Racial Reconciliation Position Statement

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

We have all been impacted by the recent stories of injustice in our country, further reminding us that we live in a very broken world – a society still plagued by racism and inequality. We feel the burden and pressing need for racial reconciliation. Our hearts are heavy, and our prayers are focused.

 

All human beings are equally created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Jesus teaches in Matthew 25 that whatever we do to the least of His brothers, we do to Him. The way we treat other human beings directly impacts the heart of God. If we hurt somebody (or sit passively on the sideline while others hurt somebody) we inflict pain on someone created by God in His image, whom God loves, and for whom Jesus died. God’s love for all people is expressed in his commandments to love our neighbors as ourselves (James 2:8), and to love one another as He loves us (John 13:34). Furthermore, Colossians 3:11 and Galatians 3:28 demolish ethnic, gender, and man-made racial inequalities. The Church cannot be silent when racism rears its ugly sinful head. 

Racism is a sin, and it has been a plague on humanity for thousands of years. In America, there is a longstanding and deeply devastating history of racism that persists today. The question is not, “is there really racial inequality in America,” but rather “why has the Church tolerated such inequality in America when the bible so clearly condemns it?” Recent events have opened the eyes of the world to the reality of racism, and those eyes are now looking to the Church to see how we will respond. We must address racism with condemnation! Racism is deplorable and deeply hurts the heart of God. What can we actively do as the Church to eradicate this sin that pervades our culture and deeply affects our brothers and sisters?

First, we as individuals in the body of Christ must confront our own hearts and minds. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal and remove any racist or discriminatory tendencies that may have been instilled in our hearts by the culture or our upbringing. Seek out a better understanding through education with an open heart and mind. Listen to our brothers and sisters of color who beg the world for change, and be an advocate and ally for equality in our places of influence.  

 

Second, we as the Church must be vocal about our contempt for the things that break the heart of God. Dr. Tony Evans when writing for The Washington Post, stated that our challenges with racism are related “directly to ineffective Christians” and said, “One of the real tragedies today is that the Church as a whole has not furthered God’s light, equity, love and principles in our land in order to be a positive influence and impact for good in the midst of darkness, fear and hate.”

 

The Church must not miss its opportunities to call out racism and social injustice for what it is, a sin. We must encourage open dialogue, increase our involvement within our communities, encourage peace over violence, stand for love over hate, and strive for racial reconciliation in this broken world.

 

At FOCUS Wesleyan church, our mission statement is:

Worship God, Live for Jesus, Love all People, and Serve the World

We wholeheartedly stand against the sinful man-made social construct of racism. We believe that all people are created equal and are made in the image of God. We believe in racial reconciliation, and we strive to be a church like the one described assembling in the book of Acts. A multiethnic group of believers responding to the grace and goodness of Jesus Christ through worship and loving deeds. 

We have been studying the book of Amos, and we find it particularly fitting for this time in which we find ourselves. We end this letter with this quote from God’s word, as said by the prophet Amos, “Let justice roll down like water and righteousness as an ever-flowing stream.” Amen.

 

In Christ Jesus, 

FOCUS Wesleyan Church