LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 136

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136 SEMINARY ISSUES

not the Savior instituted Holy Baptism are “open questions"?

13. Do you believe that Paul, 1 Cor. 14:34 ff., forbids
women holding the pastoral office in the church? Do you
believe his prohibition holds today?

14, Do you agree with Res. 2-16 of the Denver conven-
tion, (Proceedings, p. 88), which says in part: “The apostolic
proclamation of the event and the inscripturation of that
proclamation took place under the impulsion and discipline
of the Spirit of Truth. He glorifies the Christ through the
witness of men. To attribute to the church a creatively
formative part in the witness to the event is to fly in the
face of all that is revealed concerning the activity of the
Spirit; such an attribution introduces an intolerable syn-
ergism at a crucial point in the saving work of God"?:; and
be it finally

Resolved. That should any faculty member refuse to an-
swer the foregoing questions concerning the _historical-
critical method and its results, Synod direct the respective
boards of control of each seminary to demand the immediate
resignation of that faculty member,

Mount Hope LutHeran CuHurcu
Casper, Wyo.

F. D. Stewart, President
Richard Means, Secretary

Rev. J. B. Brown, Pastor

3-66
To Repudiate Historical-Critical Method

Wuereas, Neither the historical-critical method nor that
part of it commonly known as the JEDP source hypothesis
have ever been adopted or approved by Synod ag viable
tools for interpreting the Holy Scriptures of the Old and
New Testaments; and

Wuereas, The historical-critical method does not offer
adequate checks and balances against unlimited academic
freedom in the Scriptures and in Scriptural doctrine: and

Wuereas, Academic freedom may be optional in the area
of secular subjects so long as this does not lead to contra-
dictions of. or militate against the Scriptures and or the
historic doctrinal position to which the LCMS is deeply
committed (cf. Bylaws 653d); and

WuerEAS, In the area of doctrine all pastors, professors,
and teachers are bound under the sacred Scriptures of the
Old and New Testaments and the Lutheran Confessions
“without reservation” (Art. II Synod Const.):; and

Wuereas, Synod is and must remain the final arbiter
whenever a dispute arises as to whether a doctrine is Scrip-
tural; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod, in
convention assembled, instruct all members of Synod in the
public office of the preaching and teaching ministry of the
LCMS (pastors, professors, teachers, et al) to cease forth-
with, and ‘or to desist from employing as a viable tool for
interpreting the sacred Scriptures, higher criticism, the
historical-critical method, and that part of it known as the
JEDP source hypothesis, or any other method which allows
any degree of Gospel reductionism: and be it further

Resolved, That all pastors, professors, and teachers of the
LCMS be instructed to honor the historic position of Synod,
as required by the ordination vow, with regard to the
Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, demonstrating such
attitude by ceasing and ‘or desisting from the practice of
academic freedom in matters of doctrine: and be it further

Resolved, That the president of each college and seminary
of the LCMS be held directly and personally responsible for
every member of his faculty to abide by Article II of
Synod's Constitution, and this resolution in particular; and
be it further

Resolved, That all who cannot accept the historic doc-
trinal position of the Synod or teach in accord with Article
II of Synod's Constitution, be respectfully required to tender
their resignation forthwith: and be it finally

Resolved, That the President of Synod be required to
see to it that the respective Boards of Control implement

this resolution, and that the President of Synod be required
to act if the respective Boards of Control do not fulfill the
responsibilities given them in this resolution.

St. Jonn LuTHERAN CHURCH
Ionia, Mich.

A. R. Gallert, Pastor
Clifford Haslick, President
Ralph Bartelt, Secretary

To Reaffirm Primacy of Gospel

Wuereas, We have all been called to have one Lord, one
faith, one baptism and one hope for salvation; and

Wuereas, Our Lord has called us to this hope and fellow-
ship by means of his Gospel of grace and forgiveness which
is the only power unto salvation for all who believe; and

Wuereas, The Holy Spirit continually uses the Gospel to
create and preserve this hope and fellowship among us; and

Wuereas, The distinctive mark of the evangelical Lu-
theran church has always been the emphasis on the primacy
of the Gospel in its witness and life; and

Wuereas, It is evident that in the controversy presently
disturbing the Synod this unique Lutheran emphasis on the
Gospel urgently needs to be applied; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
in convention assembled reaffirm its commitment to the
primacy of the Gospel in its witness and life; and be it
further

Resolved, That the emphasis on the Gospel be diligently
applied to every effort to bring about a resolution to our
present conflict; and be it finally

Resolved, That every attempt to subordinate the Gospel
to any other tradition or practice be avoided and a con-
sistent witness to its primacy be everywhere affirmed.

Paciric-ARIZONA PASTORAL CONFERENCE
ENcLISH DISTRICT
Dennis Schaffert, Secretary

3-68

To Confess Scriptural Inerrancy

Wuereas, The church is to teach the whole counsel of
God in the Scriptures (Matt. 28:20), while emphasizing the
central doctrine of justification by faith; and

Wuereas, All doctrine of the Scriptures has been given
both for providing direction to the way of salvation and to
walk the Christian life (2 Tim. 3:15-17); and

Wuereas, The Scriptures hold that all Scripture and all
doctrine is important for the life of the church; and

Wuereas, The Lutheran Confessions show that our con-
fession “must be thoroughly grounded in God's Word so that
pure doctrine can be recognized and distinguished from
adulterated doctrine” (Formula of Concord, Preface, Tap-
pert, p. 18), and that “In order to preserve the pure doctrine
and to maintain a thorough, lasting, and God-pleasing con-
cord within the church, it is essential not only to present the
true and wholesome doctrine correctly, but also to accuse
the adversaries who teach otherwise” (FC, 506, 14); and

Wuereas, The Scriptures tell us to teach people what is
right according to sound teaching, and to correct with full
authority (Titus 2:1-15:; 2 Tim. 4:1-5); and

Wuerras, The stand of The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod in respect to Scripture is based upon verbal inspira-
tion and the fact that Scripture is without error and contra-
diction in all its parts because it is God's Word: and

Wuereas, The Scriptures teach that they were written for
our learning and that we are to be like-minded with the
same point of view and with one voice (Rom. 15:4-6; 1 Cor.
1:10); therefore be it

Resolved, That we reject the proposition that we are
privileged to have “diversity in unity and unity in diversity”
in doctrine; and be it further

Resolved, That we reject the equating of the Scripture