[In response to demonstrations and riots happening in the United States we share the following statement, issued in 2016. As a church family let's be in prayer and in action for our world that needs to hear the message of reconciliation through Jesus Christ.]
"...We recognize that we have remained silent about racial injustice and unjust actions in our nations all too frequently. Our silence on issues of race has been heard more clearly than our calls for reconciliation with God.
With this in mind, we encourage Christian Reformed pastors to preach from their pulpits—clearly and prophetically—about God’s call to be ministers of reconciliation, with hearts wide open, willing to sacrifice our pride for the sake of the gospel (2 Corinthians 5:11-6:10).
We confess that, like so many other denominations in North America, the Christian Reformed Church has a history of often finding our unity in our shared ethnicity rather than in Christ. We lament this sin, and encourage congregations to join us in committing to continue our learning about racism and its effects in our lives and societal structures.
We grieve the deaths of so many as the result of violence. We urge Christian Reformed congregations to pray for our police officers—for their safety and for them to be trained and equipped for responding in non-violent ways. We are grateful for these men and women who risk their safety and their lives, and we owe them our support as they seek to protect and serve.
Our Lord Jesus Christ understands being falsely accused, persecuted unjustly, beaten and killed. He is the one that we can go to for comfort when we—especially our family members of color—suffer from similar experiences. Jesus is also one who radically spoke up for those being mistreated, who turned over the tables of those seeking to profit in the temple instead of helping others, who welcomed the marginalized and told his followers to do the same.
Racism strikes at the heart of our discipleship. We invite Christian Reformed pastors to join us in answering God’s call to be ministers of reconciliation and peace, removing all barriers to the gospel message, including racism. In this way, we can better reflect the light of the love we have in Christ in a world that so desperately needs it..."