Missouri Waltz: Whose Tunes?

NEWS

A more fitting theme for the forty-ninth biennial convention of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod could hardly be imagined: “Sent to Reconcile.” As the convention opened in Milwaukee last month, everyone agreed reconciliation was sorely needed. The 2.8-million-member denomination has been increasingly riddled with tensions and suspicions—mostly over doctrinal matters—since Dr. Jacob A. O. Preus took over as Synod president two years ago.

At the convention’s close, delegates were still divided—even over whether the tumultuous eight-day session had moved factions closer together or further apart. The net result was to please those happy with Missouri’s apparent shift toward a more open stance on doctrine and relations with other Lutheran bodies. And to make unhappier those already upset by what they see as a drift toward unionism and the lack of synodical authority to make binding convention resolutions on doctrine.

The church may have moved a shade to the right from its position at Denver two years ago. But overall, the important victories went to the theological moderates. Preus could only say at a closing press conference: “It is not quite correct to call this a major defeat.”

This was the showdown convention between progressive forces and conservatives who wanted to roll back pulpit and altar fellowship with the American Lutheran Church (enacted at Denver), disengage the Missouri Synod from the Lutheran Council in the U. S. A., and bind LCMS pastors, teachers, and professors to convention interpretations of the Bible.

Of particular concern to the progressives was Preus’s bid for “adequate machinery” to oust—if it came to that—professors at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis who have been the subject of a lengthy investigation for alleged heretical teachings. Moderates won four of five vacancies on the eleven-man Concordia Board of Control, causing seminary president John Tietjen to remark: “I don’t think any faculty member is in jeopardy.”

Both sides came to Milwaukee in battle dress (each time delegates entered the auditorium they had to “run the gauntlet” past a formidable array of leafleteers boosting pet causes). Odds-makers were picking the conservatives to have a slight edge in their fight to erect firmer fences around the position that inerrancy is to be understood as meaning that Scripture is literally true.

President Preus led off the taut meetings, attended by 1,035 voting delegates and another thousand advisers, youth delegates, and visitors, with a strongly worded, comprehensive, and extremely candid report. It laid bare the doctrinal issues facing the Synod. And it clearly enunciated Preus’s own views on each point.

Preus made no bones about the deep polarization and probable schism threatening the church. Speaking about whether variations of doctrinal opinion—especially regarding biblical inspiration and authority—should be tolerated within the Synod, he said:

“The question that has to be answered by this convention is whether we are willing to allow such matters (and many more) to be regarded as open questions on which we may take any position we wish. If the Synod feels that we should be this permissive and wishes to understand Article II of the Constitution in this loose sense, then let us realize that we have departed from the position maintained by Dr. WaltherDr. C. F. W. Walther, the first president of the Missouri Synod. In 1868 he wrote a long scholarly article on “The False Arguments for the Modern Theory of Open Questions.” and other fathers of our church. If we do not want this kind of latitude because we feel that it threatens the faith we confess and the message of reconciliation with which we have been entrusted, let us state clearly … that deviations from the official position of our church must be dealt with and cannot be permitted.”

In general, progressives and moderates argued that rigid adherence to Synod statements would commit them beyond their ordination vows and would impose a “strait jacket” of biblical interpretation not called for by the church’s constitution. (Missouri’s constitution sets only the Scriptures and the exposition of them in historic Lutheran confessions as its criteria of belief.)

After hours of parliamentary haggling and stiletto-like wielding of Robert’s Rules of Order, a conglomerate resolution was approved that incorporates a statement by the Council of Presidents of the church.

On a 485–425 vote, the original conservative-sponsored statement “To Uphold Synodical Doctrinal Resolutions” was replaced by the presidents’ affirmation (adopted in February of 1970). It calls on Missourians to “honor and uphold” synodically adopted statements as “valid interpretations of Christian doctrine.” But it adds that they shouldn’t be given “more or less status than they deserve.”

After the main vote, but before the resolution was perfected by being lined with the preamble and “whereas” sections of the original conservative resolution, Preus stepped down from the chair on a point of personal privilege. Bitterly disappointed, he said the action would cause “great difficulty,” and would set the Synod back to its status at Denver “with all its attendant confusion.”

The rejected resolution, Preus said, “represents my heart and soul and mind.” In a rare show of unity, however, after passing an implementing resolution that said resolutions do not “make or give birth to Christian doctrines,” delegates stood and sang the doxology.

Moments before, though, an unidentified young man in the gallery shouted out, “The Spirit of Christ is being choked by Robert’s [Rules].” Later, Preus said he was inclined to agree. And that night at a rally held by the very conservative Federation for Authentic Lutheranism, spokesman Alvin E. Wagner of North Hollywood, California, told several hundred persons that conditions in the LCMS were “irremediable” and that his group was “preparing a divorce.” FAL leaders estimated fifty major congregations would pull out.

Fellowship with the theological middle of the Lutheran triumvirate—the American Lutherans—was reaffirmed, but pulpit exchanges and intercommunion have not been enacted by about 1,000 of the 6,000 LCMS congregations since the 1969 decision declaring fellowship. The Milwaukee resolutions “freeze” any further implementation of fellowship with the ALC, and express “strong regret” over the ALC’s decision last year to ordain women ministers.

Missourians declared that the “Word of God does not permit women to hold the pastoral office …,” and the Synod “respectfully” requested the ALC to reconsider its positive position on the issue.

