2017 SBC Resolutions

RESOLUTION 1: ON PRAYER

WHEREAS, Scripture reveals Jesus engaging in prayer on many occasions (Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16); and

WHEREAS, The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1); and

WHEREAS, Jesus taught His disciples a model prayer to help them know how to pray (Luke 11:2–4); and

WHEREAS, Jesus prayed for Himself, His disciples, and His future disciples (John 17:1–26); and

WHEREAS, Jesus instructed His disciples that some of the most demanding spiritual work of the church requires prayer (Mark 9:14–29); and

WHEREAS, Fasting is often associated with times of concerted prayer in Scripture (Daniel 10:3; Esther 4:16; Acts 14:21–23); and

WHEREAS, Scripture commands God’s people: “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face always” (Psalm 105:4); and

WHEREAS, Psalms is primarily a book of prayer; and

WHEREAS, Prayer is the principal means of communicating and communing with God; and

WHEREAS, God answers the prayers of His people in accordance to His will (1 John 5:14–15); and

WHEREAS, Scripture records great acts of God in response to the prayers of His people (1 Kings 18:36–39; Acts 4:23–31); and

WHEREAS, Jesus taught His disciples to pray without ceasing (Luke 18:1–5); and

WHEREAS, The apostles considered prayer to be one of their two highest priorities (Acts 6:4); and

WHEREAS, Scripture teaches that God works in response to prayer (Matthew 7:7–11; James 5:16); and

WHEREAS, Every great revival has been preceded by God’s people praying; and

WHEREAS, Regular corporate prayer is essential to the life of the local church and regular personal prayer is essential to the life of the believer (Acts 2:42–47; 1 Thessalonians 5:17–18; Philippians 4:4–7); and

WHEREAS, Scripture teaches that the chief enemy of the praying believer is Satan (Daniel 10:10–14; Ephesians 6:10–18; 1 Peter 5:8); and

WHEREAS, The theme of the 2017 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention encourages us to “Pray! For Such a Time as This,” and President Steve Gaines called us to fast and pray for the twenty-one days leading up to the annual meeting; and

WHEREAS, Prayer guides and additional resources for prayer are available at SBC.net/InAllThingsPray; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 13–14, 2017, confess and repent of any lack of prayer in our own lives and our churches; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we ask God to search our hearts and show us if there is any hindrance in us to His work in and through us for His glory; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commit to pray and urge our fellow Southern Baptists to join us in prayer for the next twenty-one days, leading up to July 4th, for God to be merciful to Southern Baptists, empoweringnus anew with His Holy Spirit to be His witnesses in our communities, states, nation, and world; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call on all Southern Baptists to make an ongoing commitment to spend at least fifteen minutes of every day in prayer, to the best of our ability, and to fast as a regular discipline, as we are able, in order to resist the desires of the flesh and focus on the things of the Spirit; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we join together in pleading with God for a great outpouring of His Spirit, leading to a revival of the churches to the end that many millions will come to faith in Jesus, be added to our churches, and dedicate themselves to following His will.

RESOLUTION 2: ON THE FIVE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION

WHEREAS, October 31, 2017, marks the five hundredth anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation with Martin Luther’s nailing of the Ninety-Five Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany; and

WHEREAS, The Reformation stressed a return to the sufficiency and primacy of Scripture as the supreme guide for faith and practice in the church of Jesus Christ; and

WHEREAS, The Reformation was driven by the biblical conviction that sinners are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone based on Scripture alone to the glory of God alone; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists trace much of their theological heritage to the events, figures, and principles of the Magisterial Reformation and the Radical Reformation; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists particularly value the principles of the Reformation that inspired subsequent generations of Baptists to advocate for the religious liberty of all people; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 13–14, 2017, express our gratitude to God for the courage and conviction of our Reformation forebears; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves anew to the biblical convictions of the Reformation, calling all people everywhere to personal repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as taught by holy Scripture; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we will promote the sufficiency of Scripture, the power of Christ’s grace, and the personal accountability of all humanity before God even as we advocate for the fundamental right of all people to exercise religious liberty; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we will proclaim the priority and preeminence of Christ and His kingdom above all earthly powers to the glory of God alone.

