BWA General Council Resolution 1984.1

Once again WE EXPRESS OUR PROFOUND CONCERN over international tensions, the armed conflicts in certain regions, the economic burden of large armaments and armed forces, the threat of nuclear annihilation of humanity;

WE URGE the major powers:
a) to forswear first use of nuclear weapons;

b) to negotiate an immediate verifiable freeze, thus preventing further development, testing, production and deployment of nuclear weapons;

c) to create an atmosphere for a reduction in arms and greater international harmony.

WE COMMEND the recent establishment by the United Nations of a University for Peace, the designation of a day each September as a Day of Peace and the declaration that 1986 will be celebrated as the International Year of Peace. We also express appreciation that the good offices of the U.N. Secretary- General have been extended towards facilitating a return to normalcy in many troubled areas of the world, such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and parts of Southeast Asia.

WE URGE the governments of all countries to refrain from using military power in order to settle human conflicts.

WE SUPPORT the proposal of non-governmental organizations represented at the United Nations in calling for a peace conference for the Middle East, to which all parties to the conflicts should be invited.

WE EXPRESS OUR SYMPATHY AND CONCERN for out fellow Baptists and other Christians in areas of Central America, the Middle East, Southern Africa and Southeast Asia where there is continual strife,

and we urge Baptist everywhere to pray regularly for them in their constant search for the justice and peace of God and for all other inhabitants of those regions.

WE ALSO URGE OUR CHURCHES:
a) to encourage their respective governments to “seek peace and pursue it”;

b) to promote and share in international religious and cultural exchanges and friendships, including the partnership of churches, as a positive step towards breaking down barriers of mutual fear and mistrust;

c) to consider what other actions are possible to influence public opinion by being “the salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.”

FINALLY WE ACKNOWLEDGE that according to the scriptures we may not see the end of “rumors of wars,” but we remind all our people that our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the Price of Peace and that commitment to Him is a commitment to be a peacemaker. Therefore we encourage the inclusion of peace education and action in the programs of our church. We will “study war no more.”

Citations

Original Source Bibliography: Claas, Gerhard, editor. Baptist World Alliance 1984 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory. Washington, DC: Baptist World Alliance, 1984.

Original Source Footnote/Endnote: Gerhard Claas, ed., Baptist World Alliance 1984 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory (Washington, DC: Baptist World Alliance, 1984), p. 85.

Online Document Full Citation: BWA General Council Resolution 1984.1 Nuclear Arms; https://baptistworld.org/resolutions.

In-text Online Document Citation: (BWA General Council Resolution 1984.1).