Every 5 years the Baptist World Alliance meets in general assembly. In 2005, that gathering was in Birmingham England, which marked the 100th anniversary of the first Baptist World Alliance meeting London, England. Both meetings, incidentally, repeated in unison as a commitment to one another and their common Lord the entire Apostle’s Creed. So much for being a non-creedal tradition. The present Baptist World Alliance represents over a hundred million worshipers in well over 150 countries. The General Secretary of CBM, Gary Nelson, is a Vice-President of the BWA and liaises with the World Baptist Community on behalf of Canadian Baptists. A subset of the larger BWA fellowship is the North American Baptist Fellowship. One of the vice-presidents of that gathering is Ken Bellous, the Executive Minister of the BCOQ. One of the recent presidents (in 2005) was Harry Gardiner, former Executive Minister of CBAP.
The Baptist World Alliance Executive committee meets annually in some part of the world. Last year it was Ghana, and this year it was Prague. Next year it’s Amsterdam, marking the 400th anniversary of the first Baptist congregational meeting. I attended Ghana on our behalf and created one of the motions that is similar to the ones we are reading in these newsletters. These gatherings create a dynamic and stimulating environment for reflecting on a variety of issues; theological, biblical, practical and concerns of justice. What follows today is the remaining resolutions that were passed in Prague the ones that concern themselves with refugees Darfur and the environment are particularly encouraging ot me. One final note, some would see as a digression, if you wish to explore more about the environment, please borrow from our resource library the Arosha DVD which sets a context for the biblical and theological foundations of stewardship.
Thank you for your engagement of these topics.
Warmly,
In Christ
Jeremy
BWA Resolutions 2008
October 2008 Approved by the General Council on July 25th, 2008.
Resolution #4 – Evangelism and Contextualization of the Gospel
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-25, 2008;
Gives thanks to God for the rich spiritual legacy of Reformers like Jan Hus and Petr Chelcicky whose witness still inspires Czech Baptist life which began one hundred and fifty years ago;
Calls on Baptists throughout the world to be intentional in contextualizing the Gospel in today’s world, recognizing linguistic and cultural issues, and remaining faithful to the Great Commission to share God’s love in Jesus Christ.
Resolution #5 – Ministry of Reconciliation
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-25, 2008;
Expresses deep sadness and regret over religious and ethnic conflicts that claim many lives and create deep scars in different parts of the world;
Rejoices in significant efforts in bringing together divided communities to seek forgiveness, genuine reconciliation and mutual respect;
Encourages dialogue between different faith and ethnic groups to promote peace and harmony in society;
Calls on all Baptists to exemplify the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ and, as reconciled people, to fulfill a ministry of reconciliation in the world.
Resolution #6 – Zimbabwe
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-25, 2008;
Rejoices in the work God is doing among his people in Zimbabwe and in particular though the Baptist churches in Zimbabwe;
Affirms its continuing commitment to defend and promote the human rights of all people as set forth in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and associated instruments;
Acknowledges the God-given responsibility of national governments and of the international community to uphold human rights through appropriate nonviolent means;
Laments the recent events in Zimbabwe which have led to economic crisis, social unrest, political uncertainty, and a deterioration in human rights;
Stands in solidarity with all Zimbabweans who are experiencing suffering or despairing at this time;
Calls upon all political and military leaders and law enforcement officers in Zimbabwe to respect the democratic process, the rule of law, and the wise counsel of fellow African leaders and of the wider international community;
Applauds the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to engage in talks by the leadership of the major political parties in Zimbabwe;
Urges all those involved in these talks to be accountable to the people of Zimbabwe;
Encourages leaders within the Baptist World Alliance to seek greater understanding of the present situation in Zimbabwe and to work toward peaceful resolution of the political and economic crises;
Invites the worldwide Baptist community to pray for the peace of Zimbabwe; for the safety and security of all people there; and for effective witness to the transforming power of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Resolution #7 – Refugees and Immigration
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-25, 2008;
Recognizes the global growth of refugee migration and international relocation with more than 67 million current refugees and internally displaced people and more than 191 million international migrants;
Understands that this generates political situations of great sensitivity, fear and misunderstanding in host and home countries alike;
Realizes that immigrants often face an array of cultural, linguistic and economic burdens and often retain important responsibilities for family members in home countries;
Believes that we are all fellow sojourners in this world and that our treatment of immigrants in our midst is central to authentic scriptural faith;
Calls on:
Nations to:
- Give shelter to all refugees.
- Develop transparent and equitable systems of migration that treat applicants with dignity.
- Administer laws and regulations with justice and fairness to citizens and immigrants alike.
- Renounce xenophobia and the misuse of immigration for political repression and division.
Member bodies to:
- Instil an ethic of love that supersedes ethnic, gender and political boundaries.
- Act as advocates for refugees and migrants in solidarity with them.
- Develop ministries of welcoming reconciliation and integration.
Churches and individuals to:
- Renew their scriptural study, academic understanding and prophetic proclamation of the scriptural mandate to live in love and justice with refugees and immigrants.
- Grow in grace and hospitality through intentional friendships and relationships.
- Freely share resources with those in need.
Encourages the development of additional study material for the Baptist World Alliance Human rights Sunday and its utilization by churches and member bodies.
Resolution #8 – Involuntary fingerprinting of Roma People in Italy
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-25, 2008;
Laments that the Italian government, without objection of the European Union, is practicing the involuntary fingerprinting of all Roma people within its borders, including children, which we regard as ethnic profiling;
Acknowledges that there can be legitimate reasons for registering people, but recognizes that history has taught us that selecting, isolating and targeting a minority group or a people on the basis of culture, ethnicity, or race are discriminatory practices that justify acts of violence;
Recalls that the Roma people were targeted and persecuted many times in history leading to the genocide perpetrated against them by the Nazi regime;
Affirms that Baptists worldwide stand against all forms of discrimination and for the safeguarding of the dignity and human rights of all human beings, and in this context notes that the Christian Evangelical Baptist Union of Italy has strongly opposed the compulsory fingerprinting of Roma people;
Calls on all leaders within the Baptist World Alliance to urge representatives of the United nations, European Union and national governments to issue a strong protest to the Italian government against such discriminatory practice and firmly request its immediate cessation.
Resolution #9 – Climate Change
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-25, 2008;
Affirms the biblical teaching that God created all things and that God’s creation is good (Genesis 1:1 – 2:2), and that God has entrusted the care of creation to humans (Genesis 1:28, 29; 2:15);
Confesses that humans have often denied or ignored our interdependence with creation and abrogated our stewardship of creation, resulting in misuse of the earth’s resources, environmental degredation, and damage to ecosystems;
Recognizes our failure as Baptists to engage with these issues in an adequate and timely manner;
Calls upon the leaders of the Baptist World Alliance to strongly support and encourage government, corporate and community initiatives to address the causes of human-induced climate change, including but not limited to:
- Greater use of renewable energy techniques;
- Caps on “greenhouse gas” emissions;
- Carbon trading;
- Greater use of “green” architecture, town planning and transport;
- Encouragement to conserve, reuse and recycle goods;
Urges members and member bodies of the Baptist World Alliance to practice environmental stewardship, and promote education with the purpose of honouring god and enhancing the common good;
Calls upon appropriate Commissions and Workgroups of the Baptist World Alliance to study these issues with the view to making further recommendations to advance global Baptist action on climate change.
