Lutheran Church passes resolution saying ‘God created the world in 6 natural days’
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod passed a resolution at their convention affirming the belief that God created the Earth “in six natural days.”
At the 67th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod on Tuesday, the theologically conservative denomination adopted Resolution 5-09A, titled “To Confess the Biblical Six-Day Creation.”
“We confess that the duration of those natural days is proclaimed in God’s Word: ‘there was evening and there was morning, the first day,’” resolved the resolution.
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The resolution also declared that the creation of Adam as the first human being was a “historical event” and rejected the claims of the theory of evolution.
The Rev. Adam Koontz, a member of Floor Committee 5 on Theology and Church Relations, explained the importance of the resolution to the convention attendees.
“The resolution [5-09A] is important because we need to affirm the reality of God’s creation, especially in a time and place when it’s especially challenging to say that God created people at all,” said Koontz, as quoted by blogs.lcms.org.
The resolution was not without debate. One lay delegate expressed concern over the terminology, noting that “natural” implies 24 hours, adding, “I don’t remember anything in the Bible that says God created the world in six 24-hour days.”
Another delegate expressed concern over the alleged “lack of clarity” on the definition of the word “natural” as used in the resolution.
Supporters responded that the term “natural” was defined by the Bible’s own words, describing the days as having an evening and a morning.
An amendment proposing the removal of the word was debated and voted on, however delegates rejected it by a vote of 662 nays to 309 ayes.
Resolution 5-09A also called on pastors to equip congregations with resources on faith and science and drew from previous resolutions on the origins debate, including one adopted in 1932.
“We teach that God has created heaven and earth, and that in the manner and in the space of time recorded in the Holy Scriptures, especially Gen. 1 and 2, namely, by His almighty creative word, and in six days. We reject every doctrine which denies or limits the work of creation as taught in Scripture,” stated the 1932 resolution.
“Since no man was present when it pleased God to create the world, we must look for a reliable account of creation to God’s own record, found in God’s own book, the Bible. We accept God’s own record with full confidence and confess with Luther’s Catechism: ‘I believe that God has made me and all creatures.’”
Held in Tampa, Florida, from July 20-25, the LCMS convention's theme of “Joyfully Lutheran” was inspired by 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” reads the Bible passage, as rendered by the New International Version.
