Recognizing that we are called to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with the Living God, we as Christians affirm God’s commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves (Micah 6:8; Matthew 22:35-40).

WE BELIEVE in the message of reconciliation as adopted by churches around the globe [1] that we are called to be peacemakers (Psalm 34:14; Colossians 3:15), salt of the earth, and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14). We believe that God’s will is for humankind to be reconciled to Godself and to each other. We believe that the actions of Jesus Christ were a reversal of oppressive systems and that Christ provides us with a framework for undoing the harm they continue to cause today (Matthew 25:34-46; Mark 12:38-44).

WE BELIEVE that the pursuit of social justice is essential to a life of faith in Jesus and is a present-day calling of the church. The credibility of reconciliation is obstructed when Christian communities proclaim it in a way that perpetuates the separation of its members. In this document, we specifically name discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexuality, and class [2] as perpetuating alienation and enmity to God and between members of humankind. We deny any teaching that appeals to the Gospel to legitimize discrimination, and we proclaim that such separation denies in advance the Gospel’s reconciling power. (Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13; Galatians 5:1-15; James 2:8-9; James 4).

God placed us in families and in communities. Our God-created nature depends on being connected with and cared for by others (Ruth 1:16-17; Romans 12:5; Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 10:24-25).

We are inherently social beings.

God wills that things are restored, repaid, made whole, and made new here on Earth (2 Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 22:1-7).

This is the spirit of justice.

God’s will is manifested in societies where the needs of those that don’t have enough are fulfilled by those who have more than enough (Acts 4:32-35). When God walked among us, Jesus taught and lived by this principle (Luke 6:17-26; Luke 19:1-10; Matthew 14:13-21).

Things are made right through communities of people.

In other words, God’s will is social justice.

Therefore, we affirm the following…

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