Theological Support Resolution

We, the members of the Lutheran Student Movement, believe the Bible to be one of the means by which God speaks to men and women; and

Since modes of expression have changed with the passing of centuries;

We applaud the efforts of those professors, pastors, students, and laymen who, by application of the historical critical method to the Bible have brought God’s Word closer and enabled it to speak more clearly to modern men and women,

We wish to express our solidarity with those who in doing so may become subject to slander and ostracism from their churches.

We therefore direct the council and urge the regional and local groups of the LSM to take notice of instances where such slander and ostracism take place and send letters expressing our support to the individuals under attack to the appropriate agencies.

We further direct the council to consider the feasibility and need for dedicating a portion of the 1974 annual conference to a presentation of recent trends in biblical scholarship and theology, with particular emphasis on those aspects which would be of most value to students dealing with the problem of fundamentalism.  We urge regional and local groups of the LSM to do the same with regard to their conferences and retreats.