Archive for July, 2005

Membership Covenant

Tuesday, July 5th, 2005 | General | 1 Comment

I like this church membership covenant used by Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, AL.

God, by His grace alone, has led me to repent of my sin and believe upon Jesus Christ, trusting Him alone as my Savior and Lord. As one who has been baptized as a believer in Christ, I desire to unite with this church family. Therefore, I enter into a covenantal relationship with the members of this church. In humble reliance upon the Holy Spirit, I endeavor to do the following:

Baptists and Religious Liberty

Monday, July 4th, 2005 | General | 3 Comments

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On May 16, 1920, ten to fifteen thousand people gathered on the east steps of the National Capitol in Washington D.C. to hear George W. Truett, the pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas. J.B. Gambrell, the President of the Southern Baptist Convention that year, regarded the address, “the most significant and momentous of our day.” Truett proclaimed the Baptist ideal of religious liberty, gave its theological basis, reminded his hearers of the crucial role Baptists played in its American adoption, and emphasized its implications and our responsibilities to uphold the principle. Truett speech rings out today as a relevant cry as we celebrate our American freedoms granted by God’s hand of providence.

Baptists have one consistent record concerning liberty throughout all their long and eventful history. They have never been a party to oppression of conscience. They have forever been the unwavering champions of liberty, both religious and civil. Their contention now, is, and has been, and, please God, must ever be, that it is the natural and fundamental and indefeasible right of every human being to worship God or not, according to the dictates of his conscience, and, as long as he does not infringe upon the rights of others, he is to be held accountable alone to God for all religious beliefs and practices. Our contention is not for mere toleration, but for absolute liberty. There is a wide difference between toleration and liberty. Toleration implies that somebody falsely claims the right to tolerate. Toleration is a concession, while liberty is a right. Toleration is a matter of expediency, while liberty is a matter of principle. Toleration is a gift from God. It is the consistent and insistent contention of our Baptist people, always and everywhere, that religion must be forever voluntary and uncoerced, and that it is not the perogative of any power, whether civil or ecclesiastical, to compel men to conform to any religious creed or form of worship, or to pay taxes for the support of a religious organization to which they do not believe. God wants free worshipers and no other kind.

Let me encourage you to take the time to read the entire speech: Baptists and Religious Liberty by George W. Truett

With our minds on the subject, let me also recommend a sermon by M. E. Dodd, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Shreveport Louisiana. In 1916 he preached a series of eight sermons on “Baptist Principles and Practices.” Following his first sermon on “Baptists and the Bible,” Dodd emphasized “Religious And Political Liberty” as one of Baptist’s most important and distinguishing core doctrinal principles.

SBC Resolution On Exercising Religious Freedom and Freedom of Speech

Sunday, July 3rd, 2005 | General | No Comments

WHEREAS, The United States Constitution guarantees freedom of religious expression for all citizens; and

WHEREAS, Freedom of speech is a cherished liberty which our Baptist forebears defended at great personal sacrifice; and

WHEREAS, Freedom of speech includes protection of political speech, including speech pertaining to social and religious values; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists and other evangelical voters exercised their freedom of speech and their religious freedom during the 2004 general elections to help encourage and implement biblical values in American culture; and

WHEREAS, Christians have a responsibility to use their freedoms in such ways as defending traditional marriage, protecting the sanctity of human life, and combating the propagation of immoral behavior and deviant lifestyles; and

WHEREAS, Churches and pastors have a responsibility to bring the gospel to bear on every aspect of culture at the local, state, and national levels by understanding the legal means of applying biblical values to social and political issues; and

WHEREAS, The law permits a pastor to individually endorse candidates for political office so long as it is clear that he is speaking on his behalf only and not on behalf of the church; and

WHEREAS, By law, churches may engage in non-partisan voter-identification, voter-registration, voter-education, and get-out-the-vote activities so long as such activities are not directed at the supporters of any particular candidate or political party; and

WHEREAS, A church may distribute voter guides regarding a candidate’s position on a wide range of issues or scorecards reporting on the voting records of incumbents, provided the church does not describe a candidate’s position or voting record as consistent or inconsistent with the church’s position on a given issue; and

WHEREAS, A church may allow political candidates to speak on church premises, provided all candidates are invited and given equal opportunity to speak; and

WHEREAS, Church facilities may be used by political candidates on the same basis as civic groups; and

WHEREAS, While a church cannot establish a political action committee, pastors and other like-minded individuals may establish a political action committee separate from the church, provided they do not use the assets of the church; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, June 21-22, 2005, urge Christians to advocate political and social values consistent with biblical teachings and to vigorously oppose any attempts to abridge the free speech and religious rights of any American citizen or group; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, including their ivotevalues campaign, as well as other like-minded evangelical organizations for their support of biblical values in the public arena; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we will vote only for candidates and policies at all levels of government that will protect our religious freedoms and advocate traditional Judeo-Christian values; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge churches and pastors to understand and exercise their right and responsibility to stand for biblical values and to influence the culture; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we call upon Southern Baptists to pray for our nation and its leaders and to use their freedom of speech and religious liberty to further the cause of Christ in the public arena.