RESOLUTION 3: ON THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

WHEREAS, For its first seven decades, the Southern Baptist Convention carried out its work between annual meetings through numerous ad hoc committees, electing as many as thirty-three committees in a given year; and

WHEREAS, The Convention recognized that such a cumbersome organizational structure was inadequate to accomplish its ministry purposes in the twentieth century; and

WHEREAS, In 1916, a messenger from Texas moved that the Convention “establish one strong Executive Board which shall direct all of the work and enterprises fostered and promoted by this Convention”; and

WHEREAS, Following a year of study, with input from Southern Baptists, many expressing opposition to such centralized power, a proposal was made to establish an Executive Committee with limited authority to help coordinate the Convention’s work; and

WHEREAS, On May 17, 1917, during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting held in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention was created; and

WHEREAS, In 1927, the Convention enlarged the Executive Committee’s scope of duties to include acting ad interim on behalf of the Convention and recommending an operating budget for the Southern Baptist Convention each year and the allocation of Cooperative Program funds to SBC entities; and

WHEREAS, Over the years the Executive Committee shepherded the fledgling Cooperative Program; helped avert a Convention-wide financial crisis in the early twentieth century; initiated Bold Mission Thrust, a campaign adopted by the SBC in 1978 “to enable every person in the world to have the opportunity to hear and to respond to the Gospel of Christ by the year 2000”; led in the adoption of the Covenant for a New Century (1995–1997) with its attendant streamlining of SBC entities; appointed numerous advisory councils to broaden representation and participation of people from numerous ethnic minority and language groups within Convention life; and continues to champion the Cooperative Program as the most effective means of mobilizing our churches and extending our cooperative outreach into the twenty-first century; and

WHEREAS, The SBC Organization Manual states, “The Executive Committee continues to exist to minister to the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention by acting for the Convention ad interim in all matters not otherwise provided for in a manner that encourages the cooperation and confidence of the churches, associations, and state conventions and facilitates maximum support for worldwide missions and ministries”; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 13–14, 2017, give thanks to God for His providence in the establishment of the Executive Committee one hundred years ago; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we honor the thousands of men and women who have served the Southern Baptist Convention through the “behind the scenes” work of the Executive Committee; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend the Executive Committee for almost a century of promotion of the Cooperative Program and its faithful and continued partnership with Southern Baptist churches, SBC entities, associations, state conventions, ethnic minority fellowships, and other affinity groups; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we encourage the Executive Committee to continue to champion support for the worldwide ministries of the cooperating churches of the Southern Baptist Convention until the day of our Lord’s glorious return.

RESOLUTION 4: ON UNIVERSITY MINISTRY

WHEREAS, Many of the next generation of leaders are being trained on college and university campuses across America; and

WHEREAS, American higher education is becoming increasingly secular, leading to educational systems that are further removed from a biblical worldview; and

WHEREAS, There are millions of students on campuses who, apart from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, will spend an eternity in hell; and

WHEREAS, University ministry during the twentieth century became influenced by parachurch ministries that did not always connect students to the vital, life-giving work of the local church; and

WHEREAS, Scripture calls us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16–20), including those that come to America for education; and

WHEREAS, Our Lord called us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, necessitating a comprehensive approach to evangelism and discipleship (Matthew 22:34–39); and

WHEREAS, Many secularists and non-Christians unapologetically seek to win the next generation to their worldviews, training them to shed their religious beliefs and embrace an agnostic, atheistic, or non-exclusivistic approach to life and thought; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have historically acted with Gospel urgency and serious financial commitment to reach students on their local campuses through numerous ministry initiatives such as Baptist Collegiate Ministry (currently serving 860 campuses), collegiate ministry resources produced by LifeWay, myMISSION by Woman’s Missionary Union, as well as the more recent Collegiate Church Planting initiative of the North American Mission Board; and

WHEREAS, The moral decay of our culture and the secularization of America compels Southern Baptists to reach college students for Christ; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 13–14, 2017, recognize the tremendous Gospel opportunity on college campuses across America; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we urge our fellow Southern Baptists to devote considerable prayer, strategy, and investment in evangelistic and discipleship endeavors by strengthening existing works and increasing the connection between campus ministries and the local church.

RESOLUTION 5: ON THE NECESSITY OF PENAL SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT

WHEREAS, In recent days numerous voices from the Protestant world have boldly attacked the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement; and

WHEREAS, These voices have publicly labeled penal substitution “monstrous,” “evil,” “a terrible doctrine,” and indicative of “the Father murdering a son”; and

WHEREAS, The “anti-violence” model of the cross of Christ weakens the Bible’s teaching by recasting the atonement as a basis for pacifism (in contradiction of Romans 13:4); and

WHEREAS, God is perfect in His holiness (Isaiah 6:3) and perfect in His justice (Deuteronomy 32:4), as He is also perfect in His love (1 John 4:8); and

WHEREAS, On the cross of Christ Jesus the perfect love of God perfectly applies the perfect justice of God to satisfy the perfect holiness of God in order to redeem sinners (Romans 3:26); and

