Twenty-five years ago, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) publicly acknowledged and repudiated Luther’s shameful statements and the subsequent antisemitism that lasted through the 20th century.

 

While recognizing the unique contributions of the Lutheran church to the freedom and security of the West, the painful reality of antisemitism perpetrated by Christians throughout history should not be ignored. Church fathers such as Irenaeus and Saint Augustine taught that the Jews were solely responsible for Jesus’ death and that Jews were “disinherited from the grace of God.”[1]As Lutherans are aware, Martin Luther promoted antisemitism by publishing his suggestions for how the Jews should be treated. Luther suggested, 

 

“1) burn their schools and synagogues; (2) transfer Jews to community settlements; (3) confiscate all Jewish literature, which was blasphemous; (4) prohibit rabbis to teach, on pain of death; (5) deny Jews safe-conduct, so as to prevent the spread of Judaism; (6) appropriate their wealth and use it to support converts and to prevent the lewd practice of usury; (7) assign Jews to manual labor as a form of penance.”[2]

 

In the 1994 statement on Lutheran-Jewish relations, the ELCA recognized "in anti-Semitism a contradiction and an affront to the Gospel, a violation of our hope and calling, and we pledge this church to oppose the deadly working of such bigotry, both within our own circles and in the society around us.”

 

Some have forgotten the grim reality of the past and are on the verge of repeating one of history’s most tragic acts of violence by allowing hateful narratives to fill our churches. Sadly, some Lutheran leaders have made statements that deny the legitimacy of Jewish identity and a safe place for Jews to live and thrive with dignity. This includes singling out the Jewish identity and Jewish state as a unique offender of human rights through movements that promote academic and cultural boycotts.

 

With the rise of antisemitism in the U.S. and abroad, it is time for a new generation to repudiate all forms of antisemitism, which includes any word or deed that denies the Jewish people a just right to equality, security, identity, or homeland. While the criticism of government policies is legitimate political discourse, forms of antisemitism often carry an exaggerated double standard.

 

Rejecting antisemitism and affirming solidarity with the Jewish people does not in any way deny the suffering and hardships of the Palestinian people. As peacemakers, we are committed to tearing down walls of hostility. 

 

Having acknowledged and rejected the evil of antisemitism in our past, we are deeply concerned about the present state of antisemitism within our nation, our communities, and even within our church. In response, we commit ourselves to be agents of reconciliation and peace by pledging to support initiatives that bring Jews and Arabs together, by rejecting the Boycott Divestment and Sanction of Israel, and by promoting dialogue between Christians and Jews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1]Irenaeus,Against Heresies, inThe Ante-Nicene Fathers,vol. 1, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 4.21.3; 3.21.1.

 

[2]Eric W. Gritsch, “Was Luther Anti-Semitic?”Christianity Today(Issue 39).