The old joke says often with good reason that
wherever there are two Baptists, there are sure to be
three opinions.
However, Southern Baptists proved the cliche wrong last week,
approving nine resolutions without so much as a moment of discussion or a sign
of dissent.
The old joke says often with good reason that
wherever there are two Baptists, there are sure to be
three opinions.
However, Southern Baptists proved the cliche wrong last week,
approving nine resolutions without so much as a moment of discussion or a sign
of dissent.
Southern Baptist Convention Resolutions Committee Chair Danny
Akin admitted that was “pretty unusual.” But he also said he thought it showed
Southern Baptists “are very much of one mind on the issues (the resolutions
address).”
The issues presented to messengers at the 2001 Southern Baptist
Convention were not the headline-making one of the past but they did
focus on current and ongoing concerns.
Messengers addressed those concerns in easy fashion. The whole
process took less than 15 minutes, making a second session for considering resolutions
unnecessary.
In addition to a traditional statement of appreciation for
convention organizers, the resolutions take strong stands on:
Covenant marriage. The approved statement affirms the
sacredness of marriage and the devastating impact of divorce. “The disintegration
of marriage has tragic implications for the future of our churches and our nation,”
it reads.
In response, the resolution affirms the current covenant marriage
movement in many states and encourages its spread. The movement seeks to impose
a higher standard of marriage on persons seeking licenses, requiring types of
counseling and setting tougher guidelines for divorce.
The resolution urges persons to commit to the biblical principles
of covenant marriage and calls on churches to “celebrate enthusiastically and
emphasize annually” the third Sunday in February as Covenant Marriage Sunday.
Human cloning. The approved resolution repudiates the
movement towards cloning human beings. It urges a “permanent, comprehensive”
ban on human cloning, including that involving human embryos. It also calls
for severe penalties for attempts at human cloning.
Genocide in Sudan. The resolution outlines the tragic
impact of an 18-year genocidal war in Sudan that has resulted in the deaths
of some 2 million people. The war is fueled by an extremist Islamic regime that
“increasingly has tortured, maimed, raped, enslaved and murdered Christian men,
women and children who refuse to deny their faith,” it says.
In response, the resolution calls on Southern Baptists to be
educated about the situation, to pray regularly for those in Sudan and to support
the delivery of relief aid to the nation.
It also urges use of every appropriate means to “compel the
government of Sudan to stop these vicious attributes and ongoing violations
of religious freedom.”
Hunger relief. The resolution cites the biblical basis
for responding to the needs of the hungry. It notes that if every Southern Baptist
gave just $1 per month through the convention hunger offering, gifts would multiply
18 times. The statement urges all Southern Baptists to support the convention
hunger fund in a systematic fashion, encouraging them to consider practicing
the biblical discipline of gleaning.
Internet pornography. The approved resolution decries
the impact of pornography and notes that the Internet has become a primary vehicle
for the spread of porn.
It urges persons to commit to lives of sexual purity “in thought
and action,” urges churches to address the issue of pornography during Social
Issues Sunday on August 5, calls on churches to educate others about dangers
of porn and calls on public libraries to use filters to protect Internet users.
The resolution also encourages each person to use Internet
filters or providers that provide protection and calls on government agencies
to “enact and enforce laws that protect our homes and communities from the transmission
of pornographic material over the Internet.”
Euthanasia in the Netherlands. The resolution notes
the Netherlands is the first democratic country to legalize active euthanasia.
In response, it affirms the sacredness of life and decries legalized euthanasia
as “immoral ethically, unnecessary medically and unconscionable socially.”
It pleads the Netherlands to reverse its action and urges others
nations to resist the move to legalize euthanasia.
Discrimination against military chaplains. The
approved resolution notes that a current lawsuit contends the Navy has discriminated
against Southern Baptist and other evangelical chaplains. It renounces such
unconstitutional treatment and urges the Navy to implement policies that guarantee
free religious practice.
Protecting free speech in campaign finance legislation.
The resolution notes that some proposed versions of campaign finance reform
legislation “threaten free-
dom of political speech by restricting individuals and
organizations from exercising their divinely granted and constitutionally-protected
right to their consciences in the public square.”
It objects to “any attempts to abridge the free speech rights
of any American citizen or group” and reaffirms Southern Baptist commitment
to freedom of political speech.
In a subsequent news conference, Akin explained the resolution
should not be construed as opposition to campaign finance reform but to measures
that would threaten free speech. Akin is dean of the school of theology at Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
He also stressed the importance of the cloning resolution as
a means of putting Southern Baptists on the “front end” of the issue. “We wanted
to make sure Southern Baptists were on record on where we stood on this issue,”
Akin said.
The committee chair also responded to several questions related
to covenant marriage.
Akin made it clear he supports covenant marriage and
thinks all pastors should. Indeed, ministers should be doing everything possible
to help couples get off to a good start in marriage and to help them maintain
a strong marriage.
“If ministers are not doing that, they ought to be ashamed
of themselves, …” he said. “If ministers are not taking a stand on this, they
ought to be ashamed.”
It was noted that states offering voluntary covenant marriage
licenses have not seen strong response from couples or strong support
from many churches.
“If I was pastoring in (a state offering covenant marriage),
I would not marry anyone who did not go the covenant marriage route, …” Akin
said. “As a minister, would I marry someone who would not take that step? No,
I would not.”
Akin also was asked why the committee did not act on a messenger
resolution that called for observance of a Heterosexual Family Pride Month,
in response to the Gay Pride Month of recent years.
He suggested the covenant marriage resolution offers a positive
statement on marriage and the family instead. “Southern Baptists are on record
several times saying we believe homosexual is a sinful lifestyle., …” Akin
noted. “As a result, we did not feel a need to speak to that again.”
Akin said God loves homosexuals and Southern Baptists
should as well. “We can say to them, We dont agree with your lifestyle,
without taking out a sledgehammer and beating them over the head. Theres
no need for that.”