Resolution on The Elimination of The Confederate Flag from Public Life
Submitted to the Resolutions Committee of the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention
By Wm. Dwight McKissic, Sr., Cornerstone Baptist Church, Arlington, TX
WHEREAS, SBC President Ronnie Floyd has rallied Southern Baptists to “rise up and cry out against the racism that still exists in our nation and our churches,” recognizing we are in a “desperate hour” that calls us to “replace these evils with the beauty of grace and love;” and
WHEREAS, the Southern Baptist Convention has repudiated “historic acts of evil such as slavery” and committed “to eradicate racism in all its forms from Southern Baptist life and ministry;” and
WHEREAS, the Southern Baptist Convention has repented “of any past bigotry” while bearing “witness to the devastating impact of racism;” and
WHEREAS, the Southern Baptist Convention has affirmed that “the race problem is a moral and spiritual problem as well as a social problem” and committed “to do all that we can to improve race relations among all races as a positive demonstration of the power of Christian love;” and
WHEREAS, the Southern Baptist Convention has gone on record as “strongly opposing” racist organizations that attempt to recruit members and promote “racial terrorism;” and
WHEREAS, the Southern Baptist Convention has urged “the members of the churches of the convention to refrain from association with all groups that exist for the purpose of fomenting strife and division within the nation on the basis of differences of race;” and
WHEREAS, the Southern Baptist Convention has called on “all Christian men and women to pray and labor for the day when our Lord will set all things right and racial prejudice and injustice will be no more;” and
WHEREAS, the Southern Baptist Convention has expressed continued grief “over the presence of racism and the recent escalation of racial tension in our nation;” and
WHEREAS, racial tensions and ongoing bigotries are inflamed by the continued use of the Confederate Battle Flag, also known as “The Southern Cross” or the “Battle Flag,” by groups that have been perennially repudiated and denounced by the Southern Baptist Convention; and
WHEREAS, the Confederate Battle Flag is utilized as a symbol of racial, ethnic, and religious hatred, oppression, and murder which offends untold millions of people; and
WHEREAS, on June 17, 2015, nine of our brothers and sisters in Christ were murdered at a mid-week Bible study and prayer meeting at the Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, by a young man often pictured draped in a Confederate Battle Flag; and
WHEREAS, the State of South Carolina, under the leadership of Governor Nikki Haley and the South Carolina State Legislature – in response to the hatred and racial terrorism demonstrated in Charleston and often associated with the Confederate Battle Flag – permanently removed said flag from the South Carolina State Capitol; and
WHEREAS, the Confederate Battle Flag had flown over the State Capitol since 1962 as an act of protest over desegregation; and
WHEREAS, Oklahoma Baptist University President, Dr. David Whitlock, announced in February 2015 that the university would remove an image of the Confederate Battle Flag from the campus chapel; and
WHEREAS, these redemptive actions by elected officials in the State of South Carolina and the Oklahoma Baptist University deserve commendation; and
WHEREAS, the nine fellow believers murdered in Charleston are true martyrs of the faith and thus deserve commemoration; and
WHEREAS, while the removal of the Confederate Battle Flag from public display is not going to solve the most severe racial tensions that plague our churches or our nation, it does symbolize another development in ongoing efforts to eliminate systemic racism that has divided our people for too long; now
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention, meeting June 14-15 in St. Louis, MO, acknowledges the controversial and necessarily divisive symbol of racism conveyed by the ongoing public display of the Confederate Battle Flag; and be it further
RESOLVED that we grieve over the ongoing racial tensions in the St. Louis area, specifically the pain and anguish that have afflicted the city of Ferguson, MO; and be it
FINALLY RESOLVED that we call on all persons, along with public, governmental, and religious institutions to discontinue the display of the Confederate Battle Flag and work diligently to remove vestigial symbols of racism from public life as evidence of the fruits of repentance that we have made for our past bigotries and as a step in good faith toward racial healing in America, to the end that we truly become – in word and deed – “one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.”
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April 19, 2016 at 12:04 pm
Hi Dr. McKissic,
I believe in the need for ‘that flag’ to be removed from every place where it can bring pain to any one of our countrymen. And I speak as the great niece of Willam James Ausbon, a confederate soldier who was one of the six heroes of the Siege of Petersburg, who was awarded a silver medal from General Beauregard.
I am Roman Catholic by faith and I cannot support any ‘symbols’ of hate or abuse intended to bring pain to any human person. What is wrong can be made right when ‘that flag’ is removed and no longer able to taunt descendants of those who were forced to live in slavery, a condition that offends the dignity of all people who enslaved others or were themselves enslaved.
I hope your resolution is passed and IF I had a voice over at SBCvoices (I was banned there), I would speak for your resolution there.
It is past time for all symbols of hate to be shown openly in our land. We need to heal and we cannot do this under that flag, where it still breeds hatred and pain. God Bless you in your efforts. Christ’s peace be with you always.
Christiane Smith
April 20, 2016 at 1:23 pm
Christiane,
Thanks. I really appreciate u weighing in here. We share a common mind on this subject.
