BWA World Congress Resolution 1965.1
In these days of tension and concern for the destiny of all mankind, we Baptists appeal to all Christians to join together to preserve peace on earth.
We must answer the call “to seek peace and pursue it.” The things that belong to “Thy peace” must be found. No nation wins a nuclear war—all are defeated. As much as one hundred and twenty billions of dollars are being spent yearly on armaments and armed forces by the nations of the world.
We are firmly convinced that with a united effort and the blessing of Almighty God, the great aim of peace and good will upon earth can be reached, to the glory of God and the joy and happiness of mankind.
We, therefore, the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Assembly in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.A., call upon the nations of the world to desist from acts of direct or indirect aggression whether they be in Viet Nam, Santo Domingo, Tibet, Berlin, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, or in any other parts of the world.
We call upon the nations of the world to use the conference table to settle all international disputes and to use the agencies of the United Nations to this end.
We call on all governments to renounce the use of nuclear arms, to desist from the testing of nuclear weapons for war, and to destroy all stockpiles of nuclear arms after appropriate safeguards are given and received.
We call upon men of faith and good will in all churches, in all religions, and in all nations to use every valid channel—social, political, economic and religious—to end all forms of war and to establish a just peace for all mankind.
We call especially upon Christians to be instant in protestations against warfare in this modern age that would inevitably bring human annihilation and to be urgent in praying and working for world peace.
We proclaim Jesus Christ as the true Prince of peace and the hope of the world.
Citations
Original Source Bibliography: Nordenhaug, Josef, editor. The Truth That Makes Men Free: Official Report of the Eleventh Congress, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.A., June 25-30, 1965. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1966.
Original Source Footnote/Endnote: Josef Nordenhaug, ed., The Truth That Makes Men Free: Official Report of the Eleventh Congress, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.A., June 25-30, 1965 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1966), p. 516.
Online Document Full Citation: BWA World Congress Resolution 1965.1 Resolution on Peace; https://baptistworld.org/resolutions.
In-text Online Document Citation: (BWA World Congress 1965.1).