Christian Cyclopedia

(1932). Based on the formulation by F. Pieper, “Ich glaube, darum rede ich” (1897). In its report, which advocated that the Chicago Theses* be not accepted in the form submitted, the Committee on Intersyn. Matters at the 1929 conv. of the Mo. Syn. recommended the creation of a committee instructed “to formulate theses, which, beginning with the status controversiae, are to present the doctrines of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions in the shortest and simplest manner.” The committee appointed by Pres. F. Pfotenhauer (F. Pieper,* F. S. Wenger,* E. A. Mayer, L. A. Heerboth, Th. Engelder*) issued the Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod in 1931. This document treated Holy Scripture, God, Creation, Man and Sin, Redemption, Faith in Christ, Conversion, Justification, Good Works, Means of Grace, Church, Public Ministry, Church and State, Election of Grace, Sunday, Millennium, Antichrist. Open Questions, Symbols of the Lutheran Church. This Brief Statement was adopted by the 1932 Mo. Syn. convention. Efforts toward unity with the ALC continued. The 1938 Mo. Syn. conv. accepted the Brief Statement, the Declaration (prepared by the ALC commissioners), and the entire report of the floor committee of the conv. as a basis for future fellowship with the ALC, and the ALC adopted the Brief Statement and the Declaration. The 1941 Mo. Syn. conv. felt that the ALC had not done everything possible to carry out the 1938 resolutions (esp. in view of the Sandusky Resolutions,* Pittsburgh Agreement,* and failure to persuade the Am. Luth. Conf.); the Mo. Syn. had, also, been informed that its own sister synods were not yet favorable to active fellowship, and it therefore (at the request of synods of the Syn. Conf. 1940) instructed the committee to formulate one document in which “we do not mean to dispense with any doctrinal statement made in our Brief Statement.” In 1944 this document (the Doctrinal Affirmation) was in preparation. It was presented to the ALC 1946 and declared unsatisfactory. A similar position was taken by the Mo. Syn. 1947. The Mo. Syn. also reaffirmed the Brief Statement 1947 but declared that the 1938 resolutions be no longer considered a basis for establishing fellowship. At the same time it instructed its committee to continue discussion with the ALC using the Brief Statement and other existing documents (and documents to be formulated) and thus try to arrive at one document. See also American Lutheran Church, V 1; Common Confession; Intuitu fidei; Sunday. EL

Proceedings of the Mo. Syn. 1929, p. 113; 1932, pp. 154, 155; 1938, pp. 221–233 (contains ALC Declaration); 1941, pp. 277–304 (refers to ALC Sandusky Resolutions); 1944, pp. 228–252 (contains ALC Mendota Resolutions); 1947, pp. 476 to 515 (contains Mo. Syn. Brief Statement); CTM, II (May 1931), 321–336 (Brief Statement in German), 401–416 (English): Reports of the ALC conventions, 1938, pp. 255, 256; 1940, pp. 312–315; Lutheran Standard, XCVIII (December 7, 1940), 4, 5; Lutheran Companion, XLIX (November 28, 1940) 507, 508; Proceedings of the Syn. Conf., 1940, pp. 81–88. An analysis of the situation as it obtained after the 1941 Fort Wayne conv. of the Mo. Syn. is given by M. Reu in Kirchliche Zeitschrift, LXV (October 1941), 577–607; Doctrinal Declarations (St. Louis, 1957), pp. 43–57; CTM, XVI (January 1945), 1–5; (April 1945), 265; (November 1945), 787–788; C. S. Meyer, “The Historical Background of 'A Brief Statement,' ” CTM, XXXII (July 1961), 403–428; (August 1961), 466–482; (September 1961), 526–542; C. S. Meyer, “The Role of A Brief Statement Since 1932,” CTM, XXXIlI (April 1962), 199–209; F. H. Pralle, “A Brief Statement, 1932–1959,” Lutheran Education, XCVII (June 1962), 442–453.