Resolution EC18to22MW 036

Resolved, That the Executive Council, meeting virtually from January 22, through January 25, 2021, acknowledges and repents its past support for white supremacy and the sins of the Church’s past in being complicit and upholding white supremacist ideologies and systems; we are called to notice and remove these sins from our current and future Church as we grapple with having benefitted from these sins;

Resolved, That the Executive Council is alarmed that white nationalism is increasingly on the rise and violent white supremacist groups are increasing in the number of those who believe in dangerous conspiracy theories, including members of Congress, high-level government officials, and influential media personalities;

Resolved, That the Executive Council recognizes how white Christian nationalism fuels and is fueled by white supremacy, most recently the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, which included sacred Christian symbols, signs, banners, and flags carried by the insurrectionists who declared allegiance to both Jesus and the former president, sometimes conflating the two;

Resolved, That the Executive Council seeks to learn from other leaders around the world (including religious leaders within and beyond our Anglican Communion partners) who play a role in deradicalization, helping possible violent extremists to reject their ideology and reintegrate into communities;

Resolved, That the Executive Council recognizes that The Episcopal Church is ideally situated to respond by preventing people from joining extremist groups, offering an alternative for those who have already joined, as well as by challenging and disrupting the ideology of those who cling to wicked ideologies, and expanding the possibility of reconciliation and forgiveness;

Resolved, That the Executive Council asks the Office of Government Relations and the Office for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations to consult with ecumenical and interfaith partners, Anglican Communion partners, and other departments in the DFMS to develop a plan for The Episcopal Church’s holistic response to Christian nationalism and violent white supremacy, and report its progress to the next meeting of Executive Council.

Possibilities for further engagement can include: 

• Development of resources and materials for parishes to identify those who are at risk of joining extremist groups and show them another way

• Development of resources and training materials to help those who are already members of those groups to walk away

• Scriptural exegesis of commonly used texts to justify white supremacy and/or oppression of any kind

• Partner with other Christian denominations to study how Christians are radicalized, explore best practices in deradicalization, and develop expertise within our traditions to address partners to further this issue