2010 BWA World Congress Message

2010 BWA World Congress Message

August 10, 2020 | 2010 Congress Resolutions, Resolutions, World Congress Resolutions

The Baptist World Alliance is a global movement of Baptists sharing a common confession of faith in Jesus Christ bonded together by God’s love to support, encourage and strengthen one another while proclaiming and living the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit before a lost and hurting world.

At the 20th Baptist World Congress, meeting July 28-August 1, 2010, in Honolulu, Hawai’i:

We came

  • to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church
  • to experience the fellowship of the global Baptist family
  • to feel the security of being embraced by brothers and sisters from around the globe We heard
  • the “Aloha” of the Hawaiian people and experienced their spirit of hospitality
  • the vital importance of living and leading in the anointing of the Holy Spirit
  • that we must reclaim the urgency of proclaiming a liberating gospel that brings about transformation
  • the testimonies of brothers and sisters who have experienced persecution, oppression, marginalization, natural disasters and human-induced disaster

• the challenge to share the power of the gospel of Christ to rescue those living without the hope of Christ

We saw

  • the beauty of God’s good creation
  • diversity in cultural expression, dress and worship styles
  • the unity of the global family and the joy of friendship in Christ Now, in step with the Spirit who gives and redeems life in Jesus Christ, we confess anew that all persons are created in the image of God and are therefore worthy of receiving his redemptive grace.

In step with the Spirit, we renew our commitment to:

  • communicate, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the truth of God in Jesus Christ as the hope of the world. Because the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, we have been anointed to:
    • develop greater familiarity with the teachings of Christ
    • cultivate a rich prayer life
    • bear witness to the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ
    • provide examples of godly living reflecting the values taught by the Lord of the church
    • support the values reflected in the UN Millennium Development Goals. Because the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, we have been anointed us to:
  • remove the scourge of poverty and hunger
  • support efforts to provide universal education
  • work for environmental sustainability
  • promote gender equality
  • improve child health and maternal health
  • combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
  • develop global partnerships Enabled by the Spirit, let us commit ourselves to create an environment in which God’s mercy and truth become evident. Let us shine the light of God’s love in every place of human need.

Keywords

BWA; Creation Care; Discipleship; Diversity; Education; Environment; Evangelism; Gender Equality; Hawai’i; Health; Hunger; Justice; Liberation; Liberty; Mission; Persecution; Poverty; Racism; Unity.

Citations

Original Source Bibliography: Callam, Neville, editor. Hear the Spirit: Official Report of the Twentieth Baptist World Congress, Honolulu, Hawai’i, July 28-August 1, 2010. McLean, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2010.

Original Source Footnote/Endnote: Neville Callam, ed., Hear the Spirit: Official Report of the Twentieth Baptist World Congress, Honolulu, Hawai’i, July 28-August 1, 2010 (McLean, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2010), pp. 23-24.

Online Document Full Citation: 2010 BWA World Congress Message; https://o7e.4a3.myftpupload.com/resolutions.

In-text Online Document Citation: (2010 BWA World Congress Message).

2010 BWA World Congress Message

Gender Equality and Gender-Based Violence

August 8, 2020 | 2013 Resolutions, General Council Resolutions, Resolutions

BWA General Council Resolution 2013.13

The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Ocha Rios, Jamaica, July 1-6, 2013:

BELIEVES that everyone is created in the image of God and so possesses inalienable dignity and value, and that Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross for both women and men, commands us to love one another, as he has loved us (John 13:43);

CONTINUES to affirm with the United Nations the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Unless women are able to maximize the opportunities available, build their capabilities and achieve their full potential, the participation of more than half the population is limited and societies suffer;

RESOLVES to:

  • pursue initiatives leading to the achievement of gender equality in societies worldwide;
  • contribute to the empowerment of women and the protection of their human rights in all spheres of human endeavor;
  • advocate that gender-based violence is a major hindrance to women’s empowerment and gender equality;
  • women and represents an abuse of power used to establish male dominance and female submission and so perpetuate gender inequality;
  • reject all acts of gender-based violence as being contrary to the laws of God and Christian doctrine:
  • support legislation, policies, and action designed to eliminate gender-based violence, and take the lead role wherever this is appropriate;
  • encourage churches, governments and NGOs to challenge attitudes and behaviors that devalue people through violence and exploitation, and
  • urges churches, governments and NGOs to provide resources:
    • to support the survivors of gender-based violence in sensitive and effective ways;
    • and to promote interventions to change behavior among perpetrators of gender-based violence.

Citations

Original Source Bibliography: Callam, Neville, editor. Baptist World Alliance 2013 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory. Falls Church, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2013.

Original Source Footnote/Endnote: Neville Callam, ed., Baptist World Alliance 2013 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory (Falls Church, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2013), pp. 147- 148.

Online Document Full Citation: BWA General Council Resolution 2013.13 Gender Equality and Gender- Based Violence; https://o7e.4a3.myftpupload.com/resolutions.

In-text Online Document Citation: (BWA General Council Resolution 2013.13).