Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2019 · 67th Convention, Tampa › Page 546
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 546

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

546

CHURCH AND CULTURE

Ov. 11-12

To Engage in Ministry to Transgendered Persons
WHEREAS, All persons are created in God’s image and are made
to glorify Him (Gen. 1:27; Is. 43:7); and
WHEREAS, God’s design was the creation of two distinct and
complementary sexes, male and female (Gen. 1:27; Matt. 19:4;
Mark 10:6;) which designate the fundamental distinction that God
has embedded in the very biology of the human race; and
WHEREAS, Distinctions in masculine and feminine as ordained
by God are part of the created order and should find expression in
every human heart (Gen. 2:18, 21–24; 1 Cor. 11:7–9; Eph. 5:22–33;
1 Tim. 2:12–14); and
WHEREAS, The fall of man into sin has introduced brokenness
and futility into God’s good creation (Gen. 3:1–24; Rom. 8:20); and
WHEREAS, According to a 2016 study from the Williams Institute
of the University of California Los Angeles (ULCA) School of
Law, about 1.4 million Americans identify as transgender
(williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/press-releases/updatedestimates-show-1-4-million-adults-identify-as-transgender-in-theus-doubling-estimates-from-a-decade-ago/); and
WHEREAS, Transgenderism differs from hermaphroditism or
intersexualism in that the sex of the individual is not biologically
ambiguous but psychologically ambiguous; and
WHEREAS, Some states prohibit licensed counselors from any
attempt to change a child’s “gender expression”; and
WHEREAS, The Church does not have a good history of
ministering to transgendered persons often due to our discomfort
with the topic or to the harsh, unloving, hypocritical manner in
which we speak often while refusing to speak publicly against other
sexual sins such as divorce, remarriage, pornography, sexual
harassment, coarse language, etc,; and
WHEREAS, The Commission on Theology and Church Relations
(CTCR) has produced a 2014 paper titled, “Gender Identity
Disorder or Gender Dysphoria in Christian Perspective” which
begins to address this topic; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention affirm God’s good
design that gender identity is determined by biological sex and not
by one’s self-perception—a perception which is often influenced by
fallen human nature in ways contrary to God’s design (Eph. 4:17–
18); and be it further
Resolved, That we grieve the reality of human fallenness which
can result in manifestations of sexuality outside of the teaching of
Scripture and point all to the redemption of our bodies in Christ
(Rom. 8:23); and be it further
Resolved, That we extend love and compassion to those whose
sexual self-understanding is shaped by a distressing conflict
between their biological sex and their gender identity; and be it
further
Resolved, That we invite all transgender persons to trust in Christ
and to experience renewal in the Gospel (1 Tim 1:15–16); and be it
further
Resolved, That we love our transgender neighbors, seek their
good always, welcome them to our churches and, as they repent and
believe in Christ, receive them into church membership (2 Cor.
5:18–20; Gal. 5:14); and be it further

2019 Convention Workbook

Resolved, That we regard our transgender neighbors as imagebearers of God and therefore condemn acts of abuse or bullying
committed against them; and be it further
Resolved, That we oppose efforts to alter one’s bodily identity
(e.g., cross-sex hormone therapy, gender reassignment surgery) to
refashion it to conform with one’s perceived gender identity; and be
it further
Resolved, That we continue to oppose steadfastly all efforts by
any governing official or body to validate transgender identity as
morally praiseworthy (Is. 5:20); and be it further
Resolved, That our love for the Gospel and urgency for the Great
Commission must include declaring the whole counsel of God,
proclaiming what Scripture teaches about God’s design for us as
male and female persons created in His image and for His glory
(Matt. 28:19–20; Acts 20:27; Rom. 11:36); and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod in convention request the CTCR to
study this issue in more depth and provide Gospel-centered
resources on how to engage in ministry to transgendered persons.
New Jersey District
Ov. 11-13

To Decry Racism in Church and Society
(Resolution 02-07-18)
WHEREAS, All humanity shares a common origin in Adam and
Eve (Genesis 1 and 2); and
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, God has united all believers in Christ through Holy
Baptism (Eph. 4:4–6); and
WHEREAS, The Commission on Theology and Church Relations
document, Racism and the Church (Feb. 1994) 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”; and
WHEREAS, Racism has no basis in science, Scripture, or the
Confessions; and
WHEREAS, We continue to see racism among those who call
themselves Christian and in society-at-large, including in the “white
nationalist” movement; therefore be it
Resolved, That the delegates to the convention of the Atlantic
District meeting in Bronxville, N.Y., June 8–9, 2018, decry every
form of racism, including white supremacy under the white
nationalist movement, as antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ;
and be it further
Resolved, That we prioritize working toward racial
reconciliation and equality within the Church and within society-atlarge; and be it further
Resolved, That we submit this resolution “To Decry Racism in
Church and Society” to the Synod convention meeting in Tampa,
Fla., July 20–25, 2019; and be it further
Resolved, That the congregations of the Atlantic District pray
both for those who advocate racist ideologies and those who are
thereby deceived, while ministering to those who carry this