1958 An Open Letter to the Protest Committee (E. Reim)

October 29, 1958, An Open Letter to the Protest Committee, by Edmund Reim

As the WELS Protest Committee in their Letter to the Protesting Brethren shared the view of Carl Lawrenz who said that the Saginaw (1955), Watertown (1956), and New Ulm (1957) judgments of Romans 16:17-18 on the LC-MS were all held in abeyance, there were some of the protesting brethren who did not agree.

Professor Lawrenz made the case that the Saginaw resolutions were not clear and that the Synod needed more evidence before they could now AVOID. The Protest Committee also said that a synod has the right to interpret its resolutions through subsequent conventions, therefore Professor Lawrenz's interpretation of the events was now rapidly becoming the 'official interpretation' for the WELS.

Edmund Reim (former professor and president of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary) was one such protesting brother and he wrote an open letter to the synod. In this letter he criticizes Lawrenz's point by point. He makes the case that everybody at the 1955 convention was on the same page when it came to Romans 16:17-18 and marking and avoiding.

Quotes of note:

"... the real issue is not whether Synod has been consistent in its course, or whether the interpretation that is offered 'makes sense', but rather whether the course that has been followed is right, whether it is true to scripture."

"... if the evidence was not yet all in, how could they [Floor Committee No. 2, 1955] formulate a verdict so sert as that of the Preamble - to say nothing of it publicly? How could they even arrive at a verdict?"

"May I venture to suggest that your Protest Committee was a bit hasty in adopting Prof. Lawrenz's interpretation? It is after all an interpretation which is not borne out by a careful examination of the record."

"Is the record of the many years of patient dealing with Missouri to be so lightly set aside?"

"In 1956 our Synod faced an anomalous situation, finding itself in a sort of no-man's-land of its own creation, caught by the consequences of the failure at Saginaw to match its words with action."

1958 A Letter to the Protesting Brethren (WELS Protest Committee)

June 27, 1958, A Letter to the Protesting Brethren, by the WELS Protest Committee, Chairman Pastor L. H. Koeniger

Professor Carl Lawrenz had written a Report to the Protest Committee summarizing the thoughts of the Standing Committee on Matters of Church Union on the whole matter of those who were protesting the WELS. The Protest Committee had also received a "wide variety of communications" from WELS President Oscar J. Naumann concerning severances of fellowship, protests, resignations, and other questions and misgivings that people had.

The Protest Committee found that all of the communications revolved around three basic matters:

1. The interpretation of the Saginaw resolution (1955)

2. A request for a special session of the Synod to reconsider the New Ulm resolution (1957)

3. The matter of continuing the meetings of the Church Union Committees of the four synods of the Synodical Conference.

The committee could not to respond to each individual letter they received, but instead they sent this letter to all of the protesting brethren. This letter quoted extensively from Lawrenz's report and each protester was sent a copy of Lawrenz's original Report to the Protest Committee.

Quotes of note:

Concering Lawrenz's letter stating that the judgment of the Saginaw resolutions were held in abeyance:

"The members of your Protest Committee will need to admit that they did not understand it that way at the time... But our committee feels now that the presentation of the 'official interpretation' certainly is truthful to the record... a synod does have a right to interpret its resolutions through its Praesidium and through its subsequent conventions..."

1958 A Report to the Protest Committee - Carl Lawrenz

Professor Edmund Reim was secretary of the Standing Committee on Matters of Church Union, a teacher at the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, and also its president. With Reim's resignation after the 1957 WELS convention, Professor Carl J. Lawrenz would take his place as president of the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, and would also become the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Church Union Committee.

Because there were quite a few pastors and teachers who were publicly protesting the synod's actions, a WELS Protest Committee was created to handle this whole matter. The Protest Committee asked the Standing Committee on Matters of Church Union for a report.

Some notable quotes from Lawrenz's essay:

"What our Synod therefore held in abeyance at Saginaw was not merely the 'avoiding,' the breaking of Fellowship, enjoined in Rom. 16:17f, but also the conclusive application of the very judgment of this passage, namely the judgment that the Missouri Synod was persistent in causing divisions and offenses. Not merely the judgment expressed in the resolution and the action recommended by it, but also the judgment expressed in the preamble was held in abeyance... Who would say that the Saginaw resolutions did not leave room for greater clarity?"

"Is there not an area of human judgment involved before a Christian comes to the conviction concerning a brother who has fallen into error that he can no longer treat him as a weak brother, to whom he owes further patient admonition, but that he must now be treated as a persistent errorist, from whom the Lord bids him to withdraw all further fellowship?"

"Termination of fellowship is called for when you have reached the conviction that admonition is of nor further avail and that the erring brother or church body demands recognition for their error."

1958 A Report to the Protest Committee - Carl Lawrenz

1957 Paul F. Nolting - Romans 16:17 Essay

It was the fall of 1957 and the WELS still had not separated themselves from the LC-MS. Instead, the synod had decided to continue the vigorously protesting fellowship and there were some who disagreed with that decision.

Some pastors who believed the WELS was sinning in this regard left the synod. Others who disagreed did remain within the WELS. At the New Ulm, Minnesota, Pastoral Conference on September 25, 1957, Pastor Paul F. Nolting delivered this essay on Romans 16:17.

Some notable quotes near the end of the essay:

"Where in God's Word does God give us the right to disobey NOW because of the possibility of change in the situation of the FUTURE... But that hope within me dare not prevent me from obeying a specific Word of the Lord that applies NOW... If love becomes the grounds for disobedience, then such love is not from the true love of the Word and of the brother, but a love which springs from the flesh and is of the devil. To obey always has been, ever is, and always shall be better than sacrifice. Our God says, 'Mark and avoid.' He does not say, 'Mark, wait and see, live in hope, and if at length all fails and hope is finally extinguished, then resign yourselves and avoid.'" September 25, 1957 Paul F. Nolting Romans 16:17,

(warning: dust off your greek lexicon!)

1957 M. J. Witt Resignation

Another pastor at the 1957 WELS convention resigned over the Synod's rejection of Committee No. 2 (Church Union) report. Pastor M. J. Witt and his church, Trinity Lutheran Church of Spokane, Washington, had been protesting members of the Wisconsin Synod since either 1953 or 1955. The reason for the unknown date is because his letter says, "Since the 1953 convention at Saginaw...". The 1953 convention was in Watertown, Wisconsin, and the 1955 convention was in Saginaw, Michigan. Either way, here is his resignation letter.

1957 Edmund Reim Resignation

After the Synod's rejection of the 1957 Floor Committee No. 2 (Church Union), Professor and President of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Edmund Reim was compelled to discontinue his fellowship with the WELS. He said, "I take this step, not in anger, but in deepest sorrow, and because I am constrained by the Word of God." Here is his letter of resignation.

1957 Committee No. 2 Report (WELS)

So in 1955 the WELS decided to wait and see what Missouri would do, in 1956 they decided to vigorously protest the LC-MS, and now in 1957 Committee No. 2 recommended, on the basis of Romans 16:17-18, to avoid the Missouri Synod. The vote failed 61 to 77 with eight delegates abstaining. The WELS then resolved to keep vigorously protesting the LC-MS. Because of the rejection, some started leaving the WELS. 1957 Committee No. 2 Report