WHEREAS, Christians acting as the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16) have a responsibility to engage their culture, including participating in the political process; and
WHEREAS, Candidates for political office seek the endorsement of Christians for their candidacies; and
WHEREAS, Christians exercising their rights as responsible citizens may choose to endorse candidates for political office as part of the exercise of their engagement of culture; and
WHEREAS, Christians should seek to apply their spiritual and moral values to the political process rather than politicize the church; and
WHEREAS, As responsible Christian citizens we should pray for our elected officials (1 Timothy 2:1-2), submit to just laws (1 Peter 2:13-17), pay taxes (Romans 13:6-7), and serve in various capacities, such as on juries, in the military, in public office, and by voting for our representative leadership; and
WHEREAS, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and the North American Mission Board have partnered together to call Southern Baptists to a 40-day prayer emphasis culminating in a 40-hour prayer vigil (40/40 Prayer Vigil) for spiritual revival and national renewal between September 24 and November 2, 2008 (www.ilivevalues.com/prayer); now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, June 10-11, 2008, encourage Christians to take seriously their calling as salt and light; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge Christians to engage the culture through discipleship within the churches and through participation in the democratic public policy and political process in order to help fulfill the kingdom mandate taught in the Bible and expressed in the Baptist Faith and Message “to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love,” while always protecting freedom of conscience; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we plead with all Christians to exercise vigorously their responsibilities to participate in the political process by registering to vote, educating themselves about the issues, and voting according to their biblical beliefs, convictions, and values; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we commend to our churches the iVoteValues initiative created by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, an initiative joined by Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council, in order to assist efforts to register church members to vote and educate them on the moral issues being debated in the public arena; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage our churches regularly to teach and preach biblical truth on moral issues and to urge their members to vote according to their beliefs, convictions, and values; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we ask all Christians, and particularly those in leadership positions, to prayerfully seek God’s mind and will and strongly to consider the potential problems of politicizing the church and the pulpit before endorsing candidates; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call on candidates for political office to endorse the Judeo-Christian beliefs, convictions, and values upon which society should rest; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to pray for personal and national spiritual revival and cultural renewal; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we urge all Southern Baptists to participate in the 40/40 Prayer Vigil for spiritual revival and national renewal sponsored by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and the North American Mission Board.