To Provide Christian Resources in Addressing Racism

WHEREAS, Racism remains an issue that is apparent in our society; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Luther taught, and we confess, that the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not murder,” means that we should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbors, but help and defend them in every physical need, which we have failed to do; and

WHEREAS, Racism is a sin, as well as an obstacle to the work of the Church, it is incumbent upon us to examine our own human failings in view of the Word of God; and

WHEREAS, We lament the silence of many Christians in the face of racism; and

WHEREAS, Racism is manifested in discrimination in jobs, housing, education—past and present—and causes great suffering and harm to many people; and

WHEREAS, Many Synod convention resolutions on the issue of race have asserted the clear teaching from the Holy Scriptures that all human beings have been created in the image of God and redeemed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, yet the challenges in mission outreach across cultures and dealing with racism remain pronounced; and

WHEREAS, There have been those within The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (LCMS) who hold beliefs and positions contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture regarding racism, slavery, and racial injustices, thus following the path of our surrounding culture and conforming to the world rather than being transformed in Christ (Rom. 12:2); and

WHEREAS, We give thanks to God for courageous leaders among us who have lived love by sharing the Gospel of Jesus across cultural divides; and

WHEREAS, To reach deeply into the life of our congregations, a church-wide campaign that is truly filled with the love and joy of the Holy Spirit cries out for our response; therefore be it

Resolved, That we give thanks for the work that the LCMS has done addressing racism; and be it further

Resolved, That we, the Atlantic District in convention, likewise acknowledge our failures for not seeing racism and addressing it for what racism is in our church body and beyond, and repent of those failures; and be it further

Resolved, That we memorialize the LCMS in convention our repentance and acknowledgment of our silence to racism that have hurt God’s children; and be it further

Resolved, That curricula be developed by Concordia Publishing Houseto teach people about the ills of racism and how we are called to combat it; and be it further

Resolved, That these curricula developed are designed so that people of all ages and in all educational settings (home school, preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, college, graduate school, seminary, Sunday school, vacation Bible school, parish educational programs, etc.) will benefit directly and intentionally from them; and be it further

Resolved, That, in addition to the development of new curricula, educational and cate cheti cal material dealing with the Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth Commandments in our church body’s educational resources shall address the issue of racism directly and clearly so that “racism” is not regarded simply as a side topic but as a part of the broader and necessary body of knowledge for Christians to learn; and be it further

Resolved, That sermon-writing resources be developed so that pastors will be able to identify how racism is addressed in the Holy Scriptures and be assisted inmakinghomiletical applications for the preaching of Law and Gospel; and be it further

Resolved, That in the development of these new resources the LCMS consult directly with people from diverse cultures, sociological backgrounds, and ministry experiences in the LCMS to ensure the resources are appropriate; and be it further

Resolved, That we do everything possible so that as we in the LCMS are “making disciples for life,” this church body will be known as a church body that welcomes people regardless of their ethnicity or culture in the name of and by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; and be it finally

Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the