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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 311

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

LIFE TOGETHER
WHEREAS, Those who seek to sow strife and discord are agitating
and advocating for Positive Christianity today, only in the modern
context (without reference to Hitler or the NSDAP) to deceive
faithful Christians and tempt them into heresy and heretical belief;
and
WHEREAS, Those who seek to sow strife and discord are
deceiving faithful Christians into falling into sin as resources
addressing Positive Christianity are not common nor easily
understood by laity who are unfamiliar with Positive Christianity;
and
WHEREAS, Positive Christianity conflicts with Scripture, the
Lutheran Confessions, the Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position
of the Missouri Synod [adopted 1932], and A Statement of Scriptural
and Confessional Principles [1973]; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod instruct the Commission on Theology
and Church Relations (CTCR) to thoroughly study Positive
Christianity, detailing how it deviates from the orthodoxy and
orthopraxy of the Christian faith; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod request the CTCR write a report of
their study; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod request the CTCR create a study of
their report that is easily accessible and understandable, not only by
clergy and church workers but by Synod laity and the church body
as a whole.
Circuit 8 (Oklahoma City)
Oklahoma District
Ov. 4-17

To Request Commission on Theology and Church
Relations Produce New Document on Race
WHEREAS, Holy Scripture declares that God created all humanity
in His image (Gen. 1:27) and that all believers are one in Christ
Jesus (Gal. 3:28), and condemns all forms of racial hatred as sinful
(James 2:9); and
WHEREAS, The 1994 Commission on Theology and Church
Relations (CTCR) document Racism and the Church was
commended by the Synod (1995 Res. 2-05A, “To Commend for
study the CTCR Document Racism and the Church” [1995
Proceedings, 112]), yet a minority opinion by the Rev. Dr. James
Voelz, the Rev. Dr. Cameron MacKenzie, the Rev. Dr. Ken Schurb,
and the Rev. Dr. Norman Nagel raised concerns about the
document’s reliance on sociological frameworks not grounded in
Lutheran theology (1995 Workbook, 62–64); and
WHEREAS, In recent years, new racial ideologies (e.g., Kinism,
critical race theory) and secular distortions (e.g., globalism, the
improper binding of consciences on matters such as immigration)
have proliferated, leading to widespread confusion; and
WHEREAS, On matters such as immigration policy, Scripture
does not bind the Christian conscience to a single political solution,
and faithful Christians may, in good conscience, come to differing
conclusions (Rom. 14:1–4); and
WHEREAS, It is contrary to Christian liberty to bind consciences
where God has not spoken; and
WHEREAS, Pastors urgently need theologically sound resources
to proclaim Law and Gospel to those afflicted with the sin of racial
hatred, to address concerns about cultural and societal distortions,

311

and to provide faithful care for those harmed by racism; therefore
be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention direct the CTCR to
produce a new document on race, revisiting the 1994 report Racism
and the Church, to address: (1) the theological concerns raised in
the 1994 minority opinion, ensuring that definitions and
frameworks align with Holy Scripture and the Lutheran
Confessions; (2) modern racial ideologies (e.g., Kinism, critical
race theory) and distortions (e.g., globalism, immigration-related
conscience binding), evaluating them through a biblical lens while
affirming Christian liberty in areas where Scripture is silent; and (3)
pastoral strategies for calling sinners to repentance with truth
spoken in love (Eph. 4:15) and for ministering to those harmed by
racial hatred or confused by racial ideologies and contemporary
issues related to race; and be it further
Resolved, That this document provide exegetical analysis of key
biblical texts (e.g., Acts 17; Revelation 7; Galatians 3), and clearly
distinguish between God’s design for nations, man-made racial
constructs, Law and Gospel, and the two kinds of righteousness; and
be it further
Resolved, That the CTCR complete this document in time for the
2029 Synod convention and distribute it to all congregations; and
be it finally
Resolved, That pastors and congregations make use of this
resource to foster repentance, reconciliation, and Christ-centered
unity, proclaiming that for those who belong to Christ by faith,
“There is neither Jew nor Greek … for you are all one in Christ
Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).
English District
Ov. 4-18

To Uphold Scriptural Teaching of
Generations/Lineages and Reject Modernistic
Teaching of Races
WHEREAS, The apostle Peter speaks of the Church as “a chosen
generation” (“But you are a chosen generation [γένος], a royal
priesthood, a holy nation” [1 Peter 2:9 NKJV, 1979; cf. KJV,
1611]); and
WHEREAS, Several modern translations speak of the Church not
as a “chosen generation” but as “a chosen race” (“But you are a
chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” [1 Peter 2:9 ESV,
2001; NASB, 1995]); and
WHEREAS, The apostle Peter is using the language of the prophet
Isaiah, where Isaiah gives the promise of “my chosen people [LXX:
τὸ γένος μου τὸ ἐκλεκτόν; MT: ‫( ”]ﬠַמִּ י בְ חִ ירִ י‬Isaiah 43:20), such that
with this word Isaiah is referring not to racial categories as used in
modernism (“modernism” in the sense of post-enlightenment
ideology, the mid-1700s and later) to speak of several races divided
from one another, but rather speaks of the chosen people of God;
and
WHEREAS, The Greek word γένος is used to translate the Hebrew
word ‫( ﬠַם‬e.g., Isaiah 43:20, et al.), which references not race (in the
modernistic sense) but people; to translate the Hebrew word ‫ז ֶַרע‬,
meaning seed or lineage (e.g., Jer. 29:32, et al.); and in parallel with
the Hebrew word ‫( גּוֹי‬e.g., Jer. 31:36), which, again, cannot mean
race in the modernistic sense, but nation; and

2026 Convention Workbook