WHEREAS, In this 125th Anniversary year of the Southern Baptist Convention we stand at a significant milestone in our pilgrimage of following the leadership of our Lord, and
WHEREAS, There is an unprecedented need for a distinctively Christian witness and ministry in our troubled nation and world, and
WHEREAS, God has given Southern Baptists a unique opportunity to function as Christ’s servants in every state of our nation and in an ever expanding number of foreign nations, and
WHEREAS, We are aware of certain tensions and misunderstandings among us, due in part to honest differences of opinion with regard to the interpretation of certain points of belief enunciated in “The Baptist Faith and Message,” and due in part to sincere differences of opinion concerning certain aspects of the programs of some of our Convention’s agencies and institutions, and
WHEREAS, Throughout our history we have been united in sharing a broad body of basic Christian convictions, and in a common commitment to carrying out the missionary imperative of the Great Commission.
Be it therefore RESOLVED, That we the messengers to the 125th Anniversary Sessions of the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Denver, Colorado, June 1-4, 1970, hereby rededicate ourselves to the high calling of taking the good news of new life in Jesus Christ to every person, and that we call upon churches to join us in that rededication, and
Be it further RESOLVED, That in this historic meeting we reaffirm “The Baptist Faith and Message,” as adopted in Kansas City in 1963, as the common statement of the faith that unites us, recognizing that it accords each Baptist appropriate latitude to develop his own understanding of it in the light of God’s Word and the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and that we urge our institutions and agencies to carry out their assigned ministries in a manner fully consistent with our historic beliefs, and that we urge our churches to be diligent in teaching our Baptist people the biblical basis for our statement of faith.
Be it further RESOLVED, That we both express our confidence in our Convention’s agencies, institutions, and leaders and at the same time call upon them to devote their best energies and full resources to helping our churches fulfil their mission of reaching our sin-ridden, tormented world with the saving power of the gospel.