Last week messengers to the 2019 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Birmingham, Alabama voted to adopt 13 resolutions, eight of which were related to ERLC concerns, issues, and legislative priorities. Here is a recap of the ERLC-related resolutions:
On Celebrating the Advancement of Pro-life Legislation in State Legislatures
This resolution:
- Reaffirms the sanctity of life in the womb; mourns recent actions by state legislatures that roll back protections for human life and expand abortion to the latest stages of a pregnancy;
- Condemns the decisions of Governors Andrew Cuomo of New York, Ralph Northam of Virginia, J. B. Pritzker of Illinois, and Roy Cooper of North Carolina who have demonstrated their antipathy toward the human dignity of the unborn;
- Celebrates recent bipartisan gains in state legislatures that restrict abortion and promote the sanctity of human life; commends Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana and Republican Governors Kay Ivey of Alabama, Michael Parson of Missouri, Mike DeWine of Ohio, and Brian Kemp of Georgia for their courage in defending unborn human life against destruction;
- Urges the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn Roe v. Wade so that more states can be empowered to protect by law the human dignity of the most vulnerable.
On the Evil of Sexual Abuse
This resolution:
- Condemns all forms of sexual abuse;
- Caments any and all instances of sexual abuse, particularly in a church setting, and expresses appreciation to journalists, victims, and survivors who have brought to light the sexually immoral rot that has existed within churches, including some that identify as Southern Baptist;
- Calls on Southern Baptists to create a culture where victims can not only share about their abuse with the assurance of protection, but also receive care while church leaders fulfill their obligation to implement policies and practices that protect against and confront any form of abuse in the future;
- Implores sexual abuse victims to contact civil authorities, to separate from their abusers, and to seek protection, care, and support from fellow Christians and civil authorities as they are able;
- Asks civil authorities, in the implementation of due process for the accused, to review laws, in consultation with social workers and trauma counselors, to ensure that privacy laws do not prevent the pursuit of justice on behalf of the abused, and that statutes of limitations (criminal and civil) do not unduly protect perpetrators of sexual abuse and individuals who enabled them;
- Calls on all persons perpetrating and enabling sexual abuse to repent and to confess their sin to Jesus Christ and to church authorities, and to confess their crimes to civil authorities;
- Implores all persons to act decisively on matters of abuse, to immediately report allegations of sexual abuse to civil authorities according to the laws of their state, to intervene on behalf of the abused, to do everything possible to ensure their safety, and to exercise appropriate church discipline upon abusers;
- Urges churches and their leaders to develop partnerships within their communities to serve the abused, calling on government officials to strengthen laws that maintain justice and protections for the vulnerable in our society.
On Religious Persecution and Human Rights Violations in North Korea and China
This resolution:
- Commits to praying for the end of any form of persecution in China and North Korea, and for the North Korean regime and the Communist Party of China to cease persecution of their citizens; ;
- Condemns the Communist Party of China and the Kim Jong-un dynasty for their extreme religious persecution and flagrant human rights violations;
- Calls upon the United States government to elevate religious liberty as a top priority of American foreign policy in its engagement with North Korea and China;
- Calls on the international community to elevate religious liberty as a top human rights priority and to cooperate to improve the lives of all persecuted religious minorities around the world, including persecuted Christians;
- Calls for all Southern Baptists and our brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for the relief of persecution of those in China and North Korea, and that the Lord would continue to bring many people to Himself in these two nations.
On Sexuality and Personal Identity
This resolution:
- Recommends that Christians refrain from describing themselves or embracing a self-identity in ways that suggest affirmation of sinful desires or unbiblical social constructs (Matthew 5:27–30; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5);
- Calls on all Christians who struggle against same-sex attraction to forsake any self-conception or personal identity that is contrary to God’s good and holy purposes in creation and redemption;
- Commends the faithful witness of Christians who experience same-sex attraction, who remain chaste out of faithfulness to Christ, and whose costly obedience Jesus promises to reward (Matthew 16:24–26; 19:29);
- Affirms that God’s grace provides both pardon and power so that a follower of Jesus Christ can mortify sinful desires and walk in a manner worthy of the gospel (1 Corinthians 10:13;
- Calls on Southern Baptists churches to call sinners to repentance while ministering, encouraging, fostering hospitality, and extending Christlike love toward those brothers and sisters who experience same-sex attraction.
On Biblical Justice
This resolution:
- Commits Southern Baptists to be holy as our Father in heaven is holy (Leviticus 11:45; 19:2; 1 Peter 1:16);
- Commits Southern Baptists to pray for the glory of God to fill the earth and for justice to be an overflowing stream for all people;
- Commits Southern Baptists to we grieve the reality of brokenness, resulting from sin, that is present throughout our world and subjects God’s image bearers to oppression and injustice, resulting in pain and burdens that inhibit human flourishing;
- Commits Southern Baptists to reject solutions for social brokenness that depend upon ideas that are antithetical to the Christian faith, for they ignore the lasting transformation only found in the gospel;
- Commits Southern Baptists to address injustices through gospel proclamation, by advocating for people who are oppressed and face wrongs against them, acting justly in our own dealings, and by insisting that spheres of society should operate according to “principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love” (The Baptist Faith and Message, Article XV);
- Commits Southern Baptists to address people who have been negatively impacted by oppressive realities, and that this love and compassion lead us to apply the sufficiency and fullness of the gospel message to their situation;
On Expanding the Selective Service to Include Women
This resolution:
- Urges the President and Congress not to expand the Selective Service to include women, which would be to act against the plain testimony of Scripture and nature;
- Affirms the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention resolution “On Women Registering for the Draft.”
On Opposing Human Germline Editing
This resolution:
- Condemns human germline alteration;
- Calls on the United States Congress to pass legislation that would make human germline modification unfundable by tax dollars and illegal in the United States;
- Calls on international policy-making bodies to develop treaties, declarations, and other necessary policies to make human germline manipulation unfundable and illegal.
On Gospel Allegiance and Political Engagement
This resolution:
- Affirms that our commitment to Christ comes before commitment to any political party;
- Recognizes that Southern Baptists are a diverse convention of churches whose members hold various political affiliations and views, and therefore, the Convention does not endorse any political party or candidate, but rather calls on all Southern Baptists to continually evaluate their political cooperation in light of Scripture’s witness;
- Affirms our appreciation for those Christian leaders in government who have worked to secure our liberties and advance biblical principles in government and simultaneously demonstrate primary commitment to the church’s mission;
- Commits Southern Baptists to work cooperatively, where we can, with politically elected officials as a means of fulfilling the Great Commission;
- Acknowledges the danger of political engagement overwhelming the priority of our mission;
- Acknowledges the opposite danger of disengaging from public issues and disregarding our obligation as citizens to encourage good, restrain evil, and thereby love our neighbors;
- Commits Southern Baptists to refuse to compromise the reputation of Christ and the clarity of the gospel message, regardless of perceived political implications or potential loss of religious liberty;
- Commits Southern Baptists to model and encourage voices of truth, kindness, and gentleness, rather than those that stir up hostility, strife, dissensions, and factions;
- Commits Southern Baptists to guard against binding the consciences of believers to support policies, vote for candidates, or engage politically in ways that exceed what Scripture requires;
- Commits Southern Baptists to reaffirm our confidence in the sufficiency of prayer and proclamation of the Word to accomplish God’s purposes among His people as we teach them to obey all Jesus’ commands and equip them to serve as salt and light in society.
