The EvangelicalLutheran Church in America (ELCA), stands against all forms of hatred anddiscrimination. The church believes that cultural, ethnic and racialdifferences should be seen and celebrated as what God intends them to be—blessingsrather than means of oppression and discrimination.
The ELCA’s social statement “Freed in Christ: Race,Ethnicity and Culture” states: “Racism—a mix of power, privilege, andprejudice—is sin, a violation of God’s intention for humanity. The resultingracial, ethnic, or cultural barriers deny the truth that all people are God’screatures and, therefore, persons of dignity. Racism fractures and fragmentsboth church and society.”
The social statement,adopted by the ELCA 1993 Churchwide Assembly, calls on the church to makeconfession for complicity, name the spiritual crisis at the roots, commit tochange and make pledges to public witness, advocacy and action to confrontracism.
“We recognize thatthe kind of violence we witnessed in Charlottesville last weekend is very realand affects all of us,” said ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton. “We needto stand up firmly against racism and anti-Semitism, show up for and advocatewith others. Jesus, who makes visible those who are invisible, is alreadythere. We need to show up, and we need to listen in each of our communities.”
The ELCA is a churchthat belongs to Christ and Christ’s church universal, where there is a placefor everyone. The job of Christ’s people today is to celebrate thediversity of God’s creative work and embrace all people in the spirit of love,whatever race or ethnicity, economic status or gender.
Read the full social statement.
Spanish version.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
