BWA Executive Committee Resolution 1969-08.6

Pawlik expressed discouragement that there was no resolution on peace. He also felt that copies of the proposed resolutions ought to have been distributed among the Committee members, especially for those whose mother tongue was not English. Gill shared his concern and added that he wished a resolution had been included on race. Tulles felt also that documents should have been distributed. Nordenhaug explained that due to technical difficulties there had been no opportunity to have the resolutions duplicated.

It was agreed that the Resolution on Peace be reprinted from the Minutes of the Monrovia Meeting: Whereas, Peace is a Christlike characteristic and should be the personal goal of every Christian,

expressing itself in one’s peace with God and with his fellow-men, and

Whereas, As Christians we should quest lastingly for peace at every level as we foster peace among individuals, among citizens of various countries, and ad- vocate peace among the world’s governmental bodies, and

Whereas, We are a 20th century people who have fallen far short of such a worthy Christian ideal, which failure has witnessed devastating wars and has brought violent deaths to many, hunger to more, and unbearable hardship to untold multitudes, and

Whereas, There are now areas of conflict raging in many parts of the world such as in Vietnam, the Middle East, Nigeria and others, and

Whereas, Tensions are currently mounting in yet other areas involving nearly all of the continents and threatening to erupt into open armed conflict at any moment, thereby jeopardizing the safety of persons, the security of nations and the peace of the world, and

Whereas, As Christians we are admonished by Christ to be peacemakers among men, and in our hearts we yearn desperately so to be and do:

Be it therefore resolved that we as members of the Baptist World Alliance Executive Committee assembled in annual session in Monrovia, Liberia, this first day of August 1968 do hereby affirm and declare that:

1. We express publicly our burden and distress that as civilized people, among whom dwell many confessed Christians, we have been able to achieve so little peace and have witnessed so much violence and bloodshed in our days.

2. We proclaim to the world our deep feeling that war as a means of permanent solution is untenable, and we believe that any peace that is not based on justice and righteousness is equally untenable and dangerous.

3. We commit ourselves anew to much prayer on this matter, urging fellow Christians to do the same, imploring God’s guidance as we deal with matters of such import, praying for national leaders, for our enemies and for ourselves, beseeching that God lead us, even to the point of his inter-vention in the affairs of men and nations, that his will might be done.

4. We quest diligently to be informed Christian citizens in the changing international situations, in the causes of war and concerning factors which make for peace.

5. We seek to give every possible guidance to our families, friends, and constituent conventions with the view of developing plans and programs for personal reading, for family discussion and for church educational use in the hope of building spirit and understanding on a sustained basis as we strive for peace in the whole world in our time.

6. Further, in regard to present conflicts in Vietnam, Nigeria, the Middle East and other places as well, we appeal to our members to uphold urgently in prayer all those working for speedy and just solutions. [END]

Keywords

BWA; Middle East; Nigeria; Peace; Vietnam.

Citations

Original Source Bibliography: Nordenhaug, Josef, editor. Baptist World Alliance: Minutes of the Meeting of the Executive Committee Held at Baden Bei Wien, Austria August 2-6, 1969. Washington, D.C.: Baptist World Alliance, 1969.

Original Source Footnote/Endnote: Josef Nordenhaug, ed., Baptist World Alliance: Minutes of the Meeting of the Executive Committee Held at Baden Bei Wien, Austria August 2-6, 1969 (Washington, D.C.: Baptist World Alliance, 1969), pp. 58-59.

Online Document Full Citation: BWA Executive Committee Resolution 1969-08.6 Peace; https://baptistworld.org/resolutions.

In-text Online Document Citation: (BWA Executive Committee Resolution 1969-08.6).