SBC Resolution on Appreciation of Our Troops and President

Saturday, July 2nd, 2005 | General | No Comments

WHEREAS, Members of the United States military and allied forces continue to be aggressively engaged in the ongoing global war on terror; and

WHEREAS, Our troops play a vital role in preserving and protecting freedom in the United States and throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, The sacrificial efforts of our military personnel have made it possible for some nations formerly ruled by dictators to hold democratic elections, ushering in a new era of freedom for the people of those nations; and

WHEREAS, The president has been forced to make difficult decisions that place our servicemen and servicewomen in harm’s way; and

WHEREAS, The president has shown courage and leadership in his valiant opposition to terrorism; and

WHEREAS, The Scriptures command us to pray “for kings and all those who are in authority so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:2, HCSB); now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, June 21-22, 2005, express appreciation to our servicemen and servicewomen in all branches of the military who are serving faithfully and honorably, both at home and abroad; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage Southern Baptists to pray for the safety and well-being of our military personnel at all times; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we offer prayer, support, and appreciation for and to the husbands, wives, children, parents, and siblings of our fine service members serving in every capacity of our nation’s military; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we express pride and strong support for our American military and eagerly anticipate the day our troops return home upon successful completion of their missions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we express deepest gratitude and respect for our president in light of the gravity of the decisions he must make and the leadership role he fills; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we encourage all Southern Baptists to pray regularly for our president and to stand with him in opposing global terrorism as he makes decisions that potentially impact the entire earth.

SBC Resolution On The Federal Judiciary

Friday, July 1st, 2005 | General | No Comments

WHEREAS, Some federal judges have undermined and supplanted the United States system of limited government by presuming to write and impose new laws upon America’s citizenry rather than interpreting law according to constitutional intent; and

WHEREAS, This tendency by some unelected judges to legislate from the bench subverts the foundation of our democracy, “a government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” and moves the nation closer to being governed by an elite class, unaccountable to the American people; and

WHEREAS, Some of the worst decisions put into law during the last half century have been handed down by federal judges who hold no valid constitutional or legislated authority to make such decrees; and

WHEREAS, Examples of this judicial activism include, but are not limited to, the United States Supreme Court’s approval of abortion on demand in Roe v. Wade (1973) and its declaration that a popularly held moral disapproval of homosexual sodomy was insufficient grounds for laws prohibiting that behavior in Lawrence v. Texas (2003); and

WHEREAS, Judges increasingly invoke foreign courts and foreign law as partial justification for their opinions, e.g., Atkins v. Virginia (2002); Lawrence v. Texas (2003); Goodridge v. Massachusetts (2003); and, most recently, Roper v. Simmons (2005); and

WHEREAS, In recent years the president has appointed judges he believes are strict constructionists, who would interpret the Constitution rather than make law; and

WHEREAS, The Constitution is clear regarding the nomination and confirmation process: “He (the president) shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court and all other Officers of the United States” (U.S. Constitution, art. 2, sec. 2); and

WHEREAS, Many United States senators have recently defaulted on their explicit constitutional responsibility to vote as a body to confirm or deny the president’s appointees to various positions in the federal court system by filibustering the confirmation of some of the president’s judicial nominees or by engaging in other acts of obstruction; and

WHEREAS, These obstructionist activities have disproportionately targeted nominees who hold biblical convictions on issues such as the sanctity of life and the definition of marriage; and

WHEREAS, This dereliction of duty constitutes a deplorable and intolerable impediment to good government; and

WHEREAS, It is likely that the president will have the opportunity to appoint one or more Supreme Court justices during the remainder of his term, setting off an intense battle unless fairness is restored to the judicial confirmation process; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, June 21-22, 2005, call on the United States Senate to return to the constitutionally established principle and two-hundred-year-old practice of basing “advice and consent” decisions on a simple majority vote of the Senate; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call upon all future presidents to nominate strict constructionist judges who will interpret rather than make law; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call upon Southern Baptists and all members of the Body of Christ to provide their United States senators with verbal and written encouragement to stop the obstruction of judicial nominees; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we commend Tennessee Senator Bill Frist for courageously standing in the gap in his position as Senate majority leader, defending the appointment of fair and impartial judges to the federal bench and insisting upon their right to a vote of confirmation by the full Senate.

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  • Proverbs 17:17
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