LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 163

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SEMINARY ISSUES 163

(3) forbid outrightly the use of the highly subjective
historical -critical method of interpretation in our seminaries
and colleges as being detrimental to the preservation of the
pure Word, in order to preserve among Us the truth of
God’s Word and the Scriptural doctrine of the verbal, ple-
nary, and inerrant inspiration of Holy Scriptures;

(4) reaffirm and clearly define Synod's relationship to its
seminaries and colleges and to this end use all necessary
means to secure the legal and doctrinal control of its semi-
naries and colleges in order to properly instruct and train
pastors and teachers and workers according to God’s pure
Word and doctrine; and

(5) redefine and affirm the relationship of boards of con-
trol to the Synod and take all necessary steps to assure the
cooperation with Synod’s presidential office in the interest
of the President’s “supervision over what is taught in the
Synod.” (Bylaws 2.27)

NAZARETH LUTHERAN CHURCH

Buffalo, N. Y.

Donald J. Sampson, Secretary

3-191

To Call Springfield Seminary to Action

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod has
entrusted the theological education and training of its future
pastors and professors to its theological schools (St. Louis
and Springfield); and

Wuereas, The most vital part of this education and train-
ing is the instilling of a firm commitment to Biblical and
Lutheran confessional theology through teaching and per-
sonal confessional commitment; and

WuerEas, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has continued
to teach and permit false doctrine and then has circulated
such false doctrine through publications (CTM and special
productions) and through conference papers, and

Wuerras, The faculty of Concordia Seminary, Springfield,
IIL, with the exception of several articles by a few of its
professors, has chosen as a group to remain officially silent
and (at this time) has not offered a firm Christian witness
against the false doctrine taught and published by its sister
institution, Coneordia Seminary, St. Louis: and

WueEREAS, Such eorporate silence on the part of the fac-
ulty of Concordia Seminary. Springfield, may rightly be in-
terpreted by some as approval of the false doctrine taught
at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; and

Wuereas, Such silence indicates a failure of the Spring-
field faculty to assume its Christian duty to their brothers
who are erring in false doctrine and thus to return them
to the truth; and

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod may
reasonably assume that its theological faculties will not only
refrain from false teaching, but will also condemn the false
doctrine and teach the true doctrine; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
admonish the faculty of Concordia Seminary, Springfield,
Ill., for its failure to confess the true doctrine and to con-
demn false doctrine in the time of confessional crisis: and
be it further

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
commend the Board of Control and the president of Concor-
dia Seminary, Springfield. for their support of A Statement
of Biblical and Confessional Principles by official and public
resolution and those professors who by spoken and written
word have publicly supported this statement: and be it
further

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
demand that no professor be permitted to resume teaching
classes until he has affirmed support of this statement by
signature; and be it further

Resolved, That those professors who refuse to do so be
suspended from office.

Sr. Jonn’s LUTHERAN CHURCH
Port Hope, Mich.

Lester Ender, Chairman
Nathan Kaufman, Secretary
Richard A. Nelson, Pastor

3-192

To Support Efforts to Eliminate False
Teaching and Promotion of Doctrine
That Is Contrary to LCMS Positions

WuHereas, For well over two decades, there have been
complaints registered about the false teaching at the Saint
Louis seminary: and

WuerEas, The evidence of this false teaching began to
show in public speeches and essays by various members of
the faculty and seminary administration; and

Wuereas. Private efforts of Presidents Behnken and
Harms to admonish those responsible and bring about cor-
rection did not appear to have a telling effect; and

WuereEas, The involvement of some of the faculty in con-
tinuing lecturing and writing in support of “strange” doc-
trines and participation in such openly promoted programs
as “A Call To Openness and Trust” (this program was later
repudiated by the Milwaukee convention) gave evidence
that the aberrations were continuing and, perhaps, enlarging;
and

Wuereas. The synodical President, in 1970, appointed a
Fact Finding Committee to investigate the teaching at the
seminary; and

Wuereas, The Fact Finding Committee issued its report
to the synodical President in the spring of 1971 and copies
of this report were made available to Dr. John Tietjen and
to the seminary Board of Control: and

Wuereas, The 1971 convention commended the synodical
President for the investigation: instructed the B C to correct
and commend on the basis of the Fact Finding Report; asked
the board to report their progress to the synodical President;
and requested the synodical President to report to Synod
in one year: and

Wuereas. The synodical President has issued a compre-
hensive report to the Synod which alleges serious aberrations
from the official doctrinal stands taken by Synod that some
of the faculty have promoted or permitted; and

Wuereas, The seminary president, Dr. John Tietjen, has
not only permitted these aberrations to exist and expand in
the past but also actually has continued to publicly defend
such aberrations and publicly castigate the synodical Presi-
dent and the Fact Finding Committee as being sub-Biblical
and un-Lutheran, and

Wuereas. There is ample evidence that these aberrations
have affected (or, better, infected) some of the boards, com-
missions, Districts, circuits, and parishes as can be seen by
such public documents as the Cleveland Open Letter of
2772, the divergent opinions on the seminary Board of
Control relative to the matter of whether false doctrine was
being taught or permitted at the seminary; and

Wuereas, The fact of doctrinal differences existing within
LCMS does not any longer require exhaustive research and
reliance on hearsay evidence (merely read Prof. “B’s” teach-
ing that God chose from ape-like masses two specimens and
called them Adam and Eve and then the “training process”
to reveal God's truths to them and their descendants began);

and

WHEREAS, These doctrinal differences cannot be tolerated
and, if not pastorally but firmly dealt with, will lead to mas-
sive defections of those who want to honor and uphold syn-
odical doctrinal positions (as required by Milwaukee Res.
9-21 and 5-24) and will cause serious retardation of atten-
dance, membership. stewardship. mission, and outreach;
therefore be it

Resolved, That the 1973 synodical convention urge all
boards, commissions. and officers who have responsibility,
under and with the synodical President for supervision of
doctrine, to take whatever steps are required to bring sem-
inaries, schools. publications, and parishes into accord with
unalterable Article II of our Constitution and into the largest
possible uniformity in church practice, church customs, and,
in general. on congregational affairs as called for in Article
Ill 5 of our Constitution: and be it further