WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have long been on record in affirming the authority, integrity, sufficiency, and inerrancy of the sixty-six canonical books of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible; and
WHEREAS, There is a growing climate in some sectors of evangelical life to deny the historicity, authority, and inerrancy of certain portions of Scripture; and
WHEREAS, The Bible reveals the character and nature of our triune God as the one and only covenant-making, covenant-keeping, and saving God in whose presence no other god is able to stand; and
WHEREAS, Living in an increasingly pluralistic society places constant pressure on Bible-believing followers of Christ to affirm that all gods are the same and all religions lead to the same God; and
WHEREAS, The Bible teaches that every man, woman, and child is a special creation of God, created “in his own image” (Genesis 1:26–27) and indicates, therefore, that “every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love” (The Baptist Faith and Message, Article III); and
WHEREAS, The United Nations High Commission on Refugees estimated in 2017 that more than sixty-five million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, violence, disease, extreme poverty, and other conditions; and
WHEREAS, The Bible commands followers of Christ to “look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27) and “defend the rights of the fatherless” (Isaiah 1:17); and
WHEREAS, More than six hundred thousand children spend time in the American foster care system each year and more than 150 million children are orphans around the world; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Dallas, Texas, June 12–13, 2018, reaffirm our commitment that the Bible alone and the Bible in its entirety “was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy” (The Baptist Faith and Message, Article I); and be it further
RESOLVED, That we reaffirm our joyful confidence and unswerving belief that there “is one and only one living and true God” who is “an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe,” who “reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being,” to whom “we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience” (The Baptist Faith and Message, Article II); and be it further
RESOLVED, That we continue to “encourage Southern Baptist churches and families to welcome and adopt refugees into their churches and homes as a means to demonstrate to the nations that our God longs for every tribe, tongue, and nation to be welcomed at His throne” (“On Refugee Ministry,” resolution adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2016); and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we call on Southern Baptists to pray specifically whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child (or children) and encourage local churches to lift up and facilitate adoption and foster care by church members, covering them in prayer and helping them in tangible ways to show the love of Christ to little children, upon whom the Lord Himself showed compassion during His sojourn on earth (Matthew 18:2–6; 19:13–15; Mark 10:13–16; Luke 18:15–17).