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BWA World Congress Resolution 1995.3

The General Council and 17th World Congress of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 31-August 6, 1995,

ACKNOWLEDGES that 1995 marks several significant 50th anniversaries including,

  • the funding of the United Nations,
  • the cessation of hostilities in World War II,
  • the “Breton Woods Agreement” on a world economic order, creating the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund,
  • all of which anticipated a peaceful and prosperous future for all peoples of the world;

LAMENTS the profound failure to realize these bright hopes in this most violent of all centuries which abs witnessed an estimated 110 million deaths as a result of war and 19 million deaths a year from structural violence which perpetuates such life-threatening conditions as hunger, poverty, preventable disease and racism;

WELCOMES with gratitude recent expressions within and beyond the Baptist world of repentance for past wrongs and for complicity in continuing injustice recognizing the resultant possibilities for healing and reconciliation;

CELEBRATES all manifestations of the spirit of inclusion and of empowerment of those previously excluded by factors such as gender, race, ethnicity and age;

CALLS for greater faithfulness to the Gospel mandate by:

  • BWA World Congress Resolution 1995.3
  • actively opposing the violence of international conflict and ethnic/racial strife;
  • urging the nations of the developed North and their financial institutions to forgive debts and interest repayments from the most impoverished nations;
  • supporting all attempts to eradicate overt and covert expressions of racism in line with the Harare Declaration on Combating Racism;

AFFIRMS the need to listen more attentively to the voice of God to discern signs of hope amidst all the ambiguities of human experience.

Citations

Original Source Bibliography: Ryan, Wendy E., editor. Celebrate Christ: The Hope of the World; Official Report of the Seventeenth Baptist World Congress, Buenos Aires, Argentina, August 1-16, 1995. McLean, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 1995.

Original Source Footnote/Endnote: Wendy E. Ryan, ed., Celebrate Christ: The Hope of the World; Official Report of the Seventeenth Baptist World Congress, Buenos Aires, Argentina, August 1-16, 1995 (McLean, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 1995), pp. 205-206.

Online Document Full Citation: BWA World Congress Resolution 1995.3 Justice; https://baptistworld.org/resolutions.

In-text Online Document Citation: (BWA World Congress Resolution 1995.3).

For more information about Baptist World Alliance resolutions, visit BaptistWorld.org/resolutions.
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Since its formation in 1905, the Baptist World Alliance has networked the global Baptist family to impact the world for Christ with a commitment to strengthen worship, fellowship and unity; lead in mission and evangelism; respond to people in need through aid, relief, and community development; defend religious freedom, human rights, and justice; and advance theological reflection and leadership development.

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