Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1973 · 50th Convention › Page 148
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 148

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

148 SEMINARY ISSUES

with in compliance with Bylaw 6.83 [Removal from Office”]
of the Handbook of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
and thereby be formally charged.

FaitH LUTHERAN CHURCH

Jefferson City, Mo.

Martin Beck, President

Mrs. James Weber, Secretary

3-122

To Thank Faithful Five for Their Stand
Against Majority Faculty in St. Louis

Whereas, The Report of the Synodical President and the
“Fact-Finding or Fault-Finding” report of President John
Tietjen prove that the majority faculty of Concordia Sem-
inary, St. Louis, is opposed to the theology and teaching of
the minority faculty; and

Wuereas§, The five professors of the minority faculty have
endured continuing censorship, ridicule, and character as-
sassination at the hands of seminary administrators, majority
faculty, and students of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; and

Wuereas, A member of the minority five publicly stated,
that to stand up against the majority faculty was “to resist
one of the most outrageous totalitarian tactics ever perpe-
trated in the history of Lutheranism” (Christianity Today,
3-2-73, p.46); therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention profusely thank
the “Faithful Five” (Professors Bohlmann, Klann, Preus,
Scharlemann, and Wunderlich) for withstanding the assaults
against their persons and helping thereby to make clear to
the Synod and to the world the tremendous theological di-
vision and diversity at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
Sturgis, Mich.

Bruce Schaeffer, Chairman
H. M. Heidenreich, Pastor
Tom Baker, Assistant Pastor

3-123

To Request Faculty Minority to Explain
Its Position

Whereas, Much publicity and numerous mailings at Syn-
od’s expense have been devoted to the personal opinions of
the president and the majority opinion of the faculty of the
St.Louis seminary regarding the seminary Fact Finding
Committee Report, the historical-critical method, and other
current doctrinal issues; and

Wuereas, There exists a faculty minority who welcomed
the investigation, and who also repudiate the historical-
critical method, and whose theology in certain critical areas
is diametrically opposed to the faculty majority; therefore
be it

Resolved, That in the interest of fair play, Christian love,
and a desire to establish the truth, the Synod President’s
special Convention Committee on the St.Louis seminary
respectfully request Drs. Martin Scharlemann, Ralph Bohl-
mann, Richard Klann, Lorenz Wunderlich, and Robert Preus
to present themselves to said Committee and explain their
minority position; and be it finally

Resolved, That the testimony of the above professors be
made public and available to the membership of Synod.

Mount Hope LuTHERAN CHURCH
Casper, Wyo.

Frank D. Stewart, President
Richard R. Means, Secretary
J.B. Brown, Pastor

3-124

To Appoint New Members to St. Louis
Faculty

Whereas, Our beloved Synod has, in recent years, suf-
fered much unrest because of theological positions taken by
a majority of professors serving on the faculty of Concordia

Seminary, St.Louis, who apparently are not in sympathy
with the traditional theological posture of The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod; and

Wuereas, Such lack of theological balance threatens the
theological development of students preparing to serve the
congregations of the Synod as pastors; therefore be it

Resolved, That in accordance with the regulations of the
synodical Handbook the officials of the Synod be directed
to appoint professors to the faculty of Concordia Seminary,
St.Louis, as soon as possible who strongly represent the
theological positions of the orthodox Lutheran theologians
of the 16th and 17th centuries; and be it further

Resolved, That the number of such appointments be made
to at least equal the number of professors who represent
theological positions that are regarded as confessionally Lu-
theran but which are left of the center established by the
standards of orthodoxy of the 16th and 17th centuries.

St. AUGUSTINE LUTHERAN CHURCH
Troy, Mich.

George Ochmke, Chairman
Oakley Lute, Secretary

3-125

To Dismiss Entire Faculty

Whereas. By far the greatest majority of the St. Louis
Seminary faculty have demonstrated that they have erred
from the truth of Scriptures; and

Whereas, The deviation from the Word of God has been
amply demonstrated in the investigation report and the doc-
ument entitled Faithful To Our Calling, Faithful To Our
Lord: and

Wuereas, The vast majority are obstinate and refuse to
reconsider their doctrinal error; therefore be it

Resolved, That Synod remove or fire the entire faculty
along with the president and a new faculty be called on
the basis of scholarship and adherence and loyalty to Scrip-
ture and historic Christian doctrine.

TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
Casper, Wyo.

Don Eckelberg, Secretary

LaVern R. Bellamy, Pastor

3-126

To Censure St. Louis Seminary Faculty

Whereas, The Concordia Seminary faculty of St. Louis
has printed in its discussion section of the booklet Faithful
To Our Calling. Faithful To Our Lord the sentence. “The
fact that a given Biblical episode is historical is not impor-
tant in and of itself” (p.23): and

Whereas, Such a sentence can be interpreted to mean
that God's actions in history are unimportant or insufficient;
and

WuHereEas, God took action in the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ to make an all-sufficient and complete atonement for
the sins of the whole world; and

Wuereas, The above statement of the St.Louis faculty
permits the denial of the objective atonement of Jesus Christ
for the sins of the whole world and thus destroys the Gospel;
therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
condemn this sentence and its concept as being destructive
of the very Gospel by which we are saved: and be it further

Resolved, That the Concordia Seminary faculty be cen-

sured. Hoty Cross LuTHERAN CHURCH

Scott City, Kans.
Armin Strickert, Chairman
Harry Dicks, Secretary