June 3, 2016 at 7:03 pm
Sorry Ma’am, but your history is flawed. There were only 1 Confederate type medal issued during the war. It was a repurposed Mexican peso, on a green ribbon, called the Jefferson Davis medal.
This was awarded by General Dowling in Texas, only to a handful of soldiers.
June 21, 2016 at 10:07 pm
Sir, respectfully, you are mistaken.
April 20, 2016 at 9:45 am
[…] here for original […]
April 22, 2016 at 6:58 am
While you’re working to remove offensive flags, why not ask Russell Moore to take down the oil painting of John Broaddus (Confederate Chaplain) displayed proudly in his ERLC office.
Why not start with the heads as opposed to the tails?
April 22, 2016 at 8:26 pm
Scott,
That’s his personal office. Only Southern Baptist, and not very many of them know who Broadus was. The confederate flag is well known & all believers should realize the celebration of that flag is unnessarily offensive to millions of persons. In honor of the Charleston nine it should be repudiated. I’ll let u go after Broadus.
April 23, 2016 at 7:46 am
“That’s his personal office”…..should make it more personal for you, Dwight.
Russell Moore calling for the removal of the confederate flag from public while personally displaying and “treasuring” the likeness of the official Confederate chaplain in an SBC denominational office is the height of hypocrisy, REGARDLESS OF LOCATION.
No doubt you’ll label me a racist as well as anybody who takes issue with the resolution, but that’s okay, I’ve been called a lot worse by folks a lot less intelligent than you and your peers. “Millions” more who are “not offended” by the confederate flag or the undeniable reality of history will see you as Nazis (regardless of color). They don’t understand how mature Christians, 200 years after the fact and in the face of Western society’s progress in race-relations, want to call back foul spirits which started leaving the building 60 to 70 years ago.
IMO you’re trying to put make-up on the pig of personal and individual spiritual short-comings with another of these annual resolutions which are good for a few days attention in the news cycle but are never taken seriously by anyone either inside or outside the denomination.
You say “not very many Southern Baptists know who Broadus was”. I maintain there are thousands upon thousands of SBC church members who know exactly who Broadus was as well as his history. You would have to show me some research or statistics to validate your assumption. Looks like black pastors are no better than white pastors in assuming that most normal church members are “in the dark”. My experience has been they’re not nearly as dumb as you think.
As for me “going after Broadus”….Broadus is dead as a hammer and I don’t get involved in movements to limit free speech, desecrate the memories of the dead or to sanitize history in the misapplied name of “justice”.
Best way to honor the Charleston Nine is found in the response of that particular congregation to the tragedy in question. They are obviously on a different trajectory than a lot of SBC pastors.
May 8, 2016 at 2:56 pm
Scott,
You only inject Broadus into this discussion as a red herring. The sole issue here is the flag….not pictures hanging on Russell Moore’s wall. Quite frankly, what RM hangs on his wall is none of my business.
I am confident the majority of the SBC will see the value of approving this resolution. And if they don’t that would be quite revealing. Thanks for your commenting here.
May 10, 2016 at 7:11 am
No Dwight, if you’re not willing to address the hypocrisy of those your teaming with to promote this resolution which calls for “public” action, then your resolution itself is the “red herring.”
The “majority of the SBC” doesn’t go to the mosh-pit meeting once a year and those that do will be scared to vote against it, not out of sincere conviction, but out of a desire to avoid castigation by race-baiters..
They’re bandwagon culture “warriors” equipped with their strained slogans, yet they seem to be more consumed by culture than showing any success in stemming its influence.
Thanks for allowing my comment. If Moore and Broadus are “red-herrings” then the entire spirit behind this resolution is bogus and self-centered.
May 7, 2016 at 10:29 am
Great article. ! I was fascinated by the details . Does anyone know where my assistant might locate a sample SC DoR C-268 document to fill out ?
May 8, 2016 at 2:50 pm
Thanks.
June 1, 2016 at 12:06 pm
[…] came from a member of an SBC church who requested that I consider withdrawing or modifying the Resolution that I proposed to the SBC eliminating the CF from public life. […]
June 2, 2016 at 5:01 am
Sir, the flag of the Confederate States especially the battleflag represents Hundreds of thousands of Americans who died for their Country. They are buried in mass graves,national cemeteries and small Baptist Churches like Beulah Baptist in Sabine Parish Louisiana, and Swamp Creek Baptist in Coosa County Alabama. Those American Soldiers are entitled by U.S.Law to the same status as Any other U.S.Veteran. the knee jerk reaction to ban this flag is wrong and assumes we as Americans cant learn from the courage and valor of those who fought under it in the 1860s, and arent capable of distinguising them from racist whi wrong used it in the 1960s. I will continue to place it on the graves of my ancestors buried in Southern Baptist Church yards
June 2, 2016 at 5:15 am
[…] came from a member of an SBC church who requested that I consider withdrawing or modifying the Resolution that I proposed to the SBC eliminating the CF from public life. […]
June 2, 2016 at 6:58 am
[…] Dwight McKissic has submitted a resolution to the annual Southern Baptist Convention meeting which condemns display of the Confederate flag. […]
June 3, 2016 at 7:46 am
I’ve been to the cemetery where Lottie Moon is buried. It contains several CSA (Confederate States of America) grave markers that are inscribed with the Confederate flag. Shall those be removed? What about Civil War battlefields and museums? Do you wish to remove the Confederate flag from those places, too? B.H. Carroll, the founder of Southwestern Seminary, served in the Confederate army. Shall his picture be removed from the Seminary? What about James P. Boyce? He was a chaplain in the Confederate army. Lottie Moon’s brothers fought for the Confederacy. Shall we change the name of the annual offering, too?
