First Evangelical Church Association (FECA) Statement on the Recent Anti-Asian Attacks and Hatred
In response to the recent attacks against Asians and Asian Americans, FECA issues the following statement:
1. We affirm the following biblical teachings:
1.1 God created all people in His image (Genesis 1:26-27) and loves all people, which is why the Great Commission calls for Christians to minister to all people and all nations (Matthew 28:16-20). In the picture of heaven, there will be all tribes and all people joined together in praise of God (Revelation 5:9).
1.2 Christ died for all people (Romans 5:6-10) and He wants to reconcile all sinners to Himself and to each other (Ephesians 2:11-22). The apostle Paul calls this cosmic redemption the disarming of earthly and demonic powers (Colossians 2:14-15), because Satan seeks to divide people and bring them to hatred toward each other.
1.3 Racism runs against the gospel of Jesus Christ and against God’s vision to redeem and unify all creation through Christ. God recreates through the body of Christ, the Church, a new and diverse people of different tongues, tribes, and nations. God commands us to live in pursuit of a reconciled community with one another and with our neighbors in anticipation of the age to come (Isaiah 65:17–25; Romans 8:19–22).
1.4 As Christians, we must unequivocally condemn and oppose racism, because through faith in Christ we are ALL children of God (Galatians 3:26-28). God through Christ empowers us and commands us to walk in love with the power of the Holy Spirit. One sign of Christians walking in the Spirit is when we love our neighbors as ourselves (Galatians 5:13–14). We should not use our freedom in Christ to pursue our sinful passions in accordance with the flesh. Those who live to gratify their flesh will not inherit eternal life (Galatians 5:16–21). Complicity in racism is evidence of enslavement to the flesh and to Satan’s seductive power of evil. We are made new creatures in Christ, and so we must oppose racism whenever and wherever it appears (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
2. With the above biblical principles, we declare the following:
2.1 With all member churches, we, FECA affirm that since God is holy, righteous, and just, He requires those who bear His image to live justly in the world. This includes showing appropriate respect to every person and giving to each one what he or she is due. We affirm that societies must establish laws to redress injustices that have been created by cultural prejudice, including racism.
2.2 We declare that racism is a sin rooted in pride and malice, which must be condemned and renounced by all who would honor the image of God in all people. Such racial sin can subtly or overtly manifest itself as racial animosity or racial arrogance. Such sinful prejudice or partiality falls short of God’s will and violates His royal law of love. We affirm that virtually all cultures, including our own, at times contain laws and systems that foster racist attitudes and policies.
2.3 We condemn the rise in hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans and against all human races created in the image of God.
2.4 Our hearts go out to the families and communities of those who have been harmed or have lost their lives from hate crimes and discrimination. We stand with other ethnic communities to oppose all forms of hatred.
2.5 We implore all government agencies to review and revise policies that define hate crimes to better account for acts of racism.
2.6 We support all legislation aimed at offering assistance to those who are being targeted by acts of hate and domestic terror.
We invite any and all who stand in solidarity with us to share this in your own personal and organizational networks.
Statement Drafters:
Rev. Albert Wong, Lead Pastor, FECA
FECA Social Concern Committee
March 25, 2021
Resources:
Asian American Christian Collaborative Statement
Responding to anti-Asian Violence with Creativity from the Margins by Dr. Michelle Ami Reyes
https://www.asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com/article/responding-to-anti-asian-violence-with-creativity-from-the-margins
Anti-Hate Safety Resources from AAF
https://www.aafederation.org/aaf-safety-resources/
Reporting Hate Crimes