From: John W Burgeson (jwburgeson@juno.com)
Date: Fri Sep 19 2003 - 11:57:41 EDT
George wrote: "E.g., the 1968 doctrinal statement _This We Believe_ of
the Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran Synod explicitly teaches that creation took place in
"six normal
days" and rejects evolution & any attempt to interpret scripture to bring
it into accord
with evolution. They would not say that everyone who thinks the earth is
old or accepts
evolution is going to hell, but they do say that that person teaches
false doctrine &
would refuse church fellowship with him or her."
Can I ask you to comment further on this?
What I understand is, that if I teach, in any venue, that the earth is
old, that I cannot be a member of that church? And that I cannot even
ATTEND that church? And that members of that church ought not have any
Christian fellowship with me?
When I first became a Christian, in 1961 or 1962, we attended an EUB
church, pastor Jim Miller, who was very fundamental. Jim and I became
friends -- we had fellowship as families, even long after we had both
moved to different cities, until the early 70s.
One day I received a letter from Jim. He had become a GARB, and had gone
over entirely to the fundamentalist camp. His letter was to tell me
that, since I was unable to renounce fellowship with my brother, an ELCA
minister, and my parents, ELCA members, that he, regretfully, was going
to have to break fellowship with me. The principle, he said, was that of
"secondary separation," which sounds much like what the Wisconsin
Lutherans are espousing.
Jim had been a close friend, and our families had been close, dining
together, vacationing together, worshipping together. I wrote him back,
but he declined to answer. It hurt to lose him. It still hurts.
Burgy
www.burgy.50megs.com
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