To Reject Bigotry and Advance the Gospel

WHEREAS, God has created one human race in His own image (Gen. 1:26), and we are all 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, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ desires that the Gospel be preached to all who live on earth (Rev. 14:6); and

WHEREAS, God’s Word 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

WHEREAS, Bigotry—the sinful notion that some ethnic groups are inherently superior to others—misunderstanding, and strife are present in the world and experienced in congregations due to our sin; and

WHEREAS, The Synod abhors bigotry and in convention has passed resolutions repudiating all forms of bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination based on ethnicity (1992 Res. 3-03; 2019 Res. 11- 04A); and

WHEREAS, Nihilism and other similar theories including Critical Race Theory (CRT) have become common and controversial suppositions in today's world; and

WHEREAS, The Eighth Commandment forbids us to speak falsely of our neighbor and exhorts us to explain everything in the kindest way, and our Lord Jesus teaches us to love our neighbors; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Kansas District and its members reject any doctrine that teaches:

• One’s ethnicity, ancestry, or nationality are inherently superior to the ethnicity, ancestry, or nationality of another;

• Any individual is inherently racist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously, because of his or her ethnicity, ancestry, or nationality;

and be it further

Resolved, That the circuits of the district develop an objective mission and ministry action plan for outreach to diverse communities among us; and be it further

Resolved, That the congregations of the district be encouraged to conduct conversations on ethnicity and diversity to strengthen unity within the congregation; and be it further

Resolved, That the congregations of the district be encouraged to engage members of their communities in these conversations in light of Christ’s Gospel; and be it further

Resolved, That the district in convention commend those within the district who intentionally proclaim and work to reach out with the Gospel of Jesus to those who are different from themselves in the light of the Great Commission; and be it further

Resolved, That the district in convention promote Christ’s teaching that we love our neighbors and reject the world view presented by nihilism, CRT, and similar theories that are contrary to Scripture and counterproductive to true reconciliation of the one human race created in God’s image; and be it finally

Resolved, That the district memorialize the Synod as it gathers at its 2023 convention to do similarly.