1939 Minutes, p. 266
Wars, the occasion of war, and all situations which
conceal the fact of conflict under the guise of outward peace are
marks of a world to which the church is charged to proclaim the
gospel of redemption. War involves compulsory enmity, diabolical
outrage against human personality, and wanton distortion of the
truth. War is a particular demonstration of the power of sin in the
world, and a defiance of the righteousness of God as revealed in
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. No justification of war must be
allowed to minimize or conceal this fact.
1941 Minutes, p. 234
In view of the present situation which calls for serious
and prayerful thought concerning the problem of war, Be it
resolved: That the Lutheran Augustana Synod recognizes the
authority of properly constituted government. However, we respect
the attitude of the conscientious objector relative to war. We
believe the government should not violate the Christian conscience
by seeking to compel conscientious objectors to engage in combatant
military service. We ask exemption from all forms of combatant
military service for all conscientious objectors who may be members
of the Augustana Synod.
l942 Minutes, p. 233
It is with heaviness of heart that we contemplate the fact
that our beloved country has been drawn into the world war. We
reaffirm our love and loyalty to our country and our willingness to
give our lives in its service. We cherish the ideal of a free, just
and democratic society. We realize that this disaster has come upon
us because the will of God has not been honored in the world and in
penitence we bow before the judgment of God, confessing our sin
before Him.
In this time of crisis the Synod recognizes its responsibility
to set before the judgment of God's Word the sin which has brought
this calamity upon us. We are aware of our obligation as a Church
to bring a message of faith, hope, and courage to all men, to bring
a message of comfort to the distressed, and to preserve a worldwide
Christian fellowship.
The Synod urges its members to remain loyal to Christ; to be on
guard lest the sanction of the Church be given to anything which is
contrary to the spirit of Christ; to seek to maintain civil and
religious liberties during this period when passions can so easily
be aroused; to withstand all propaganda of hatred and revenge; to
manifest a spirit of good will toward those among us who spring
from nations with which our country is now at war; to manifest
generosity to those who suffer because of the war, including
prisoners of war; to support the work of ministering to the
spiritual needs of the men in the armed forces of our country; to
work for justice and good will among groups and nations; to seek
and support national policies in harmony with the will of God and
to work for a just and lasting peace.
1946 Minutes, p. 297
The world today stands between life and death. Men's hopes
of a better world have not been fulfilled. Millions are enduring
intolerable suffering. The nations seem impotent to deal with the
crucial problems of international order. A heavy burden weighs upon
all mankind.
We face this crisis as Christians, whose own consciences are
gravely disturbed. Yet God in His mercy has committed to us the
ministry of His Word, and that Word we are bound to declare. Men
are going the way of death because they disobey God s will. All
renewal depends upon repentance, upon turning from our own way to
God s way. He is calling men to a supreme decision. "I have set
before you life and death: therefore choose life."
War is the result of human self-will and of men's tragic
inability to find the true solution of their conflicts. We pray God
that the United Nations will choose the way of life and save future
generations from the scourge of war. But the time is short. Man's
triumph in the release of atomic energy threatens his destruction.
Unless men's whole outlook is changed, our civilization will
perish.
An illusory peace is little better than war. No peace can be
lasting unless it is built on true spiritual foundations. We appeal
to all men of good will and who believe in spiritual values and
forces to work together for an order of justice and humanity.
All nations are under the judgment of God. Those that have been
defeated are suffering a fearful retribution. But the springs of
their recovery are within; and if they turn to God and heed the
voices of those among them who, even in the darkest days, withstood
the forces of evil, they can yet take their proper place in a world
community. The victorious nations have also suffered greatly, but
their victory brings with it a new responsibility to God. They
should combine justice with mercy. To seek vengeance against their
former enemies by depriving them of the necessities of life, or by
mass expulsion of their populations, or in any other matter, can
only bring fresh disaster. There must be a new beginning in the
relationships of all nations. The nation has its own place in God's
purpose for mankind, but national egotism is a sin against the
Creator of all peoples, great and small alike. No nation can
fulfill God's purpose for itself which fails to answer His call for
full cooperation and fellowship with other nations as members of
one family. There is a mutual interdependence between social order
and international order.
We therefore appeal especially to the Governments of the Five
Great Powers to rise to their responsibilities to the world. It was
by the union of their forces that they won victory in the war. We
ask them to unite their whole strength in a common purpose now for
the establishment of justice, for the relief of hunger, and for the
development of a world community of free peoples. Unless they turn
from their old ways of reliance upon mere might and own their
subjection to God's law of righteousness and love, they pursue the
way of disaster and death. "I have set before you life and death:
therefore choose life."
A special duty is laid upon the churches to help the nations to
choose the way of life. Christians are called to be the salt of the
earth and the light of the world. To them is given the ministry of
reconciliation. It is their responsibility to bear witness by word
and deed that the law of God finds its fulfillment in the love of
Christ. We call upon all followers of Christ to do whatever they
can to help those who are enduring the terrible need and suffering
of the present day, and to strive after a better order in which the
rights of man will be fully recognized and protected. We trust that
those churches which are stronger will continue to aid the churches
in the liberated and suffering countries, and that all will
increasingly support the world mission of the Church. We earnestly
urge that all will pray without ceasing for forgiveness, for unity,
and for real human brotherhood.
We give thanks to God for ecumenical fellowship in Christ and
for its broadening and deepening even during the war years. We
rejoice over the clear evidences that the spiritual unity in Christ
has transcended all differences of races and nations. In this case
we see a sign of hope for all mankind, that in the fullness of time
God will gather together in one all things in Christ. He is our
peace. In Him is the life of mankind.
