In light of recent events in our culture, we, the Maiden Lane Church of God family, feel compelled to make the following statement on the matters of race and racism. We do this in order to clarify our positional stance for persons both within and outside our fellowship.
We hold firmly to a belief in special creation. To be specific, we believe that God, and God alone, created the entire universe from nothing. Everything that exists does so by God’s will and word, and Jesus is intricately involved in creation.
As John writes about Jesus in John 1:1-3: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
As Paul writes about Jesus in Colossians 1:15-17: 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Unique in creation are human beings. In Genesis 1: 26-27 we read: 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind IN OUR IMAGE, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind IN HIS OWN IMAGE, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
We affirm our core belief that all persons, regardless of race, culture, or ethnicity, have been created in the image of God. As such, every human being has dignity, free will, purpose, value, and worth from God. These gifts, or rights, are not granted to us by any human government, but by our Creator. Human government’s role is to acknowledge and honor those gifts.
Further, as followers of Jesus, we believe with deep conviction this truth found in John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
We affirm our core belief that Jesus Christ, our Savior, Leader, and Lord, gave up his life as an atoning sacrifice for all persons. The call of the gospel and the gift of grace are extended and freely given to any human person who will by faith say yes to that call and graciously receive that gift. Therefore, our ministry and mission focus is to invite all persons of any race, culture, or ethnicity to join us in following Jesus as Savior, Leader, and Lord and to live in the oneness of his community, or family, in the peace and unity of the Holy Spirit.
We affirm with the Apostle Paul that Jesus Christ is our peace, and HE HAS MADE ALL PEOPLE ONE by destroying the dividing wall of hostility. In Jesus Christ, God has created one new humanity, and, in one body, he has reconciled us to himself and to each other through his death and resurrection (Ephesians 2:14-18).
We further affirm this great truth found in Galatians 3:26-29: 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, FOR YOU ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Therefore, we affirm our core belief that bigotry, discrimination, prejudice, and racism, in any form and towards any person or people group, is sinful and unholy. It is not true to the character and teachings of Jesus and we, therefore, reject it and will not tolerate its presence in our fellowship.
Further, we commit ourselves to be a part of the solution to address racism in both its personal and systemic expressions. We will strive to do this, with God’s help, in the following ways:
To love others as Jesus loves us, as we are commanded by Jesus in John 13:34.
To listen to others in our diverse culture first so that we can understand more fully.
To speak to others with grace and wisdom, only after listening.
To stand in defense and support of those who are the victims of injustice and racism.
To support the right of all for peaceful protest to address and remedy injustice and racism.
To reject all violent forms of protest as counterproductive to healing and reconciliation.
To say and do nothing that is out of character with Christ Jesus our Lord.
To be a leader, living and working together in the bond of peace and the unity of the Spirit within the community of Christian believers, regardless of race, culture, ethnicity, or denomination.
To seek opportunities to work with persons of other faiths, whenever possible, on these issues.
Finally, to fully embrace the ministry of reconciliation God has commissioned us to and to boldly proclaim the message of reconciliation God has entrusted to us. We are Christ’s ambassadors! We affirm our God-given role to represent God’s kingdom.
We end this statement with the Apostle Paul’s clear articulation of both our ministry and our message in 2 Corinthians 5:16-21:
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who RECONCILED us to himself through Christ and gave us the MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION. 20 We are therefore CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: BE RECONCILED TO GOD. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.