We reiterate the conviction expressed by every Baptist World Congress form 1970 to the present, that the levels of fighting forces and armaments of the nations must be reduced. The arms race between the super- powers and the increased military readiness of all nations constitute a danger to peace and are an economic and social waste.
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 rejoice in the success of the 10th Baptist World Youth Conference recently held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
We strongly reaffirm the following message from the Conference addressed to Baptists of the world and commend its implementation in whatever way seems most appropriate:
WE CALL UPON Baptists of the world, in cooperation with other Christians, to make one of their evangelistic goals the winning of a whole new generation of young people for Christ, by sharing with them the Gospel of hope as the only answer to the many problems and dangers facing them — nuclear threat, unemployment, drugs, hunger, poverty, materialism, racism, violence, etc.
The BWA General Council, meeting in Singapore, July 1986:
1. notes that the United Nations has designated 1987 as International Year of Shelter for the Homeless;
2. commends the study of appropriate materials on this subject which will be available from the United Nations and various Baptist bodies;
3. encourages our member bodies to take such actions, particularly through local churches, as will contribute to the lessening of this social problem.
The BWA General Council, meeting in Singapore, July 1986:
1. is aware of the present situation in the country of Afghanistan and notes with concern the plight of some three million refugees;
2. also notes that the refugee situation has created serious problems for neighboring countries, particularly Pakistan;
THANKFUL TO Almighty God for the cessation of open war in Kuwait and Iraq,
MINDFUL of the tragic aftermath of such hostilities in terms not only of loss of life but also of the appalling social and economic conditions prevailing in the Gulf and the long-term threat to the environment caused by oil pollution in both sea and air,
BELIEVES that Baptists need to take seriously the implications of God’s creation of our world and the stewardship given to humankind within that creation;
ASSERTS that human sinfulness has developed an exploitative ethic which puts the sustaining of that creation in jeopardy evident in the ecological crises facing the world today;
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe August 6-9, 1993,
CONDEMNS the deliberate use within the former Republic of Yugoslavia of “ethnic cleansing” and the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war and extends its heart-felt sympathy to the hundreds of thousands of victims;
ACKNOWLEDGES the actions of Baptists in our own generation in championing religious freedom for all people, especially those who find themselves in a minority situation;
VIEWS WITH ALARM the denial of the right of religious liberty to minority groups such as evangelicals in Bulgaria, Albania, Iran, Ethiopia and the republics of Central Asia, Christians in China, Indonesia and East Timor; and to the Coptic Orthodox and other Christians in Egypt;