ALC president Kent Knutson delivered a heart-warming, hand-holding homily on the virtues of fellowship between the two churches (“Missouri Synod, we love you”) before the crucial vote, but he made it clear in a press conference that Missouri wasn’t going to call the tune for the ALC: the ordination of women was a closed issue.

Delegates also decided to continue Synod’s participation in the Lutheran Council in the U. S. A. But, as in the ALC matter, conservatives won what some considered partial victory by hedging participation with restrictions. Committee studies of both ALC fellowship and Missouri participation in the LCUSA will be reported at the 1973 convention in New Orleans. A LCUSA task force will take a critical look at the council’s operations and its theological stance.

In other actions at Milwaukee, delegates:

• Ruled willful abortion is contrary to the will of God.

• Declared the church has the right to influence government, business, labor, and other segments of society through corporate statements and action; two attempts to bar the church from speaking on “secular issues” were defeated.

• Retained the much disputed parish education program, “Mission: Life,” but ordered revisions and cautions to make the material conform to approved doctrine.

• Abolished the post of executive director of Synod, now held by Dr. Walter F. Wolbrecht of St. Louis, and created a new position called “administrative officer.” Wolbrecht’s exact status was left dangling.

• Set a goal of 125,000 new converts during the Synod’s 125th anniversary next year.

• Voted to take part in Key 73 evangelism efforts “as far as fellowship principles will permit.”

• Rejected membership in the Lutheran World Federation for the third time in nineteen years, but indicated willingness to move toward re-establishing fraternal relations with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

As time wore on during the Milwaukee convention it seemed progressives and moderates got themselves better organized and mustered more votes on key issues—a repeat of what happened at Denver. At any rate, it seemed clear at Milwaukee that if Preus wanted Missouri to waltz, he wouldn’t get to call all the tunes.

Transplant Trepidation

The most difficult moral and ethical problems to face surgeons, lawyers, and theologians in the next few years will arise from the perfection of organ-transplantation techniques, according to the heart specialist who taught Dr. Christian Barnard how to transplant hearts.

Immunology problems (rejection of an implanted organ by the receiver’s system) will be solved within five years, Dr. Derward Lepley, Jr., said in a speech to the Religion Newswriters’ Association in Milwaukee last month. Then there won’t be enough donors to fill the need. “Who will get the organs that can be transplanted?” asked Lepley, an American Lutheran Church member and head of the surgical team that performed Wisconsin’s first heart transplant in 1968.

Citing the moral problems involved, Lepley said diabetics wanting “new” pancreases, emphysema sufferers desiring lung transplants, and cardiac patients waiting in line for “new” hearts will cause a mammoth headache for those who must make the critical decisions. Factors such as age, race, life expectancy, and ability to pay further complicate the matter; as a partial solution Lepley suggested that boards composed of doctors, lawyers, and ministers be assigned to decide individual cases.

He also said the anticipated large-scale success of transplanting human ovaries and uteruses will raise thorny legal and religious questions about parenthood. That issue, which “has exploded over the past three years,” makes it necessary to decide: “Who is the individual born” in such a case? The newswriters’ annual meeting was held in conjunction with the biennial convention of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in Milwaukee. Lepley spoke at the awards banquet; Ray Ruppert of the Seattle Times won the RNA Supple Award for outstanding reporting of religious news during 1970.

RUSSELL CHANDLER

‘Divisions In Cod’S Army’

Still smarting from the 1969 rejection of the proposed merger with Britain’s Methodists, Anglican unionists raised the matter again at their general synod in York last month. They made no concessions but stuck by the old scheme, which has been accepted by the Methodists.

At York, the Church of England lineup, speeches, and voting all followed a now traditional pattern: archbishops and most bishops in favor, followed by a majority of clergy and laity; high churchmen and evangelicals against, aided by a maverick or two. One of the enfants terribles, the Reverend Christopher Wansey, declared that both Anglicans and Methodists were “divisions in God’s army”—and divisions in the Church were not necessarily wrong or unhappy.

The vote: 307–163 favored persevering with the scheme. Dr. Ramsey considered it “a fair majority,” but it was 10 per cent short of the required 75 per cent, and 2 per cent less than two years ago.

Regular Baptists

Nearly 2,000 registrants at the fortieth annual conference of the General Association of Regular Baptists last month passed resolutions denouncing pornography, abortion on demand, and profanity and sexual suggestiveness on television.

They charged that public schools are “permeated with an anti-Christian philosophy in both content and method” that is “increasingly” corrupting children from Christian homes, and they asked for the establishment and support of private Christian schools. They also reaffirmed belief in the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture and the Bible’s position as “final authority” in matters of faith and practice. The number of GARB churches grew by thirty-seven in the past year to 1,426.

European Congress

Billy Graham will be the only non-European to address the seven-day European Congress on Evangelism beginning August 28 in Amsterdam; over 1,000 delegates are expected.

Among major speakers are Gilbert W. Kirby, congress chairman, who is principal of London Bible College; Dr. Gerhard Bergman of the German “No Other Gospel” movement; John R. W. Stott, a chaplain to Queen Elizabeth, who is probably the best-known Anglican evangelical; and CHRISTIANITY TODAY’S correspondent Jan Van Capelleveen.

There will be contributions also from Professor Carl Wisloff of Norway, José Grau of Spain, pastors Henri Blocher and Charles Guillot of France, Professor Paaro Kortetangas of Finland, and Professor Hendrik R. Rookmaker of the Netherlands.

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