Strangers to Sisters - Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library: Essays

work of a faithful bible translator. Norman Madson declared, “Unless a man is a humble
Christian and a believer guided by God’s Word, he cannot translate God’s Word.” 320
But just how far apart, hermeneutically speaking, were the WELS and ELS
officials from the LCMS and Slovak officials at the meeting? In the discussion of the
RSV, Drs. Behnken (LCMS) and Rafaj (Slovak) to a great extent concurred with many of
the ELS/WELS comments. But the great divide between the WELS-ELS hermeneutical
approach and the one that was being employed more and more by the LCMS and Slovak
Synod showed itself in the April ’53 session of the IRC. At that meeting two exegeses
were prepared for Titus 3:10 - one by Pastor Mazak of the Slovak Synod and one by
C.M. Gullerud of the ELS.
According to Mazak, the haireticos anthropos that Paul identifies is “antagonistic
to and rejects what he formerly accepted. He has revealed himself as a bigoted belligerent
errorist.” 321 With this view, Mazak then proceeds to say that Titus 3:10-11 is prescribing
discipline and admonition against such a man. 322 However, when Mazak then addresses
this passage to the current LCMS-ALC negotiation, he holds that the passage is not
applicable for the following reasons:
1. The relation between Missouri and the ALC is not one
of fellowship.
2. Missouri is not applying church discipline.
3. It cannot be shown that the ALC has stubbornly and
belligerently rejected Missouri’s admonition. 323
Gullerud, however, disagrees with the exegesis of Mazak and certainly with his
application. True, Gullerud admits, foolish arguments are to be avoided and ignored, but
320 Minutes of IRC, November 1952, 3.
321 Minutes of IRC, April 1953, 2.
322 Ibid.
323 Ibid.
174