BWA General Council Resolution 2014.5
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Izmir, Turkey, July 9-11, 2014:
ACKNOWLEDGES, with deep sadness and great concern, the current political crisis in Ukraine that has resulted in armed conflict, loss of life, displacement of many people and severe tension between Russia and Ukraine;
NOTES with concern that, in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine generally, the situation has led to increased religious persecution, especially against evangelical Christians; BELIEVES that our allegiance to Jesus Christ as Lord transcends all our national allegiances and aspirations, and that Christ, by his death on the Cross has “broken down the dividing walls of hostility”
(Ephesians 2:14), now and for all time to come;
SUPPORTS all efforts by the international community towards freedom, justice and peace for the whole of Ukraine, and all initiatives towards the reconciliation of those who have been in conflict with each another;
ENCOURAGES the work of Ukrainian Baptists in reaching out in the love of Christ to those most affected by the conflict;
URGES the leaders and churches of the Baptist Unions of Ukraine and Russia to overcome prejudice and misunderstanding in the situation, to seek to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) to each other, and to continue to work together in partnership towards a common vision of mission and the growth of the Kingdom of God in their region; and
PROMISES to continue to pray for peace and reconciliation among the people of Ukraine and their political leaders, and to support our brothers and sisters in Christ in Ukraine in the challenging days to come.
“Blessed are the peacemakers…” (Matthew 5:9).
Citations
Original Source Bibliography: Callam, Neville, editor. Baptist World Alliance 2014 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory. Falls Church, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2014.
Original Source Footnote/Endnote: Neville Callam, ed., Baptist World Alliance 2014 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory (Falls Church, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2014), p. 142.
Online Document Full Citation: BWA General Council Resolution 2014.5 Situation in Ukraine; https://baptistworld.org/resolutions.
In-text Online Document Citation: (BWA General Council Resolution 2014.5).