LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 217

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11. CHURCH AND CULTURE
WHEREAS, “God shows no partiality, but in every nation
anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable
to him” (Acts 10:34–35); and
WHEREAS, Scripture emphasizes humanity’s oneness in
Christ’s reconciling work: “For the love of Christ controls
us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for
all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those
who live might no longer live for themselves but for him
who for their sake died and was raised. From now on,
therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even
though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we
regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the
new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ
reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the
world to himself, not counting their trespasses against
them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation”
(2 Cor. 5:14–19); and
WHEREAS, Jesus sends His people to bring the Gospel to
all nations (ethnos): “All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you
always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18–20); and
WHEREAS, God has united all believers in Christ through
Holy Baptism (Eph. 4:4–6); and
WHEREAS, The new creation consists of God’s redeemed
people from all people groups and ethnicities: “After this I
looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could
number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and
languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,
clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our
God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Rev. 7:9–
10); and
WHEREAS, Racism is defined as: (1) A belief that race is the
primary determinant of human traits and capacities and
that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a
particular race (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/
racism); (2) Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism
directed against someone of a different race based on the
belief
that
one's
own
race
is
superior
(www.lexico.com/en/definition/racism); and
WHEREAS, Racism denies the biblical truth that all
humanity has a common origin in Adam and is contrary to
the law of love, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt.
22:39b, cf. John 13:34), and may involve, in its various
expressions, the breaking of every commandment of the
law; and
WHEREAS, Racism has its roots in the sins of pride and
arrogance, which have plagued humankind in every time
and every place including the Christian church; and

Resolutions

WHEREAS, Racism harms its victims in body, mind and
spirit, and people in our communities and ministries have
experienced such harm; and
WHEREAS, Racism has no basis in Scripture or the
Lutheran Confessions, but rather is consistent with
atheistic evolutionary ideologies and movements that
claim the supremacy of one people group over another; and
WHEREAS, The Church is called to condemn sin in every
form and manner, both in public and in private, including
racism in all its expressions; and
WHEREAS, Our Lord has commanded us, “You shall love
your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39b, cf. John 13:34); and
WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod,
confessing its own faults, and walking humbly in
repentance before God, has addressed racism and
discrimination in 10 Synod conventions resulting in
convention resolutions (e.g., 1959 Res. 13-12, “Combating
Racial Discriminations,” Proceedings, 315–17); and
WHEREAS, The Committee on Theology and Church
Relations’ (CTCR) February 1994 document, Racism and the
Church, states: “We in The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod have before us a wonderful opportunity to commit
ourselves to strive toward making racism a thing of the
past, and to demonstrate before a watching world how
people of all cultures and groups can become one in Christ,
who has made of many one body for the edification of all”;
therefore be it
Resolved, That Synod in convention publicly condemn the
sin of racism in all its manifestations, giving honor to the
Father “from whom every family in heaven and on earth is
named” (Eph. 3:15); confessing the Son, who, by His
Incarnation and sacrificial death gave value and dignity to
every human being; and calling on the Spirit to work in us
true repentance, renewal of life, and genuine unity with one
another; and be it further
Resolved, That the members of Synod be encouraged to
utilize the 1994 CTCR document Racism and the Church that
was commended to the Synod by the 1995 convention (Res.
2-05A, Proceedings, 112); and be it further
Resolved, That the members of the congregations of the
Synod be encouraged to work toward racial reconciliation
and equality within the Church and within society-atlarge, praying that those who advocate racist ideologies
and those who are deceived by them be brought to
repentance, and that justice and healing come to those who
have been wounded; and be it finally
Resolved, That as followers of Christ, “we regard no one
according to the flesh” (2 Cor. 5:16), that we serve the One
who has entrusted “to us the message of reconciliation” (2
Cor. 5:19), and that we celebrate that “in Christ God was
reconciling the world to himself” (2 Cor. 5:19).
Action: Adopted as amended (5)
It was moved to amend the resolution by striking the twelfth
whereas, beginning, “WHEREAS, Racism has no basis in
science…” Committee Chairman Forke noted for the committee
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2019 (67TH) LCMS CONVENTION | 217