World Relief Calls on Church to Rise Up for Biblical Justice in the Face of Ongoing Racism

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
June 3, 2020

CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734

BALTIMORE – World Relief has worked for over 75 years in the U.S. and in 100 countries throughout the world to stand with vulnerable people of every background. Today, we stand grieving in the face of the effects of the racial injustices that have, for too long, plagued our own nation.

Sadly, racism is not new, but we have been reminded in the last few weeks of the tragic effects it has on society and culture. We are grieved by the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, and our hearts cry out for their families and the families of the many others brutally killed, the latest of many victims in a society that continues to be marred by systemic racism.

We are grieved for our own staff as well as those whom we have served, including many refugees and other immigrants, who have experienced racism firsthand. The Bible is unequivocal when it comes to human dignity before God. We stand with nonviolent protesters to decry the evil of racism wherever it may exist.

As an organization and as individuals, we call on the church body around the world to condemn racism in all its forms, to repent for its silence, stand up for biblical justice, and renew our calling to minister and stand with the vulnerable, oppressed and hurting among us. Specifically, we acknowledge that the white church in the United States (of which many of us are a part) has too often sanctified and supported institutional racism and we repent of our complicity.

We celebrate and stand in solidarity with the many thousands of people bringing their voice of protest by peaceful means across the country, even as we decry those who have done so with violence. And while the administration’s call for restoring law and order is on the surface valid, we passionately disagree with the way it is both threatened (via military force) and carried out. World Relief CEO Tim Breene adds; “Without an equal and enduring commitment to address the systemic racism and injustice thrown into stark relief by the coronavirus epidemic and the brutal killing of George Floyd, and without a commitment to reconsider policies and positions that continue to further oppress marginalized communities in America, these actions will only continue to divide us as a nation.”

For our part, we at World Relief resolve to listen to and elevate the voices of the marginalized and to advocate for policies that seek justice for those who are particularly vulnerable in the U.S. and around the world.

We ask God to teach us how to live out these values at World Relief in ways that are ever more true to His calling and to His heart.

Download the PDF version of this press release.

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About World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

Learn more at worldrelief.org.