LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 149

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SEMINARY ISSUES 149

3-127A

To Admonish St. Louis Seminary Faculty

Wuereas, President John Tietjen and the majority of the
faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, openly: branded
as un-Lutheran the theology of A Statement of Scriptural
Principles issued by synodical President J. A. O. Preus: and

Wuereas, The faculty likewise repudiated the theology
of the Fact Finding Committee as sub-Biblical and un-Lu-
theran; and

Wuereas, The synodical President and the Fact Finding
Committee publicly asked President Tietjen and the Saint
Louis seminary either to prove their charge or retract it,
and since there has been no response to this request: there-
fore be it

Resolved, That the Synod admonish the St. Louis semi-
nary faculty majority for their offensive behavior: and be it
further

Resolved, That the Synod call upon the St.Louis sem-
inary to retract its charge and publicly apologize to the
synodical President and to the Fact Finding Committee.

First Ev. LUTHERAN CHURCH
Clearwater, Fla.

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

Identical or Similar:

3-127B
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, R.2. Shawano, Wis.. Orris
Kroenke, President; Vendor Eggert, Secretary.

3-127C
Trinity Lutheran Church, Spencer. Wis., Ervin Egge-
brecht, President: DuWayne Matter, Secretary.

3-127D
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Fairchild, Wis. Alfred Klatt.
Chairman; Harold Thur, Secretary.

3-128

To Discipline Faculty and Board of Control
of Concordia Seminary at St. Louis

Wuereas, Synod has elected a President who is em-
powered to “give counsel and advice to those under his
jurisdiction,” “exercising supervision over the doctrine
taught,” and to “exercise executive power” (Handbook 2.27
and 2.29); and

Wuereas, It is neither safe nor wise in a democratic or-
ganization to allow the decisions and actions of the execu-
tive to be brought to naught or countermanded by those
supposedly under his jurisdiction (for instance, the Truman-
MacArthur confrontation in 1951): and

Wuereas, To allow such manipulation would make of the
synodical President only a figurehead, subject to the de-
cisions and policies set by the faculties of any of our schools.
thus changing radically the form of government and respon-
sibility set up in the Handbook: therefore be it

Resolved, That the faculty and Board of Control of Con-
cordia Seminary, St. Louis, be reprimanded for their failure
to cooperate and open attacks on the policies and actions of
the President of Synod: and be it further

Resolved, That the Board for Higher Education be em-
powered to suspend and or dismiss faculty or Board of Con-
trol members who do not understand the need to work
with and carry out the policies of the President of Synod in
areas of responsibility that have been assigned to him (for
instance, “supervision over the doctrine taught in the
Synod,” Handbook 2.27), such suspension or dismissal al-
ways to be subject to appeal to the next convention of the

Synod. Zion LUTHERAN CHURCH

Plainview, Nebr.
Martin Hoyer, Pastor
Dennis Johnson, Secretary

3-129

To Dismiss Certain Members of St. Louis
Faculty and Board of Control

Wuereas, “The orthodox character of a church is estab-
lished not by its mere name nor by its outward acceptance
of. and subscription to, an orthodox creed, but by the doc-
trine which is actually taught in its pulpits. in its theological
seminaries. and in its publications” (Brief Statement, par.
29): and

Wuereas. Informed Lutherans in our Synod and in our
congregation know that many of the things taught and held
by the majority of the professors at our St. Louis seminary
are not consistent with pure doctrine, as proved to us by
the Fact Finding Report of the Synodical President on the
investigation of the faculty, and by verbal and written state-
ments made by them. for example. these two statements in
their January 1973 affirmation, Faithful To Our Calling,
Faithful To Our Lord, Part I:

In His wisdom. He gives purpose to all things He creates and
declares them very good. [P. 6]

From the beginning they [human beings} have had the
capacity to hear and respond to the Word that God addresses to
them. |P. 15]

which are in direct contradiction to Scripture and the Lu-
theran Confessions which say:

I know that in me. that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good
thing. [Rom. 7:18]

{We reject and condemn the teaching} that the human na-
ture and essence in man is not entirely corrupted, but that
man still has something good about him even in spiritual mat-
ters — for example. the capacity. skill, capability, or power to
initiate. to effect. or to cooperate in something spiritual S
is Synergists) | Formula of Concord, Epitome, Book of Concord,
Tappert, 468.16]
and

Wuereas. For these reasons we do not accept the “com-
mendation” of the faculty by the Board of Control that no
professor was “guilty of false doctrine” as reported on page
115 of the March 11. 1973, Lutheran Witness: and

Wuereas. Their report displays not only an incapability of
supervising doctrine. but also betrays a basic dishonesty and
an attempt to whitewash the whole matter which has been
troubling our Synod for years, making it appear as if noth-
ing is wrong at the St. Louis seminary: and

Wuereas. If this report is accepted by the Synod it will
close the door to any doctrinal supervision, will allow the
cancer of false doctrine to grow unchecked by letting our
professors continue to teach whatever they want, even if
it is in opposition to Scripture. the Lutheran Confessions, and
our Synod’s past doctrinal position: therefore be it

Resolved. That the aforementioned report of the Board
of Control of the St. Louis seminary be rejected by the
Synod in convention at New Orleans: and be it further

Resolved. That those members of the Board of Control
who voted for commendation be immediately dismissed and
replaced with the President and Vice-Presidents of Synod
until such a time as their positions can be filled by orthodox
men who will abide by Synod's doctrinal position through
elections according to the rules set down by the Handbook
of Synod: and be it finally

Resolved. That those faculty members who will not abide
by the doctrinal position of Synod be dismissed and their
positions be filled in proper order by men who will follow

Synod’s doctrinal position. sy Peter's LUTHERAN CHURCH

Spanish Lake, Mo.
Norman A. Schneider, Pastor
Kenneth Kreitner, Secretary

3-130

To Resubmit Milwaukee Overture 2-102

Wuereas, In 1971, Overture 2-102 (Convention Workbook
pp. 76—77. and Proceedings. p. 127, Milwaukee convention).
was referred under an omnibus resolution to the Board of
Directors of Synod: and

Wuereas, No information or action has been forthcoming
since the Milwaukee convention regarding the charges con-