Quote:
Who? How? How will we know it is sufficiently amended? The simple fact is that if it is not the responsibility of the church to determine if a particular doctrine or practice is in accord with the confessions, then they aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
Paul Bretscher is in very poor health, but for years after he published Christianity's Unknown Gospel he maintained that nothing in his teaching contradicted the Confessions. Nothing can be done about that by your understanding. It would always be unlawful to remove him because according to him he didn't violate the confessions.
You might say the case is different because Bretscher actually did violate the Confessions while Becker did not. But that is your opinion, not the opinion of the LCMS.
Quote:
Don't the bylaws, in effect, do that? Well, not amend it but explain how it is to be applied. And weren't the bylaws followed?
Quote:
Here is a link to a fascinating review of Scalia's concept of originalism.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/scalias-contradictory-originalism?intcid=mod-yml_______________________________
I can understand how "originalism" has the weakness of seeming to have been "overcome by (later) events. Some will believe that the original intent cannot help us cope with present day problems. Much has happened politically since 1787. Much has happened ecclesiastically since 1580.
I grant that they have a point but I will still hold to my preference for originalism in holding both the U.S. Constititution and the Lutheran Confessions. I hope that abortions will cease and that there will be no more Matthew Beckers.

Peace, JOHN