WHEREAS, One of the nation’s largest newspapers recently published portions of the address of the president of the Southern Baptist Convention six days prior to the delivery of that message to the Convention, and
WHEREAS, Copies of the president’s address were obtained from and circulated by sources other than the Public Relations Office of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention to whom the address was delivered, and
WHEREAS, These sources have distributed copies of the address widely resulting in the publication of portions of the president’s address and accompanying critiques in several other papers before the message was given, and
WHEREAS, The message was initially released for the purpose of preparing it for publication and distribution immediately after its presentation to the Convention.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, June, 1982, express to the president of the Southern Baptist Convention our profound regret for this breach of confidence and professional ethics.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we deplore this unconscionable action by those responsible for the careless handling of this matter.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That the Baptist Public Relations Office do all within its power to prevent any such action from occurring in the future.