WHEREAS, The telecasting of live worship services by local churches on Sunday morning has been a major expression of the free exercise of religion in our nation, and
WHEREAS, The decision recently announced by NBC-TV of its intention to follow this fall a policy established some years ago by CBS-TV in broadcasting professional football games which policy will virtually eliminate the eleven o’clock Sunday morning hour from carrying live religious services by making their stations carry the pre-game shows or forfeit the right to carry the game themselves, and
WHEREAS, The National Football League has been insensitive to the spiritual needs of the nation in its scheduling of Sunday games at times which would create such a conflict with telecasting religious services to the homes of our nation, and
WHEREAS, Other local stations have been canceling local church services arbitrarily reverting to former policies of refusing to sell time to local churches.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention from the thirty-five thousand congregations across America go on record as deploring this erosion of the free exercise of religion in our country, this cleavage between the religious community and the communications community in our nation, and this creation of unnecessary conflict in time schedules between the sports activity in our nation and the major worship activity for the vast majority of Americans.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the messengers of the Convention request the president of the Southern Baptist Convention and the president of the Radio and Television Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention to engage in responsible dialogue with the executives of the National Broadcasting Company, the Columbia Broadcasting System, and the National Football League with the hope that such conflicts can be eliminated so that the churches of our nation can have access to communicating their message through Sunday television in the free exercise of religion.