention assembled reaffirm its faith in the inerrancy
of all Scripture and the historicity of all narrative portions
of Scripture purporting to relate actual occurrences; and
be it further

Resolved. That all faculty members in synodically sup-
ported and maintained schools of higher education be re-
quired to profess and teach in accordance with the above

resolution; and be it further

Word and the Lutheran Confessions, upon the establishment
of the fact of this refusal, by the Board of Control of the
institution in which they have been serving the church: and
be it further

Resolved, That the Board for Higher Education of The
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod shall see that the above
procedures are faithfully adhered to and speedily carried
out; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Bylaws of The Lutheran Church —
Missouri Synod be adjusted to comply with the procedure
outlined above.

St. MATTHEW LuTHERAN CHURCH
Pittsburgh, Pa.

Walter H. Koenig, Pastor
Dorothy M. Pfeiffer, Secretary

Similar:

3-62B

St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church, Waterbury, Conn., Rob-
ert A. Beer, President; Charles L. Emerick, Secretary.

3-634
To Affirm Historicity of Biblical Accounts

WHEREAS, The faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis,
Mo., has issued a statement entitled Faithful To Our Calling,
Faithful To Our Lord; and

WuHereas, The seminary faculty in this document indi-
cates that it is immaterial whether the text of Gen, 2—3 is

is not considered to be a historical account (pp. 16 f.); and

WHEREAS, This view calls into question the factuality and
historicity of the Biblical account; and

WHEREAS, Our Synod has declared “The Scriptures teach
and the Lutheran Confessions affirm that Adam and Eve
were real, historical human beings... .” And “The Scrip-
tures teach and our Lutheran Confessions affirm that the
fall of our first parents is a historical fact... .” and the
Synod resolved “That the Synod reaffirm its faith in the
united testimony of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions
on the aforementioned teachings” and further resolved “That
the Synod reject and condemn all those world views,
philosophical theories, exegetical interpretations, and other
hypotheses which pervert these Biblical teachings and thus
obscure the Gospel” (Above quotations from Convention
Proceedings, New York, 1967, p. 95); and

WHEREAS, The document Faithful To Our Calling, ete.,
states that Christians are misled when they demand absolute

historicity of every detail of the life of Jesus as recorded by
the evangelists as if it were a test of our faith (p. 25); and

Wuereas, The power of the Gospel and the infallibility of