“That this Baptist World Alliance, representing eight millions (8,000,000) and more of Baptists all over the earth, expresses its thankfulness to God for the brightening prospects of the extinction of war and the arrival of universal peace and good will.
We who have the privilege and joy of attending the Twelfth Congress of the Baptist World Alliance at Tokyo greet you, the members of churches in fellowship with the Alliance. In this written message we cannot convey the wonder of the inspiration felt in worship, prayer, and fellowship with so large a gathering of representatives from so many countries, meeting for the first time in Asia.
WE REAFFIRM our faith that the gospel of God’s free salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, is for all men, without distinction, and that today as in previous generations it speaks to man’s every need, convicting, redeeming, transforming, guarding the human spirit and requiring the ending of exploitation and tyranny, and the provision of full opportunities for its free acceptance and for worship, witness, and service.
The members of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Stockholm, recognize with thankfulness that there are many signs of hope on the far horizon, in spite of the fact that the war spirit is still at work among the nations. The sense of the horror and wickedness of war has burnt itself deeply into the heart and conscience of all the members of our churches.
“The international misunderstandings, jealousies and rivalries which have followed the last Great War have baffled every effort to secure general disarmament. The preparation of munitions of war is a commercial interest. There is through-out the World a growing sense of insecurity because of the failure thus far to establish an effective commonwealth of nations possessing the authority and the means for redressing and preventing international injustice.
(i) This Congress has received with high appreciation the report of Commission No. 1, on the subject “What Baptists Can Do to Avert War and Promote Peace,” and commends its contents to Baptists throughout the World for study and action.
BWA World Congress Resolution 1947.1 "Baptists in every land join with their fellow-Christians in the prayer that peace, both just and abiding, may come soon to the hearts of all mankind. To that end, we hail with hope two recent developments: First, war has been...
Since the wrong we have committed only God can correct; since the peace and universal brotherhood we seek and long for, only God can bring; since the unity we desire, only God can bring it to pass; since every commission that has reported acknowledges that prayer is the key and the solution of the problems in its area and that at home and abroad souls are hungry for a better understanding of each other and a close walk with God, regardless of race, color, social, economic or cultural level;
Whereas the Baptist World Alliance in 1934, 1939, 1947 and 1950 has already declared itself unalterably opposed to racial discrimination in every form; and
Whereas, in this Congress of the Baptist World Alliance representatives have gathered from more than sixty countries representing many nationalities and races;
We urge the nations to dispense with all testing of nuclear weapons and the production of the same; and co-operatively, to agree on satisfactory methods of inspection designed to ensure that all nations shall exercise good faith in this matter.