WHEREAS, All people are created in God’s image and have innate dignity and worth (Genesis 1:26–27), and deserve to be treated with respect; and
WHEREAS, Government is a God-ordained institution (Romans 13), and the government’s role is to execute justice by punishing evil and
to promote the flourishing of its citizens; and
WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith and Message states, “A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power” (Article XVII); and
WHEREAS, Kim Jong-un, the Kim family, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (hereafter referred to as “North Korea”) have subjected millions of North Koreans to severe conditions of physical and psychological persecution, including extreme economic hardship, pervasive state surveillance, state-imposed starvation, imprisonment, torture, and enslavement; and
WHEREAS, The People’s Republic of China (hereafter referred to as “China”) and the Communist Party of China have used extreme applications of technological surveillance on houses of worship, raided worship services, imprisoned pastors, and in other ways persecuted Christians; and
WHEREAS, Millions of Uyghurs in China (a Muslim ethnic minority group) have been placed in internment camps, where they are prevented from engaging in their religious practices, and forced to be “reeducated” to the Communist Party’s ideology; and
WHEREAS, In addition to the government-sanctioned persecution of Christians in China and North Korea, faithful followers of Christ worldwide are facing extreme and severe persecution; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, June 11–12, 2019, commit to praying for the end of any form of persecution in China and North Korea, and for the North Korean regime and the Communist Party of China to cease persecution of their citizens; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we condemn the Communist Party of China and the Kim Jong-un dynasty for their extreme religious persecution and
flagrant human rights violations; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call upon the United States government to elevate religious liberty as a top priority of American foreign policy in its engagement with North Korea and China; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call on the international community to elevate religious liberty as a top human rights priority and to cooperate to
improve the lives of all persecuted religious minorities around the world, including persecuted Christians; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we call for all Southern Baptists and our brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for the relief of persecution of those in China and North Korea, and that the Lord would continue to bring many people to Himself in these two nations.