RESOLUTION FOR ACCEPTANCE OF AND UNITY WITH NON-CHRISTIANS

WHEREAS, it is in our mission statement to accept the challenge to unite with all the people of God; and

WHEREAS, it is our Christian belief that all people are children of God; and

WHEREAS, many Christians, including sane Lutherans, believe they are "superior" to non-Christians because they are "chosen" people of God while others are not, and this belief system creates an "us and them" relation where the "us" group believes they are superior to the "them" group, which can lead to prejudice, discrimination, and thus alienation, going against God's call of unity; and

WHEREAS, as Lutherans we believe in God's grace, yet as human beings we cannot adequately define nor limit the grace of God; and

WHEREAS, we ought not judge non-Christian religions and belief systems from our cultural perspective as "right" or "wrong", but only see them as different; and

WHEREAS, many non-Christian people around the world have much to offer, which can augment our learning, understanding and spiritual growth, and the goal of world peace can be served well through mutual respect and understanding,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that LSM-USA take steps to study and understand the teaching and traditions of non-Christian religions and to dialogue with those who practice these religions, as children of God; and

ARE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we, as members of LSM-USA, make a

conscious effort to avoid the alienation of non-Christians and their practices; and

THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this be acted upon intentionally in upcoming LSM gatherings.

Authors: John Lund, Northern Michigan University

Dale Johnson, University of Wisconsin-Madison