WHEREAS, Following the ruthless and wicked attack on America on September 11, 2001, our nation was forced to respond in self-defense with a war on international terrorism; and
WHEREAS, It has become increasingly clear that a vast, international terrorist network exists, which is allied with regimes that sponsor and support its evil goals; and
WHEREAS, Terrorist groups and their state sponsors threaten to continue their assault on innocent people and to escalate this terror through the use of instruments of mass destruction—including chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons; and
WHEREAS, The Scriptures command civil authorities to restrain evil and to punish evildoers through the power of the sword (Romans 13:1-5); and
WHEREAS, The Scriptures call on Christians to pray for those in authority in order that we might live peaceably in this world (1 Timothy 2:1-2); now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, June 11-12, 2002, declare our abhorrence of these horrific acts of international terrorism; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we commend the American people for their unity of purpose in the face of these attacks, a unity seen especially in the heroic acts of firefighters, police officers, medical personnel, and government leaders in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we applaud the moral clarity of the President of the United States in his denunciation of terrorist groups as “evildoers” who must be resisted; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we wholeheartedly support the actions of the United States government, its intelligence agencies, and its military, in the just war against the terrorist networks and their state sponsors; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge our President, our congressional leaders, and our military authorities, in a renewed spirit of American unity, to address the growing threat of terrorist-supportive nations and the vicious quest to attain weapons of mass destruction; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we call on Southern Baptists to pray for the conversion of the people of all nations to salvation through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, the only ultimate answer to all forms of terrorism.