“We vow to pray and actively work for God’s kingdom to come and his will to be done on this earth as it is in heaven.”
Redeemer Church of the Shoals affirms and commends to our members and friends our denomination’s historical responses to the sin of racism and the need for racial reconciliation. Additionally, in the interest of gospel clarity, healing, and peace in our local community, we feel compelled as elected leaders in our local church to speak the truth in love as clearly as we know how.
The Bible we embrace as the very Word of God makes clear that all people have dignity and are worthy of respect because they are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). In his Word, God announces that he is adopting a family for himself from “All the families of the earth“ (Genesis 12:3), until one day a great multitude that no one can count from every nation, ethnic group, and language stands before the throne of God as those purchased by the blood of Jesus (Revelation 5:9, 7:9).
With the clear teaching of the Bible in mind, we stand for racial justice and condemn the sin of racism in all its forms, including any expression of white supremacy. We reject any valuing of one race over others, as this is contrary to the kingdom God is building. We confess as sin our past silence in the face of racial injustice, and we repent of preferring our own comfort over the discomfort that comes from speaking against prejudice. We confess as sin that our hearts have been dull to the suffering of others, and we repent as we weep with those who weep. Finally, we recognize that merely issuing a statement is insufficient, so we pledge to live in newness of life. We commit to listen to the voices and wisdom of those who have experienced the demeaning realities of a racialized society. We undertake to act in the interest of Biblical justice in all the places where God has given us influence. We vow to pray and actively work for God’s kingdom to come and his will to be done on this earth as it is in heaven.
By His Grace and for His Glory,
Pastor Scott Barber
On behalf of the Session of Redeemer Church
Denominational Statements
As a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), Redeemer Church of the Shoals affirms the following denominational statements on Racial Reconciliation and Social Justice. We commend these statements as resources to help think Biblically about the issues being discussed today. Click each title to view the full document.
PCA Statement on Racial Reconciliation (2002)
“[T]his Assembly encourages its local churches to make known that the doors to its worship and the arms of its fellowship are open to warmly welcome all persons without regard to race, class or national origin, and that it welcomes into its membership all who, according to Book of Church Order Chapter 57 (and any general provisions including those regarding discipline) come with a credible profession of their faith in the Great King and Head of the Church and Savior of the body, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Pastoral Letter on Racism (2004)
“May it be our prayer that the Lord will graciously work in our hearts and lives by His Spirit, bringing us to self-examination, repentance and full commitment to His leading through His Holy Word, so that our lives will increasingly reflect these biblical truths: that all persons are created in His image, and that all who belong to the Body of Christ are His sons and daughters and members of one family, with no room for racial discrimination. May it be our prayer that the Spirit will work in great power through the Gospel, so that we who have been reconciled to God through Christ will be reconciled to one another through Christ, and built up into one holy household for His praise.” (19)
Covenant Seminary Statement On Biblical Social Justice (2017)
“In the new heavens and new earth, people of all races—of every tribe, tongue and nation (Rev 7:9)—will have an equal seat at God’s table, where love for God and neighbor will be pure and unhindered by sin. We long to see this future vision become an ever-increasing current reality in the PCA and beyond. We desire to see God’s will be done and his Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. This prayer our Lord taught us leads us to an expansive view of the triune God, the gospel, his people, his Kingdom, and his mission. May God help us!”
Report of the Ad Interim Committee On Racial And Ethnic Reconciliation to the Forty-Sixth General Assembly of the PCA (2018)
“Once we recognize that our structures and natural networks work against diversity in leadership, then we must become intentional in forging new networks and producing new structures that will involve all of our brothers in the connected leadership of our churches. The larger goal in this intentional care of God’s people is that we might show the world that this diverse body is united in Christ: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4-6). May God make it so!” (628)