LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 40

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40 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

titled “A Lutheran Stance Toward Ecumenism” is herewith
offered to the Synod in compliance with the President’s request.
(For the text of this report see the Appendix of this Workbook.)
The commission recommends:

5a. That the Synod commend the position paper titled “A
Lutheran Stance Toward Ecumenism” to its members for study
and guidance.

b. That this document be regarded as fulfilling the request of
1973 Resolution 2-32. as well as the request of the second resolved
of 1971 Resolution 3-10 and as superseding the interim principles
enunciated in this same resolution.

The Inspiration of Scripture

In response to Resolutions 3-16, 3-17, and 3-19 of the 1962
convention of the Synod the Commission on Theology and
Church Relations produced ‘A Study Document on Revelation:
Inspiration, and Inerrancy.” This document presented two
positions relative to these topics, together with an evaluation of
each and a thesislike statement of the doctrine under discussion
which offered some conclusions that seemed justified by the
commission’s studies.

After the commission had received and studied reactions
to the above-named document, it published another report
in the form of a single, positive treatment of the subject titled
“Revision of the Study Document on Revelation, Inspiration,
and Inerrancy.”

Subsequent conventions of the Synod continued to adopt
resolutions that called for further study of the inspiration of
the Scriptures and related subjects (Res. 2-22, 1967 Proceedings.
p. 93; Minutes, Session 16, 1973 Proceedings. p. 46). The commis-
sion therefore prepared a position paper titled ‘‘The Inspiration
of Scripture,” herewith offered to the Synod. (For the text of
this document see the Appendix of this Workbook.) The Com-
mission recommends:

6. That the position paper titled “The Inspiration of Scrip-
ture’ be commended to the members of the Synod for study and

guidance.
* * *

Because several recommendations of the commission rela-
tive to reports, study documents, and position papers adopted by
the commission in the 1971 ~—73 biennium did not reach the floor
of the convention at New Orleans, the commission includes in
this report several items from its 1973 report on which the
convention did not act.

Gospel and Scripture

One of the most important studies undertaken by the com-
mission in recent years dealt with the interrelationship between
Holy Scripture, the source and norm of theology (formal prin-
ciple), and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the heart and center of
Lutheran theology (material principle). This study was com-
pleted in November 1972 and shared with the pastors and
teachers of the Synod. (For the text of the document see the
Appendix of the 1973 Convention Workbook, pp. 429 f.) In re-
sponse to the Board of Directors’ referral of 1973 Resolution
2-36 to the CTCR for ‘tresubmission to convention,” the com-
mission recommends:

7. That the Synod commend the position paper titled “Gospel
and Scripture’ to its members for study and guidance.

Historical — Critical Method

Since its inception, the commission has been encouraged to
give a high priority to the completion of its study on Biblical
interpretation. Resolution 2-52 of the 1971 convention specifically
called upon the commission to make a study and evaluation of
the historical-critical method. As a part of its study and in an
effort to help the church understand the similarities and differ-
ences between important aspects of historical-grammatical
methodology and those of historical-critical methodology, the
commission issued a document comparing these two methods of
Biblical interpretation. This report was completed in March
1973 and sent to the pastors and teachers of the Synod. (For
the text of this document see the Appendix of the 1973 Conven-
tion Workbook. pp. 435 f.) In partial response to the Board of
Directors’ referral of 1973 Resolution 2-51 to the CTCR, the
commission recommends:

8. That the Synod commend the study document titled "A Com-
parative Study of Varying Contemporary Approaches to Biblical
Interpretation’ to its members for information and study.

Resolution 2-52 of the 1971 convention also directed the
commission to make a recommendation to the 1973 convention
concerning the use of the historical-critical method within The
Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod. In response to the Board
of Directors’ referral of 1973 Resolution 2-38 to the CTCR the
commission herewith submits its original resolution, adopted in
March 1973, regarding the historical-critical method and recom-
mends:

9. WHEREAS, The historical-critical method makes decisions
about the origin. nature. and interpretation of the Biblical
literature on the basis of a historical reasoning which by defini-
tion is a procedure unable to deal with supernatural interren-
tion and operations: and

WHEREAS. The use of such historical reasoning in accounting
for the origin of the Biblical literature tends to minimize the
“connection between the Spirit and history” (Revelation.
Inspiration, and Inerrancy.” p.3. par. 9) and fails to take into
account that in history the Spirit creates that which is not of
this world: and

WHEREAS, The use of such historical reasoning not only
obscures the Spirit's connection with the history of the Bible's
origin but at the same time emphasizes the human factors in
the production of the sacred literature in such a way that the
Bible is virtually reduced to a product of merely human thought
and experience: and

WHEREAS, Such historical reasoning. by accounting for the
production of the Biblical literature chiefly in terms of merely
historically conditioned responses to a series of needs and
situations among God's people in the Old and New Testament
eras. and by regarding the Biblical literature as only human
beings’ writings. so tenuates the Spirit's authorship as to evapo-
rate the unity of the Bible and to make inoperative the basic
principle that the Bible interprets itself: and

WHEREAS, Such historical reasoning. which proposes that each
constituent unit of the Biblical literature must be understood
wholly in the light of its use through various states of oral and
written transmission. negates also the principle that a Biblical
text has only one meaning: and

WHEREAS, A view of the origin and nature of the Biblical
literature which denies the unity of the holy writings and ascribes
multiple meanings to a sacred text in effect renders the Bible
useless as the absolute and final authority for all that the church
does and teaches in God's name: therefore be it

Resolved. That the CTCR recommend to the Synod:

1) That it reject and repudiate as opposed to sound Lutheran
theology and as injurious to the Gospel any view of the Bible and
method of interpreting it which relates history to the production
of the sacred writings in such a way as to diminish their “not
of this world’ character and to deprive them of their divine
authority:

2) That it reassure the members of the Synod that the Synod
still adheres faithfully to its historic position that the Scriptures
are God's very oun inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word for
all matters of doctrine and practice:

3) That it call upon its responsible officers to implement
evangelically the provisions of the Synod’s Constitution and
Bylaws which were intended to assure that in all institutions
under the Synod’s control this position will be upheld and
preserved:

4) That it beseech the pastors. teachers. and congregations
of the Synod. by the mercies of God. to continue to uphold the
Synod’s position.

The Charismatic Movement and Lutheran Theology

The commission began its study of the charismatic move-
ment in 1968. This study received additional impetus after the
1969 convention requested the commission to make ‘‘a compre-
hensive study” of this movement and encouraged the com-
mission ‘to involve in its study brethren who claim to have
received the baptism of the Spirit and related gifts” (1969 Res.
2-23). After considerable study and consultation the commission
released its document to the church in early 1972. (For the text