The role of women in the church is of unique importance among the doctrinal issues currently under debate within the LCMS because on this issue the Synod has formally changed its doctrinal position. In virtually every other area of contention among us, the Synod's official doctrine remains the same while teaching and practice which deviates from or denies that doctrine is widely permitted or encouraged by the powers that be. Such matters are infinitely more difficult to document and demonstrate in the face of constant official assurances that nothing has changed and all is well. On the subject of the role of women in the church, however, such denials are not possible. The historical record is clear. The Synod has changed its doctrinal position.

"President Kieschnick was reelected by 69 votes or 52.7%. Of the 1240 delegates that attended the 2004 Convention, 176 were exceptions and 1064 were legitimate delegates.

There is now an effort to file suit in Federal Court by Attorney William Doggett of Cincinnati against President Kieschnick and the LCMS to declare the results of the 2004 LCMS Convention invalid.

One of the major points of the suit will be that President Kieschnick has no standard for exceptions because he signed all requests for exceptions.

While the LCMS has lost approximately 100,000 baptized members in the last 4 years, the number of electoral circuits has been inflated from 601 in 1998 to 623 in 2004.

How can an election be considered valid according to Roberts Rules of Order if 14.2% of the voters are not legitimate, unless the margin of victory is more than 14.2%? How can an election for a multi-state corporation be valid if the current President is allowed to stack the Convention with exceptions from Districts favorable to his reelection?"

53] The Sixteenth Article the adversaries receive without any exception, in which we have confessed that it is lawful for the Christian to bear civil office, sit in judgment, determine matters by the imperial laws, and other laws in present force, appoint just punishments, engage in just wars, act as a soldier, make legal contracts, hold property, take an oath, when magistrates require it, contract marriage; finally, that legitimate civil ordinances are good creatures of God and divine ordinances, which a Christian can use with safety. 54] This entire topic concerning the destruction between the kingdom of Christ and a political kingdom has been explained to advantage [to the remarkably great consolation of many consciences] in the literature of our writers, [namely] that the kingdom of Christ is spiritual [inasmuch as Christ governs by the Word and by preaching], to wit, beginning in the heart the knowledge of God, the fear of God and faith, eternal righteousness, and eternal life; meanwhile it permits us outwardly to use legitimate political ordinances of every nation in which we live, just as it permits us to use medicine or 55] the art of building, or food, drink, air.

Neither does the Gospel bring new laws concerning the civil state, but commands that we obey present laws, whether they have been framed by heathen or by others, and that in this obedience we should exercise love. For Carlstadt was insane in imposing upon us the judicial laws of Moses. 56] Concerning these subjects, our theologians have written more fully, because the monks diffused many pernicious opinions in the Church. They called a community of property the polity of the Gospel; they said that not to hold property, not to vindicate one's self at law [not to have wife and child], were evangelical counsels. These opinions greatly obscure the Gospel and the spiritual kingdom [so that it was not understood at all what the Christian or spiritual kingdom of Christ is; they concocted the secular kingdom with the spiritual, whence much trouble and seditions, harmful teaching resulted], and are dangerous to the commonwealth. 57] For the Gospel does not destroy the State or the family [buying, selling, and other civil regulations], but much rather approves them, and bids us obey them as a divine ordinance, not only on account of punishment, but also on account of conscience.

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.

For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.