WHEREAS, The denial of penal substitutionary atonement in effect denies the holy and loving God the exercise of His justice, the overflow of which in a sinful world is the outpouring of His just retributive wrath; and

WHEREAS, The denial of penal substitutionary atonement thus displays in effect the denial of the perfect character of the one true God; and

WHEREAS, The denial of penal substitutionary atonement constitutes false teaching that leads the flock astray (Acts 20:28) and leaves the world without a message of a sin-cleansing Savior (Romans 5:6–11); and

WHEREAS, The denial of penal substitutionary atonement necessarily compromises the biblical and historical doctrines of propitiation, expiation, ransom, satisfaction, Christus Victor, Christus Exemplar, and more; and

WHEREAS, The Lord promised a warrior-savior who would crush the head of the serpent to obliterate the enemy (Genesis 3:15; Romans 16:20; Revelation 19:11–16); and

WHEREAS, The sacrificial system of the Old Testament culminated in the blood sacrifice of a spotless lamb on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:11–19); and

WHEREAS, Jesus Himself unveiled the salvific mission that necessitated His incarnation (Hebrews 2:17) when He said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28); and

WHEREAS, The confession of the Scriptures is that Christ is our passive and active righteousness, forgiving all our sin by His death and imputing to us all His righteousness through faith (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9); and

WHEREAS, An apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ called the shed blood of the Savior “precious” (1 Peter 1:19); and

WHEREAS, The Bible teaches that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” of sin (Hebrews 9:22); and

WHEREAS, Baptist pastor-theologians and scholars with differing soteriological convictions have made the preaching of the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ the foundation of their ministry, heralding the Good News all over this world; and

WHEREAS, Countless missionaries and martyrs of the Christian faith have laid down their lives in order to tell fellow sinners about the death of Christ for the wicked, thus obeying the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16–20); and

WHEREAS, Baptists preach the cross of Christ, sing about the cross, cling to the cross, share the cross, love the cross, and take up their own crosses to follow their Lord, even as the world despises His cross and the proclaimers of His cross; and

WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith & Message was revised in 2000, incorporating for the first time the language of substitution to make plain what evangelical Baptists have long since preached and believed; and

WHEREAS, Around the throne of God into all eternity, the redeemed from every tribe, tongue, ethnicity, and nation will cry out, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain !” (Revelation 5:12, ESV); now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 13–14, 2017, reaffirm the truthfulness, efficacy, and beauty of the biblical doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement as the burning core of the Gospel message and the only hope of a fallen race.

RESOLUTION 6: ON DEFUNDING AND INVESTIGATING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

WHEREAS, Scripture clearly affirms the sanctity of human life throughout all stages of development (Psalm 139:13–16); and

WHEREAS, God abhors the shedding of innocent blood and requires His people to do all in their power to rescue persons from such acts (Proverbs 6:16–17; 24:11–12); and

WHEREAS, In The Baptist Faith & Message and in many resolutions Southern Baptists have repeatedly affirmed our commitment to the sanctity of human life; and

WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates were responsible for 328,348 abortions in America in fiscal year 2015/16, according to its latest annual report, representing an increase of more than 4,300 abortions from the prior year, making PPFA and its affiliates America’s leading abortionists; and

WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood’s total revenues in fiscal year 2015/16 were $1.354 billion, including $555 million from federal government funding, record highs for both categories, resulting in a profit of $77 million; and

WHEREAS, According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Planned Parenthood’s advocacy and political arms, employees, and family members of employees spent more than $38 million in the last four years to elect political candidates sympathetic with their immoral policy objectives; and

WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood’s latest annual report indicates it performs more abortions than cancer screenings, demonstrating the central role abortion plays in the immoral enterprise of this organization; and

WHEREAS, In July 2015, investigative journalists with the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) began releasing a series of undercover videos in which various senior leaders of Planned Parenthood spoke in astonishingly frank, horrific, and euphemistic ways about unborn babies, their use of illegal abortion methods, and their harvesting of tissues and organs of unborn babies to further profit from the practice of abortion; and

WHEREAS, Contrary to claims by Planned Parenthood and its allies that the videos were edited in a manner to portray falsely the participants’ intent, the veracity of the videos has been verified by two different experts, one of whom was commissioned by PPFA; and

