# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2023_S411
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

CHURCH AND CULTURE
Black Lives Matter outside of the Church, and by Lutherans for
Racial Justice within the Church, categorizes people into groups and
shows partiality to some over and against others, thereby defining,
dehumanizing, and dividing people into various categories of
perceived and real differences; and
WHEREAS, CT has become a commonplace, multifaceted, and
controversial ideology in the discussion of contemporary relations
between groups of people based on race, religion, socioeconomic
status, sexuality, and other perceived or real differences; and
WHEREAS, CT teaches a theology that is contrary to Scripture,
denies God-given differences between people, and is
counterproductive to true confession, forgiveness, and
reconciliation, in that it pursues equality of outcome (“equity”)
between groups which requires treating individuals unequally,
rather than pursuing the grace of God in Christ; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2023 Synod convention reject and condemn
the graceless, Christless ideology and theology of CT; and be it
further
Resolved, That the 2023 Synod convention also rebuke all
organizations, movements, petitions, theological language, and the
like that support the ideology and theology of CT; and be it further
Resolved, That the 2023 Synod convention reject and condemn
any doctrines teaching that one’s differences make one inherently
superior to another or that any individual is inherently oppressive
(whether consciously or unconsciously) because of his or her
differences; and be it further
Resolved, That the ecclesiastical supervisors of any individual or
group within the Synod that supports CT or CRT be directed to
address them according to the standards of this resolution under the
biblical principles of church discipline; and be it finally
Resolved, That the 2023 Synod convention direct the
Commission on Theology and Church Relations to produce a
document exposing the dangers of Critical Theory and Critical Race
Theory.
Circuit 1 (Southern)
Montana District
Ov. 11-08

To Reject Critical Theory and Its Proponents,
Theologies, Ideologies, and Worldviews
WHEREAS, God has created all people and they are blood related
going back to our mutual fathers, Adam and Noah, and all are
subject to the stain of original sin, but now also have been equally
redeemed by the blood of Christ in order to be reconciled to God
and to each other; and
WHEREAS, God’s Word says, “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons
of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s
offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:26–29); and
WHEREAS, God’s Word further says, “If you really fulfill the
royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor
as yourself,’ you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are
committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors”
(James 2:8–9); and

411

WHEREAS, Racism (the sinful notion that some races are
inherently superior to others) is present in the world and
experienced in congregations due to our sin; and
WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod abhors
racism and, in convention, has passed resolutions repudiating all
racism, (1992 Resolution 3-03; 2019 Res. 11-04A); and
WHEREAS, Critical Theory (CT) and its application to race,
Critical Race Theory (CRT) as popularized by Ibram Kendi and
Black Lives Matter outside of the Church and by Lutherans for
Racial Justice within the Church, categorizes people into groups and
shows partiality to some over and against others, thereby defining,
dehumanizing, and dividing people into various categories of
perceived and real differences; and
WHEREAS, CT teaches that whole systems of governing or
worshipping religions are inherently biased and prejudiced because
they were originated among and/or promulgated by a particular
class, sex, culture, or color of people and that anyone belonging to
said systems is thereby guilty of the sin of oppression in complete
conflict to Scriptural teaching (cf. Ezek. 33) that God holds people
accountable for their own sin and not the sins of others they may be
related to or associated with; and
WHEREAS, CT has become a commonplace, multifaceted, and
controversial ideology in the discussion of contemporary relations
between groups of people on the basis of race, religion,
socioeconomic status, sexuality, and other perceived or real
differences; and
WHEREAS, CT teaches a theology that is contrary to Scripture,
denies God-given differences between people, and is
counterproductive to true confession, forgiveness, and
reconciliation in that it pursues equality of outcome (“equity”)
between groups, which requires treating individuals unequally,
rather than pursuing the grace of God in Christ; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2023 Synod convention reject the graceless,
Christless ideology, theology, and worldview of CT; and be it
further
Resolved, That the 2023 Synod convention also reject all
organizations, movements, petitions, theological language, and the
like that support the ideology, theology, and worldview of CT; and
be it further
Resolved, That the 2023 Synod convention reject any doctrines
which teach that one’s differences makes one inherently superior to
another or that any individual is inherently oppressive (whether
consciously or unconsciously) because of his or her differences; and
be it finally
Resolved, That the 2023 Synod convention direct the
Commission on Theology and Church Relations to produce a
document exposing the dangers of CT and CRT.
Circuits 3 and 4 (Eastern and Central)
Montana District
Ov. 11-09

To Reject Critical Race Theory
and Its Worldview in the Church
WHEREAS, God has created all people and they are blood related
going back to our mutual fathers, Adam and Noah, and all are
subject to the stain of original sin, but now also have been equally
redeemed by the blood of Christ in order to be reconciled to God
2023 Convention Workbook