Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
As the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to say,
our identity is in Christ: “It is no longer I who live but Christ who
lives in me” (Galatians 2:20), and “in Christ Jesus you are all
sons of God, through faith. For as many of you were baptized into Christ have
put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”
(Galatians 3:26-28). In other words, Christians do not speak of fellow human
beings based on their specific cultural, racial, sexual, or national identity,
but upon their redeemed identity in Christ as a precious and beloved Child of
God – one who has been justified and sanctified by the shed blood of Christ and
His Holy Spirit. So, historic Biblical Christianity does not create theology
and ethics based on the racial, ethnic, national, or pigmented identity of
human beings.
In the last year or so, words and phrases like
“equity,” “woke,” “antiracist,” “social justice,” “systemic racism,” “white
privilege,” and “Critical Race Theory” have become a part of the mainstream. As
Lutheran Christians, we may ask, “What does this mean?” Before I get too far, I
would like to remind us all that all injustice and oppression can be traced
back to Satan, the world, and our own sinful nature and that all humankind is
depraved as a result of the fall into sin. However, it is true that human
depravity explains the existence of racist oppression and injustice, it by no
means excuses it. Rather, Christ has given His Church the commission to
proclaim both repentance and remission of sins in His name. So, it is our duty
to call each and every sinner to confess all sins of thought, word, and deed
and find full and free remission in Jesus Christ for the sake of His bitter
suffering, death, and bodily resurrection. Therein, this new life in Christ
will also bring a change in behavior and care for our neighbor.
Recently, Rev. Dr. Lucas Woodford, the district
president of the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri
Synod, published a paper titled What Does This Mean? Responding to Social
Justice & Critical Race Theory. In this well-developed paper, Woodford
goes into the details on how Lutheran Christians are to respond when confronted
with social justice and the Critical Race Theory.
In Chapter 2 of his paper, Woodford lays out definitions
of what those many words or phrases above actually mean. First off, Social
Justice and Critical Race Theory have become dogmas. This means that these
ideas have become a doctrine, like that as proclaimed by the Church. So, for
people who adhere to Social Justice and Critical Race Theory, they believe they
are correct in their understanding and so they find it difficult to be swayed
to believing otherwise. These ideas have become their religion.
So, what is it that they believe? According to Woodford:
Antiracist:
A person must be an “antiracist.” Now, an antiracist is different than being
“not racist.” According to their dogma, one can never be neutral. They must
either be a racist or actively working against racism.
Equity:
The equality of outcome is the demand that regardless of individual effort the
outcome must be the same for all. The historical definition of equality which
means an equal opportunity to achieve success is considered undesirable.
Woke:
The perceived awareness of issues concerning social justice and racial justice.
To be “woke” is to awaken from the sleep of ignorance or from outdated beliefs
into the enlightenment of new cultural awareness about social and racial
justice. According to Woodford, “woke” finds its roots in the Marxist
Revolution. The Marxist Revolution needed the images of Christ to be removed,
speech codes enforced against pastors, and icons of Biblical truth destroyed in
order to clear the path toward socialism and communism. The social justice
movement carries similar Marxian themes as it seeks to remake the whole of
culture. To do this, new words must be added to our vocabulary and old
definitions must be altered or reinvented and then repeatedly mainstreamed into
social consciousness to modify thought and behavior.
Social Justice:
The idea that true justice must be equality of outcome, rather than only
equality of opportunity, upon all of society.
Systemic Racism:
The belief that social structures have assumptions that systemically oppress
minorities. This has nothing to do with the historical definition of racism,
which is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits
corresponding to physical appearance and should be distinguished based on the
alleged superiority of one race over another. (As God teaches through His
written Word in the Scriptures, racism is a sin and must be treated as the sin
that it is. Those who have committed racist acts or carry a racially prejudiced
mindset need to repent and rest on the full forgiveness of Jesus Christ.)
White Privilege:
The belief that white people are born with an unearned advantage based upon the
color of skin (their whiteness).
Critical Race Theory:
The theory that holds that race is a social construct that was created to
maintain white privilege and white supremacy. This theory is rooted in
“critical theory,” which was originated by German philosopher Karl Marx and was
formally presented in the pamphlet, The Communist Manifesto. Critical
Theory is about the struggle between the bourgeoisie (capitalists) and the
proletariat (poor workers). Critical Race Theory expresses the desire to
fundamentally alter the control of power in favor of the morals that they
assert are essential. The goal is to deconstruct and upend power structures in
favor of who they believe are the oppressed.
Critical Race Theory and Social Justice ideologies
seek to reduce character to collectivist identities using their own definitions
that constantly change. Christianity, on the other hand, does not change: “Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). In
Christ, through repentance, there is forgiveness for every sin. However,
according to Social Justice and Critical Race Theory, there is never any
possibility for forgiveness.
As followers of Christ, we believe, teach, and confess
that our identity and character is found in our baptism. Our baptismal identity
as child and heir of God unites us to Christ and provides a spiritual way of
life, which is also an ethical way of life. So, when the Christian is led to
sin, we are called to repentance and prayer. Whatever the sinful thought,
behavior, and vice, the sinner pleads for mercy and forgiveness and that sinner
receives forgiveness. As baptized believers, we are delivered from the hands of
Satan by Christ’s cross, as our Lord Jesus through baptism equips Christians to
live with a divine identity, with moral integrity, and with the eternal destiny
of a heavenly kingdom.
The only remedy for all sin, hurt, injustice, and
oppression is the hope and healing that comes through our Lord Jesus Christ. He
is the Lord of the Church who breaks down dividing walls of hostility,
reconciles the distressed, forgives sin, removes shame, and gives holy identity
and moral character. There is only one body and one Spirit, just as we were
called to the one hope that belongs to us all by God’s grace: “One Lord,
one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through
all and in all” (Ephesians 4:5-6).
For even more on responding to social justice and
Critical Race Theory, I strongly recommend reading District President
Woodford’s paper, which can be found here: https://www.doxology.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/dox_2021_woodford_crt_final2.pdf?fbclid=IwAR00Yyc9sRgV-wSA19tiDMApGIbAX1GRSiZ0wLOgIXS-2Og-mcLijDfpIsw
Woodford also discussed his paper on Issues, Etc. (a
Lutheran radio talk show): https://issuesetc.org/2021/06/11/1622-christianity-critical-theory-and-the-social-justice-movement-dr-lucas-woodford-6-11-21/
In Christ,
Pastor Adelsen
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