Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1975 · 51st Convention › Page 126
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 126

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

126 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

not far removed), and fellowship with the ALC directly and
with the LCA through the ALC does re-create a fellowship of
sorts with the LWF, the WCC, and the NCC, with which the
LCMS has officially and repeatedly declined to identify itself
as recently as 1971; and

WHEREAS, Many pastors and congregations have found
themselves in conscience bound to withdraw from the LCMS
or are practicing selective fellowship and selective stewardship
now that altar and pulpit fellowship between the two synods
has been declared; therefore be it

Resolved. That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod sus-
pend the pulpit and altar fellowship agreement with The Ameri-
can Lutheran Church until essential Scriptural unity of confes-
sion and practice between the two synods has been established.

Messiah Ev. Lutheran Church
Sterling, Ill.

Harold Nelson, Secretary
Eldor Mueller, Pastor

Identical or similar:

3-214B and 3-214C

St. Paul’s, Luxemburg, Wis.
St. Paul, Rochelle, Ill.

Leslie Weerts
Theo. Weiss

3-215A
To End Fellowship with ALC

WHEREAS, The Synod at its Denver convention declared
fellowship with The American Lutheran Church despite that
true and complete unity in doctrine and practice between the
two bodies was lacking; and

WHEREAS, Positions over against which our Synod has ex-
pressed its disapproval (doctrine on Scripture, the ordination of
women, lodge practice, unionism, etc.) are being tolerated and
even espoused and defended by The American Lutheran
Church; and

WHEREAS, Many of the doctrinal issues causing strained
relations between the two church bodies are now to a great
extent also threatening and endangering the doctrinal unity
within our own Synod; and

WHEREAS, Attempts to bring about true unity within our
Synod are made largely meaningless and futile as long as we
maintain relationships with a synod which openly tolerates and
espouses doctrines and practices to which we object; therefore
be it

Resolved. That The Lutheran Church ~ Missouri Synod end
its fellowship relations with The American Lutheran Church:
and be it further

Resolved. That we encourage The American Lutheran
Church to strive for true doctrinal unity in teaching and practice
within its own ranks as our Synod is now attempting to do, since
such unity within the confines of the two bodies will serve as a
sound basis for possible God-pleasing fellowship in the future;
and be it finally

Resolved. That our Synod reiterate its willingness to discuss
differences now existing in doctrine and practice separating the
various synodical bodies from one another with a view to remov-
ing these differences and eventually bringing about true unity
and a truly God-pleasing and blessed fellowship.

Trinity Lutheran Church
Republic, Wash.

Adolph Suhr, President
Fred O. Heckly, Secretary

Identical or similar:

3-215B

Zion, Auburn, Wash. John Weerts

3-216A

To Suspend Fellowship with
American Lutheran Church

WHEREAS, By the grace of God the Scriptures of the Old and
New Testaments as the written Word of God and the only rule
and norm of practice (Handbook Preamble) are the only source
of Christian teachings for The Lutheran Church— Missouri
Synod; and

WHEREAS, The American Lutheran Church in an official
document, Doctrinal Concerns. denies the possibility of deriving
the correct doctrine from the Scriptures; and

WHEREAS, The American Lutheran Church formally acted
against the clear teachings of the Scriptures by ordaining
women to the pastoral ministry; and

WHEREAS, Even though the official position of The American
Lutheran Church is ambiguous regarding abortion and homo-
sexuality, official church organs such as Event magazine defend
both practices; and

WHEREAS, The stand of The American Lutheran Church on
other issues, such as membership in antichristian and religious
lodges, the doctrine of conversion, and fellowship with the
Lutheran Church in America are clearly opposed to the stand
of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod; therefore be it

Resolved, That we recommend to the convention that The
Lutheran Church-— Missouri Synod suspend altar and pulpit
fellowship with The American Lutheran Church: and be it
further

Resolved, That we prayerfully entreat The American Lu-
theran Church to return to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures
and the Confessions of the Lutheran Church.

Mount Calvary Ev. Lutheran Church
San Antonio, Tex.

Arthur S. Jones, President

Charles T. Davis, Secretary

Identical or similar:

3-216B and 3-216C

Emmanuel, Kingfisher, Okla.
St. John’s, Kildare, Okla.

V.H. Mickow
Theo. Knepper

3-217A

To Rescind Altar and Pulpit Fellowship
with ALC

WHEREAS, The American Lutheran Church allows its profes-
sors and pastors to teach that the Bible contains errors and
myths (A Christian Handbook. pp. 693—719); and

WHEREAS, The ALC allows its pastors and professors to
teach that some of the words of Jesus recorded in the New
Testament were not actually said by Jesus; and

WHEREAS, The ALC ordains women, and the ordination of
women is contrary to Holy Scripture (A Christian Handbook.
p. 720); and

WHEREAS, The 1974 convention of the ALC adopted a state-
ment backing sinful abortion (entire statement in the Oct. 28,
1974, Christian News); and

WHEREAS, The ALC no longer insists on the natural historical
interpretation of the Genesis account of creation and allows the
view that theistic evolution is not contrary to Holy Scripture
(A Christian Handbook. pp. 702 — 703):

Prof. Lester V. Meyer of the ALC writes in the Dec. 17, 1974,
Lutheran Standard: “The American Lutheran Church does not
have a position on evolution. There is good reason for that.
When the church has attempted to interfere with the investiga-
tion and hypotheses of science, the consequences have been
most unfortunate (consider, for example, the well-known case
of Galileo)’; and