WHEREAS, For their efforts in exposing the illegal activities of Planned Parenthood and others in the abortion industry, leaders of CMP have been subjected to censorship of their videos, politically motivated lawsuits, criminal charges, and continuing legal jeopardy, including being held in contempt of court for recently releasing new undercover videos; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. House of Representatives Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee have each made criminal referrals to the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation after each found evidence that Planned Parenthood and others in the abortion industry may have violated federal law by the use of illegal abortion methods, including late-term, partial-birth, and born-alive abortions, and the procurement of fetal tissue for profit; and

WHEREAS, Although in 2015, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 241–187 to approve H.R. 3134, Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015, the legislation has languished and Planned Parenthood continues to receive more than half a billion dollars each year from the federal government; and

WHEREAS, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention has made defunding Planned Parenthood one of its ten legislative priorities for 2017; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 13–14, 2017, reaffirm our absolute commitment to the sanctity of human life; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we denounce the immoral agenda and practices of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates, especially their role in the unjust killing each year of more than 300,000 precious unborn babies, its use of particularly gruesome illegal abortion methods, and its profiteering from harvesting unborn babies’ tissues and organs; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Congress to defund Planned Parenthood immediately and completely of all federal government support and that all state and local government funding that supports Planned Parenthood be withdrawn immediately and permanently; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the U.S. Department of Justice to pursue criminal charges against Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates for their use of illegal abortion methods, trafficking in and profiting from the harvesting of unborn babies’ tissues and organs, and any other actions that may be in violation of federal law; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we commend the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention for prioritizing in its 2017 legislative agenda the defunding of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates and encourage the Commission to distribute this resolution to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, and all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, imploring their immediate attention to this urgent matter.

RESOLUTION 7: ON THE SIN OF GAMBLING

WHEREAS, The Southern Baptist Convention has a long history of opposing gambling in its various forms, such as casinos, lotteries, racing, and other gambling schemes; and

WHEREAS, Gambling violates the principle of neighbor-love, necessitating the financial loss and harm of many for the gain of a few, enjoying entertainment at the expense of others (Exodus 20:17; 22:21; Leviticus 25:17; Deuteronomy 22:1–4; Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Romans 13:8–10; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8); and

WHEREAS, Gambling violates the principle of lordship, tempting individuals to trust chance rather than God, who provides for the needs of “the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45; 6:24; Philippians 4:18–19; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 9:8–12; Colossians 3:17; 1 Timothy 6:17–18); and

WHEREAS, Gambling violates the principle of work, looking to gain something for nothing, hoping for easy money rather than pursuing responsible industry, investment, and labor (Genesis 1:28; Exodus 20:9; Psalm 104:23; 128:2; Ecclesiastes 2:24; 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12; 2 Thessalonians 3:7–12); and

WHEREAS, Gambling violates the principle of the civil magistrate, causing governments to prey on their own citizens through state-sponsored gambling rather than protecting them and seeking their good (Proverbs 8:15–16; Amos 5:10–13; Romans 13:4; 1 Timothy 2:1–2; 1 Peter 2:13–15); and

WHEREAS, Gambling violates the principle of contentment, enticing individuals to greed and covetousness in the hope that in winning, others will lose financially (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21; Luke 12:15; Romans 7:7–8; Colossians 3:5; 1 Timothy 6:9–10; Hebrews 13:5); and

WHEREAS, Gambling violates the principle of stewardship, encouraging reckless and careless speculation with resources entrusted by the Lord while disregarding the same Lord who provides for all human needs (Matthew 6:19–34; 1 Timothy 6:17–18; 1 Peter 4:1–11); and

WHEREAS, Gambling violates the principle of the Golden Rule, attempting to do to others what you do not want them to do to you (Matthew 7:12); and

WHEREAS, Gambling violates the principle of freedom, inciting destructive desires and enslaving many to habits that lead to financial ruin and broken relationships (Galatians 5:13–21); now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 13–14, 2017, condemn gambling in all its forms; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge our leaders at all levels of government to end state-sponsored gambling, to curtail all forms of destructive gambling, and to address its harmful effects through policy and legislation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage our Convention leaders, entities, and pastors to continue to educate Southern Baptists on the deceptive sin of gambling; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we urge our fellow Southern Baptists and all other followers of Christ not to participate in the sin of gambling.