"I have set before you life and death: therefore choose
life"
1947 Minutes, p. 328
In the light of the fact that Marxian Communism involves a
materialistic interpretation of life which excludes God as the
ultimate ruler of history, Synod is aware of the challenge which
this movement presents to the church and the Christian faith, and
urges its pastors to present the perils involved and its members to
fight the aggressive propaganda of this philosophy of life by a
wholehearted application of our Christian faith to the social
maladjustments of our time.
1948 Minutes, p. 341
We urge our national leaders to work for a stronger
international organization of cooperation and understanding.
1948 Minutes, p. 342
We view with great concern the pressure being exerted to
establish compulsory peacetime military training for American
youth. We recognize the evils of regimentation, militarization
international suspicion, and excessive cost that are inevitable
concomitants of compulsory peacetime military training.
1952 Minutes, p. 53
We commend our members who exerted influence in helping to
defeat the Bill for Universal Military Training and urge our
constituency to maintain an active interest in political and social
problems as they affect the life of our nation.
1954 Minutes, p. 231
Whereas, the Augustana Lutheran Church historically has
stood for a clear Christian witness to truth and godly living, and
Whereas, the Church Militant beholds perils of diverse kinds in
today's world, as a vicious materialism and atheism espoused by
Communism and likewise many similar dangers of intolerance, bigotry
and injustice sponsored by various forces loose in our midst,
Now therefore be it resolved,
That the church hereby recognize the urgent need of the State to
guard the national security from all dangers within and without,
and That the Church approve of appropriate governmental action to
deal with the complex problem relating to the menace of subversive
elements in government and other vital American institutions just
so long as the right of free conscience and free expression and
other traditional liberties remain untrammeled, and
Be it further resolved,
That the Church condemn movements and activities which,
ostensibly to achieve the good purpose of insuring the national
security, actually have endangered our society by sowing seeds of
suspicion among us, and,
Be it further resolved,
That we hold ourselves to be alarmed by the easy excuses given
for the instances of the abandonment of the accepted orderly method
of investigation, the misdirection of legislative inquiry to
propaganda ends and the usurpation of constitutional safeguards
resulting in the violation of the rights of the accused; and
Now be it therefore resolved,
That we remind ourselves and all men of these dangers which if
unchecked may develop into a tyranny that will not only shatter
American ideals of liberty and freedom but will also ultimately
prevent the full and free proclamation of the Christian gospel.
1956 Minutes, p. 386
Whereas, the international tensions now existing between
the East and West have virtually transformed the world into two
armed camps, imposing a heavy economic burden on all mankind and
constantly disastrous to all the peoples of the earth; and
Whereas, it is our conviction, based on the Gospel, that war is
a sin against God and humanity and that it is in direct conflict
with the Christian law of love; and
Whereas, we are convinced that a continuation of the present
international race in armaments will never bring a solution of our
problems but will only increase the distrust and suspicion that
already exists in the world;
We call upon our government to make use of the United Nations in
resolving difficult tensions wherever they may threaten world
peace; to insist that our western allies recognize the right of
colonial peoples to liberty and self-government; to work
progressively toward universal disarmament, Including an
international agreement to ban the use of atomic weapons; and to
take steps to bring about an end to the present practice of
drafting young men for the armed services during peacetime, and
We instruct the officers of the Church to bring these
resolutions to the attention of the President of the United States
and the Armed Services Committees of the United States Senate and
House of Representatives; and that we request the members of the
Augustana Lutheran Church to make known to their respective
representatives in the Congress this action of our Church.
1957 Minutes, p. 199
WHEREAS, man's natural inclination toward sinful
destruction by unceasing warfare and brutality is written in the
record of history, and
WHEREAS, the present generation of men has fought a most
devastating, bloody and bestial war which culminated in an atomic
explosion portending the awful possibility of the obliteration of
the race, and
WHEREAS, mankind now lives in a climate of cold war with
suspicion, fear, intolerance, false trust in armaments and general
arrogance which results infrequent crises, costly armament burdens
and intrigue among nations and
WHEREAS, the United States has had thrust upon it responsibility
for world leadership which it cannot evade and which, at the same
time, is beyond the power of mere men to discharge,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That we declare that it is our
firm conviction as Christians that international relations must be
in their essence a practical application of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, to wit:
- That we recognize the United Nations can be
a good instrumentality for the pacific solution of the world's
troubles and that it promises to be our best vehicle on the road to
world friendship and peace, and
- That we reject as totally unworthy of any
nation a foreign policy whose goals are the acquisition of
strategic military bases around the world, the building of powerful
military alliances, and the consequent subservience of peoples out
of fear of military and commercial might, and
- That we endorse a foreign policy aimed toward
building between nations bridges of trust, mutual aid, exchange of
ideas and culture, as well as the free flow of commerce and
communication, and
- That we propose to further human welfare
everywhere in the world by helping men in all places to achieve the
ends of justice and liberty under law and elimination of the
tyranny of base and cynical despots, and likewise an elimination of
the tyranny of hunger and disease in less-favored parts of the
world, and
- That for such ends of human welfare to be
achieved we propose to lead all nations in mutually aiding
under-developed areas by providing opportunities for economic
advancement, cultural enrichment, and educational enlightenment and
that we share generously of our own rich resources to that end,
and
- That we commend our leadership in foreign
policy to exemplify a national respect for the dignity of men
regardless of color, culture, and condition and to manifest a due
regard for the rights of all groups to self-determination limited
only by each nation's proper respect for the law of God and the
rights of other men.
1957 Minutes, p. 200
We urge the government of the United States to exert all
possible influence among the nations of the world to bring about
the cessation of the testing of nuclear weapons which might
endanger the welfare of the human race.