To Affirm Biblical Doctrines of Creation, Original Sin, and Redemption and to Reject Critical Theory

WHEREAS, God “… made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” (Acts 17:26), 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, “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, The academic discipline of Critical Theory (see Paul Dare, Christians in a Woke World, self-pub., 2021) and its progeny, such as Critical Race Theory, “wokeism,” social justice, equity, et al., undermine a biblical understanding of creation and original sin by denying such divine institutions as family and government, maliciously dividing rather than uniting Christians on the basis of genealogical heritage, sexuality, socio-economic status, interpretation of history, and other criteria, and thus seeking to destroy the true unity Christ grants to the Church through His blood (Eph. 2:11–16) and subvert the unity of the communion of saints in the forgiveness of sins as expressed in the Third Article of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds; and

WHEREAS, Critical Theory is heretical, for example in the following: striving for and promising heaven on earth (utopia), frequently denying the sufficiency of Christ’s death, presenting the teachings of Jesus as social gospel (i.e. merit-based salvation) and the divine remedy for strife in human society, and confusing the doctrine of two kingdoms; and

WHEREAS, The Mid-South District of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (LCMS) in convention adopted Res. 03-04-21A, “To Reject Racism and Advance the Gospel”; therefore be it

Resolved, That the district in convention affirm the biblical doctrines of creation, original sin, and redemption, especially concerning the universal need for and availability of God’s redemption by grace through faith on account of Christ Jesus that we may not make “shipwreck of the faith” delivered to us (1 Tim. 1:3, 19); and be it further

Resolved, That the district in convention encourage and assist the members of our district congregations, pastors, and teachers to faithfully learn, witness, and teach the Christian faith, especially the doctrines of creation, original sin, and redemption, in truth and purity, in the language of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions for the sake of the advance of the Gospel as revealed in Scripture and nowhere else (Jude 3); and be it further

Resolved, That we commend the schools, universities, and seminaries of the LCMS for their faithful witness to God’s design and intent for human life and encourage each to strive to confess the Christian faith in a hostile world and to promote excellence in place of Critical Theory’s definition of diversity, inclusivity, and equity outcomes, for they have no place in Christian education or administrative policies, as they are diametrically opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and be it further

Resolved, That we reject Critical Theory since it denies Scripture and sidelines the authority and usefulness of the Lutheran Confessions, denouncing the sufficiency of Christ’s blessed suffering and death for the forgiveness of all our sins; and be it further

Resolved, That we look for opportunities to dialog with groups who hold this philosophy in order to listen, confess, and bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and be it further

Resolved, That the Minnesota North District join the Mid-South District in rejecting racism and work toward advancing the Gospel;

and be it finally

Resolved, That the Minnesota North District in convention send this resolution to serve the Synod in convention in 2023, according to Bylaw 1.6.2 (b)(4).