RESOLUTION 8: ON THE IMPORTANCE OF MORAL LEADERSHIP

WHEREAS, Scripture declares, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34); and

WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith and Message says, “Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love”; and

WHEREAS, Current attitudes and practices in some segments of American life in such important areas as sex, marriage, money, and power reveal that American society is in moral decline; and

WHEREAS, God judges or blesses nations based on their morality (Genesis 6:5–13; Jonah 1:1–2; Micah 6:8); and

WHEREAS, God’s Word provides guidance for living a moral life that pleases God and brings His blessing (Proverbs 3:1–8); and

WHEREAS, Leaders in every walk of life in America, such as church, government, and business, have destroyed their careers and brought shame to themselves, their families, and friends because of poor moral choices; and

WHEREAS, Regardless of their political, social, or economic status, our leaders should set a positive example for every American citizen by living and serving according to the highest moral and ethical standards; and

WHEREAS, The church has the responsibility in every season to proclaim to the culture the moral standards of God as revealed in His Word, not as legalists but as advocates of Christ’s transformative grace (Matthew 5:13–16; Mark 6:18; 2 Timothy 4:1-5); now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 13–14, 2017, express our appreciation to those leaders in all walks of life who have chosen to live according to God’s moral standards; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we express our gratitude and support for those public officials who have displayed consistent moral character and uncompromising commitment to biblical principles of right and wrong, resulting in blessing upon the people they serve; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend those leaders who choose not to meet privately with members of the opposite sex who are not their spouses in order to ensure that they leave no room for temptation to lead them astray and to avoid any suspicion of wrongdoing (Proverbs 4:23–27); and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call on all leaders in every walk of life to conduct themselves, to the best of their ability, according to the moral standards set forth by God’s revealed truth; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commit to pray for our nation’s leaders to be able to resist every temptation that would create a hindrance to the fulfillment of their calling in society; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we pledge to hold ourselves to the same high moral standards that we require of our leaders; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commit to pray that God will help us and all our fellow citizens to embrace the biblical moral values that will honor our creation in God’s image and bring God’s blessing on our nation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we will endeavor to serve as examples to others of the blessings of living in accordance with God’s moral guidance; and be it further

RESOLVED, That in order “to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love,” we commit to “be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising [our] loyalty to Christ and His truth” (The Baptist Faith and Message); and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we reaffirm, “Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ” (The Baptist Faith and Message).

RESOLUTION 9: ON APPRECIATION

WHEREAS, The messengers to the 160th session of the Southern Baptist Convention are enjoying a time of worship, encouragement, and fellowship in the Lord Jesus Christ; and

WHEREAS, We acknowledge God’s providence in all these blessings; and

WHEREAS, We also acknowledge the kind hospitality of the people of Phoenix, Arizona; and

WHEREAS, We further acknowledge our local Southern Baptist churches, associational leaders, staff of the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention, SBC committees, staffs of SBC entities, and hundreds of volunteers from the Phoenix area who have worked so diligently to make our stay a pleasant one; and

WHEREAS, We especially acknowledge the Lord’s grace in enabling our SBC president, officers, various committees, musicians, and other platform personnel to conduct the affairs of this Convention with dignity and a Christ-like spirit; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 13–14, 2017, express our profound gratitude to the Lord and to all those through whom He is working to bring about an annual meeting characterized by prayer, grace, evangelism, worship, encouragement, cooperation, and purpose.

RESOLUTION 10: ON THE ANTI-GOSPEL OF ALT-RIGHT WHITE SUPREMACY

WHEREAS, Scripture teaches, “From one man [God] has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live” (Acts 17:26); and

WHEREAS, The Psalmist proclaimed, “The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the LORD” (Psalm 24:1); and

WHEREAS, The Apostle Peter said, “God doesn’t show favoritism, but in every nation the person who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him” (Acts 10:34–35); and

WHEREAS, Our justification before God is based on faith in Christ Jesus alone and not in our ethnicity (Galatians 3:27–28); and

WHEREAS, Scripture proclaims that Jesus is purchasing by His blood believers “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9); and

WHEREAS, Throughout eternity we will gather with a “multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language” in worship of our risen Savior (Revelation 7:9); and

WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith and Message conveys that all Christians are obligated to make the will of Christ supreme in their own lives and in human society, opposing all forms of racism, selfishness, and vice, and bringing government and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love; and

WHEREAS, We know from our Southern Baptist history the effects of the horrific sins of racism and hatred; and

WHEREAS, In 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention repudiated “historic acts of evil, such as slavery,” committed “to eradicate racism in all its forms from Southern Baptist life and ministry,” and “genuinely repent[ed] of racism of which we have been guilty, whether consciously or unconsciously”; and

WHEREAS, In recent years the Convention has nominated and elected individuals from a variety of ethnicities, including electing our first African-American president in 2012; and

WHEREAS, In recent resolutions the Southern Baptist Convention called on “all Christian men and women to pray and labor for the day when our Lord will set all things right and racial prejudice and injustice will be no more” (2014); expressed continued grief “over the presence of racism and the recent escalation of racial tension in our nat