Is the ILC the Conference that dealt with the “Appearance of Evil” controversy?
Yes, the case involved two unrelated persons of approximately the same age purchasing a home/business and living together. The Christian woman involved stated that no fornication was taking place; her pastor advised her to discontinue her living arrangement because of the temptations involved and the bad example that her living arrangement was giving to the young people of the congregation. The pastor was supported by neither his congregation nor the “Lutheran Churches” group with which they were affiliated. The ILC was at that time in fellowship with that other group of Lutheran Churches. The ILC sided with the pastor’s Scriptural stand based on 1 Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” We of the ILC, together with Luther, believe that 1 Thessalonians 5:22 in the KJV means exactly what it says for it is a proper translation of the original Greek.
