"And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die. And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts." Isaiah 22:12-14
Whereas, South Carolina's 1860 declaration in defense of its secession from the United States turns the Declaration of Independence on its head by asserting a liberty on the part of states to deny liberty to individuals, and
Whereas, the said declaration of 1860 expressly stated its opposition to federal policies that would have eventually ended slavery, and
Whereas, South Carolina broke the national covenant by secession, ignoring the fact that the Constitution did not specify whether the return of slave fugitives was to be enforced by state or federal government, and
Whereas, the people of South Carolina were complicit with Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens in his assertion that the subjugation of blacks by whites was approved by God, and
Whereas, South Carolina's Declaration takes the name of God in vain by appealing to him for the rectitude of the intentions of the Secession Convention, and
Whereas, many South Carolina Confederate monuments implicitly or explicitly perpetuate this libel, and
Whereas, subsequent to the failure of the Southern rebellion, South Carolina joined other states in denying African American citizens their rights through segregation, and
Whereas, the history of Confederate monuments runs alongside the history of segregation, and
Whereas, in the midst of national and state tragedies arising from the vile doctrine of white supremacy, some are advocating for new monuments to the Confederacy, and
Whereas, the South Carolina Heritage Act forbids the removal of Confederate monuments without approval of the legislature, and
Whereas, the Speaker of the House refuses to entertain discussion of removal of Confederate monuments,
I call on the governor and legislature of South Carolina to publicly repent of South Carolina's sins against the nation, against African Americans, and against God. I call for the church of Jesus Christ to condemn white supremacy and specifically the sin of honoring the war waged by the Confederate states on their own national government to preserve a system of white supremacy. I call for the people of South Carolina to set aside a day of fasting and humiliation for this shameful history that has not been repented of to this day.
