WHEREAS, This Convention recognizes, first, that the Scriptures are not yet translated into many languages and dialects, second, that widespread distribution of the printed Word of God is a basic necessity in mission work at home and around the world, and third, that missionary advance calls for even greater distribution of Bibles, New Testaments, Gospels, other individual books of the Bible, and shorter Scripture selections, and
WHEREAS, The American Bible Society renders an essential worldwide missionary service through translating and publishing the Scriptures without note or comment and through distributing them without profit and usually below cost, and
WHEREAS, The American Bible Society provides without charge to the chaplains, Scriptures for distribution to the men and women of the Armed Forces and to patients in veterans hospitals, and
WHEREAS, The American Bible Society is rendering additional special service by providing scriptural materials designed especially for the use of Southern Baptist churches in the area of Bible study and evangelism,
WHEREAS, The American Bible Society, in cooperation with 49 other national Bible societies, is presently engaged in a top-priority project of translating the Bible into everyday speech for the major languages and dialects, seeking to place the printed Word of God in the hands, hearts, and lives of more people, in more lands, in more languages.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That we earnestly encourage our churches and their people to make worthy contributions to the work of the American Bible Society, in order to provide the Scriptures needed for the missionary advance to which we are committed.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we encourage associations, state conventions, and churches to emphasize the need for a wider reading and sharing of the Holy Scriptures both in our own land and throughout the world, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we urge our churches to present the challenge of Bible translation to our young people as one of today’s most critical mission tasks and that we pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth more laborers into this wide open field.