WHEREAS, Southern Baptists believe that the Bible is truth without any mixture of error and are deeply committed to the preservation of the Scriptures; and
WHEREAS, There is an ever increasing proliferation of Bible translations with the intent of translating the Scriptures into the current language of the people; and
WHEREAS, Bible publishers and translators are consistently faced with the tension of accuracy and readability along with the pressure from those who do not hold a high view of Scripture to take license with the use of particular terms, including, but not limited to, the use of so called gender inclusive language;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Dallas, Texas, June 17-19, 1997, urge every Bible publisher and translation group to continue to use time honored, historic principles of biblical translation and refrain from any deviation to seek to accommodate contemporary cultural pressures, understanding that we are anxious to support the most accurate translations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we respectfully request that the agencies, boards, and publishing arms of the Southern Baptist Convention refrain from using any such translations in our various publications, and from using them in printing copies or portions of copies of the Bible.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That we urge Southern Baptists to be continually vigilant regarding this matter and prayerful for the Bible publishers and translators in the monumental task that they undertake.