In short, once we start down this road, where do we stop? Until someone gives me a satisfactory answer to that question, I will not support this resolution.
June 3, 2016 at 7:13 pm
As a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, part of my obligations are to place small Confederate flags on the graves of Confederate Veterans.
I do this as a labor of love and to pay respects to fallen soldiers L.
Some SBC churches have cemeteries that includes Confederate Veterans.
If this resolution passes, Mr McKissic will have created a new category of criminals. Places where once Veterans were welcomed to be honored with flags will try to prevent our organization and descendants from placing flags on graves.
I refuse to stop honoring American Veterans.
June 5, 2016 at 6:30 am
[…] came from a member of an SBC church who requested that I consider withdrawing or modifying the Resolution that I proposed to the SBC eliminating the CF from public life. […]
June 6, 2016 at 2:14 am
I’m a Christian, Baptist & Sons of Confederate Veterans member in Texas. I am sorry, but the Arlington pastor’s facts are out-of-sync with history. The Civil War was NOT about slavery as Abraham Lincoln stated in his 1861 War Proclamation, and in 1860, only 6% of the entire South had slaves. That means that 94% did not have slaves. In fact, the largest slave owner was a black widow woman from Louisiana named C. Richards who owned 150-black slaves! “Yes”, black people owned black slaves in the South. Slavery was on its way out when Lincoln invaded the South. My ancestor fought with the 16th Texas Cavalry. He did not own any slaves, want any slaves, and he joined the Confederacy to fight against the tyrannical North who invaded his homeland. I honor his service and his bravery by flying the flag he served under. That is guaranteed me in the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (freedom of speech). 93,000-FREE black men served in the Confederate military as early as 1861 as reported by Union officers. They did so of their own choosing, not by coercion, or threat. They fought under the Confederate flag. Will you also slander their sacrifice as well? The American flag flew atop ALL ships bringing slaves to America from 1775-1861. Will you next demand that all American flags be removed because of that true fact of U.S. history? Instead of watching the new tv show “Roots” and the “Free State of Jones” film, watch the 2003 film, “Gods & Generals” which tells the truth about the War Between The States (aka Civil War), not politically correct propaganda.
June 14, 2016 at 11:32 am
I have been a life long baptist as have my ancestors. I have relatives who fought against northern aggression . They owned no slaves. The church where I was raised started with 2 acres of land donated by free African americans. They attended the church after it was constructed in 1858. The proposed resolution represents the myth that the war between the states was all about slavery and bigoted southern people. That is a distortion of history.. Slavery continued in northern states after it ended in southern states . There were more antislavery societies in the south than the north. Abraham Did not start the war to end slavery. He declared slaves free in the south only when he ran for reelection in the middle of the war. Census records show the number of free African Americans was steadily rising in the south. The economic woes of the north was the major cause of the war. My ancestors, who have fought in every major war beginning with the American Revolution, were honorable men . I personally will not be a part of a denomintion that dishonors my ancestors in the name of political correctness. If this resolution moves forward I will plan to make a motion at our next business meeting to withdraw from the southern baptist convention.
June 14, 2016 at 5:14 pm
You people are wrong to try and remove the Flag, you are causing more hate by doing this. My great-grandfathers and great uncles fought under this great Flag and their blood and the blood of 620,000 more cry out of the ground. SHAME ON ALL THAT WOULD REMOVE MY FLAG.
June 14, 2016 at 5:28 pm
[…] titled “Resolution on the Elimination of the Confederate Flag from Public Life,” the text stated: “… that the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention, meeting June 14-15 in St. Louis, […]
June 14, 2016 at 5:40 pm
Foolish resolutions like this and incompetent effeminate leaders like Russell Moore are reasons why many good strong principled and devoted Christians stay out of the SBC, or have already left.
June 14, 2016 at 5:41 pm
[…] The resolution was first proposed in April by Dwight McKissic, a black pastor in Texas. In blog posts, McKissic wrote that taking a stand against the Confederate flag would help make up for the Southern Baptist Convention’s past. […]
June 15, 2016 at 2:11 am
[…] The text called on the SBC to “acknowledge the controversial and necessarily divisive symbol of racism conveyed by the ongoing public display of the Confederate battle flag. […]
June 16, 2016 at 4:25 pm
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June 16, 2016 at 5:27 pm
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June 19, 2016 at 4:24 pm
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June 26, 2016 at 12:44 am
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