WHEREAS, Holy Scripture declares, “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Romans 13:1); and
WHEREAS, The Scriptures command us to pray for “kings and all those who are in authority so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:2); and
WHEREAS, We have been greatly blessed by God, being citizens of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ as well as of this great nation; and
WHEREAS, Our forefathers founded this nation under God, with freedom and liberty, where all people can worship according to the dictates of their consciences, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people; and
WHEREAS, This cherished freedom of self-government has been, and continues to be, threatened in recent years by certain unelected judges, who, presuming to legislate from the bench, have issued decrees that subvert the very foundations of our democratic republic; and
WHEREAS, If allowed to continue, these egregious judicial transgressions would decimate the values upon which this nation was founded and would transform it into a nation governed by an elite ruling class, unaccountable to the people; and
WHEREAS, President George W. Bush and some heroic senators, despite harsh and vicious opposition, demonstrated great integrity, courage, and leadership by their determined and successful actions in the selection, nomination, and confirmation of judges and justices respectful of the principal foundations of our nation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 13-14, 2006, express our deepest thanks to God, Who heard our prayers and granted our request for judges and justices who promise to respect our constitutionally-established government of three branches (see Isaiah 33:22), each with its own prescribed and limited scope of authority; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we express deep gratitude to and great respect for President Bush and those senators who stood with him through the intense judicial confirmation process this past year; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage President Bush to continue nominating strict constructionist judges to fill the remaining vacancies in the federal judiciary as quickly as possible; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call on the United States Senate to vote without delay on those judicial nominees who are currently awaiting Senate action, as well as on all future judicial nominees, in order that they might begin serving the American people; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we encourage all Southern Baptists and other believers to pray regularly for our president and others in positions of governmental authority that they might act justly in all matters.