BWA General Council Resolution 2009.2

BWA General Council Resolution 2009.2 Baptist-Muslim Relations

The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Ede, the Netherlands, July 27- August 1, 2009;

Welcomes the opportunities opened up by the friendly and constructive spirit in which A Common Word, signed by 138 Muslim scholars and leaders, has been written;

Appreciates the advances in friendship and understanding made through conversations between Baptists and Muslims at Andover Newton Theological School in January 2009 and in Amman, Jordan, in March 2009;

Agrees with A Common Word that the double command to love God and our neighbor is at the heart of the message of Jesus Christ, and that this can form a common ground for conversation and for working together for a co-existence characterized by peace, justice, mutual understanding and respect;

Recognizes that Baptist Christians living in situations of religious conflict .wish to create friendly and peaceful relations with their neighbors of other faiths;

Believes that we can humbly but confidently make our witness to the uniqueness of Christ as the way of salvation and to the self-giving of the Triune God in ways that are not demeaning of other people’s beliefs;

Asks Baptist theologians to study the response made by the BWA to A Common Word, together with the original document, and to use both in their teaching;

Encourages Baptist conventions and unions to engage in conversations and joint activities for human welfare with Muslims in ways that are appropriate for their own regions and cultures.

Citations

Original Source Bibliography: Callam, Neville, editor. Baptist World Alliance 2009 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory. Falls Church, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2009.

Original Source Footnote/Endnote: Neville Callam, ed., Baptist World Alliance 2009 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory (Falls Church, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2009), pp. 138- 139.

Online Document Full Citation: BWA General Council Resolution 2009.2 Baptist-Muslim Relations; https://baptistworld.org/resolutions.