To Reject All Forms of Racism and Affirm Our Witness to All People

WHEREAS, God has created all people, 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, Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become a popular, multifaceted, and controversial theory for discussing contemporary race relations with many tenets running contrary to Scripture; and

WHEREAS, When CRT enters the language of theology and church life, it confuses: (1) “original sin” and “actual sin”, (2) civil righteousness and righteousness before God, and (3) legal justice and perceived injustice. It does not find its solution in scriptural terminologies and mutual repentance and forgiveness but rather, in terms of one-way repentance and ongoing penance for being born with a particular color of skin, there by granting no sense of absolution; and

WHEREAS, Racism (the sinful notion that some races are inherently superior to others), misunderstanding, and strife are present in the world and in the Church; and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod abhors racism and, in convention, has passed resolutions repudiating all racism (see 1992 Resolution 3-03 and 2019 Res. 11-04A); therefore be it

Resolved, That the Nebraska District in convention reaffirm the Synod’s repudiation of all forms of racism; and be it further

Resolved, That the 1994 Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) document Racism and the Church be utilized as a lens by all pastors, congregations, and church organizations as they encounter any espousal or rejection of any critical theory of race; and be it further

Resolved, That the district in convention reject any doctrine that teaches the superiority of one race, ancestry, or nationality over another or that teaches that an individual is inherently racist or oppressive because of his or her race, ancestry, or nationality; and be it further

Resolved, That the district in convention implore her congregations and ministries to work collaborative ly, developing resources to combat racism and engage their communities fully to proclaim Christ’s love; and be it further

Resolved, That the district in convention call upon her pastors to be ready to extend diligent and sensitive pastoral care to those who have suffered racism, as well as fitting pastoral care and admonishment to those who have perpetrated racism; and be it further

Resolved, That the district in convention reject the world view of CRT because it is contrary to Scripture and counterproductive to true racial conversation and reconciliation, and also reject all organizations, movements, petitions, and theological language that support the non-scriptural aspects of said world view in a positive manner; and be it finally

Resolved, That the district in convention petition the Synod in its 2023conventiontodirecttheCTCRtoaddressspecificallythetopic of CRT as it relates to social, political, and religious institutions.