Declare your commitment to reject all forms of racism and antisemitism.
Raise Your Voice.
Our Commitment to Act.
In the spirit of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we, the undersigned, do hereby commit ourselves to combat antisemitism in our communities, nation, and the world. We believe that combating antisemitism requires more than pious phrases; it requires serious commitments.
-
As we seek to confront antisemitism, we do so humbly, aware of our own past sins. Micah 6:8 charges us to “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.” We confess with sorrow that Jews have suffered at the hands of Christians throughout much of our shared history. We not only acknowledge these failures of the past, but we also commit ourselves to actions consistent with turning from these ways. We recognize the unique place of the Jewish people in the purposes of God and in sacred history. We absolutely and without equivocation reject all theological justifications for antisemitism and all anti-Jewish activities.
-
The antisemitism that inspired the October 7th attack is not only Israel’s problem; it is our, the Church’s, problem. Paul the Apostle charged the church in Romans 12:14 to “weep with those who weep.” We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Jewish neighbors when they are attacked. We refuse to be “at ease” (Zech. 1:15) when Israel faces calamity. We recognize that while the pursuit of peace is paramount, there are circumstances where the use of force may be justified to protect the innocent and uphold justice. On those occasions, we pray that evil will be eradicated and peace restored.
-
In obedience to Psalm 122:6, we will regularly and consistently "pray for the peace of Jerusalem” and the prosperity of those who love her. We will pray for the victims of antisemitic violence and for those who suffer the pain and peril resulting from terrorist acts. We will pray that every plan for the destruction of the Jewish people and the Jewish State comes to nothing. In the Spirit of our Lord, we will follow the scriptural admonition to pray for the salvation of those who themselves are agents of terror.
-
We will not be silent as the German pastors were in the 1930s. We will loudly and publicly speak up when acts of antisemitism take place in our communities. That includes speaking to our congregations, city councils, school boards, and elected officials. It includes using our public voice to be advocates for our Jewish friends. We will not allow hate speech go unchallenged. In the tradition of the Hebrew prophets, we will call for political, civic, and business leaders to “let justice roll on like a river” (Amos 5:24).
-
We are responsible for the education of ourselves and the next generation about the threat of antisemitism. Just as God commanded Israel to remember and memorialize the past, we commit to make Biblical and historical education a pillar in our communities. We ensure that once the last of the Holocaust survivors die, the memory of that dark time does not die with them. We will learn from the past and change the future.
-
Scripture exhorts us, “If it is possible, as far as depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). This includes a commitment to civil discourse around painful, complex issues. We will challenge hate mongers and those who traffic in fear and bigotry on any side of these issues, doing everything we can to be peacemakers. Bridges of understanding between diverse communities can and will be built.
-
We commit to incorporate these principles into our local churches and spheres of influence, advocating for the security and wellbeing of Israel, as well as a “future and a hope” for the Palestinian people. Far too often, we have left vocal advocacy to individual efforts.
Just as Bonhoeffer sought to rouse and unify the Church, we commit to engagement with these principles as a Christian community. As local churches, we will seek strategic partnerships with organizations that are combating antisemitism and promoting Judeo-Christian values.
Sign the Declaration.
We resolve to live the aforementioned commitments by the grace of God. We understand that to do so may require great sacrifice of ourselves, just as it did Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who ultimately paid with his life. We soberly consider Psalm 15:4 which tells us that God honors those who “keep an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind.” To that end, we sign this Bonhoeffer Declaration.
Where We’ve Been.
1933 saw the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party in Germany. They were both a symptom of, and a catalyst for, the evil called antisemitism. One German pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, saw it for what it was, and resisted at extreme personal risk, rousing and mobilizing the church to stand against the demonic virus.
“The responsibility of the church is not just to bandage the victims under the wheel, but to stop the wheel itself.”
– DIETRICH BONHOEFFER
Few listened.
In fact, out of 18,000 pastors in Germany at the time, only 3,000 officially stood with Bonhoeffer.
Fewer raised their voice.
Largely, the Church was silent.
Where We Are.
Right now is our Bonhoeffer moment.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists murdered more than 1,200 people on Israeli soil, including dozens of children, and kidnapped more than 240 people. Innocent men, women, and children were tortured, raped, and killed in the most barbaric ways imaginable.
October 7th was the deadliest for Jews since the Holocaust.
And yet, rather than rallying the world to stand with and for the Jewish people, October 7 uncovered the antisemitism latent in our universities, government, and culture. Protests across the nation and world have condemned Israel rather than Hamas, blaming Jews for the violence against them. Just as in Nazi Germany, Jews feel unsafe in our cities and at times, even hide their Jewish identity to protect themselves.
The Christian community must never actively or passively support any racist or bigoted ideology.
Along with this commitment to stand against every form of racism, Christians bear a unique responsibility to combat the most ancient and pervasive form of racism, namely antisemitism.
Christians bear this unique responsibility for two reasons.
First, we owe our Christian heritage to the Jewish people. Throughout the centuries, they have faithfully stewarded God’s word to the patriarchs of the faith. As Romans 9:4–5 says, “To [the Jewish people] belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came . . . ” Because of all this, we owe the Jewish people, in the words of Jack Hayford, a “debt of gratitude.”
Second, the Church has often been complicit and, at times, an active agent in the propagation of racism through antisemitic theology and rhetoric. The most extensive genocide in history, the Holocaust, occurred in the cradle of Protest Christianity, namely, Germany, the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation. This shameful past requires Christians to humbly yet boldly work to eradicate antisemitism in our world.
The simultaneous gratitude and repentance we feel toward the Jews galvanizes our commitment to combat antisemitism. This is an expression of the Scripture’s call to fight hate, and we accept this responsibility with penitent hearts, inspired by the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Just as in Bonhoeffer's era, the Church is tempted to be silent when hate and antisemitism raise their head.
This silence is unacceptable. It is immoral and unbiblical. It is anti-Jesus and anti-Christ. We cannot sit quietly and leave unchallenged the existential threat Israel faces on its borders and the antisemitism Jews face around the world.
Heaven and History will judge our response.
Share with others.
Save these images and share on social media.
