PROPOSED RESOLUTION ON KINGDOM UNITY IN THE SBC AND THE NATION
WORKING DRAFT
BY WILLIAM DWIGHT MCKISSIC, SR.
I plan to present a “Resolution On Kingdom Unity In The SBC And The Nation” to the SBC June 2017 Phoenix Resolutions Committee that if accepted and adhered to will advance the Southern Baptist Convention toward the goal(s) of reconciliation, healing, unity, cross-cultural respect, appreciation for freedom of expression, and diversity of viewpoints; based on one’s convictions, conscious, cultural considerations, and more importantly—the Spirit of Christ. When the Southern Baptist Convention become one in the Spirit and be empowered by the Spirit—we will be the most potent Kingdom disciple-making movement in the history of the Christian Faith since the Book of Acts. I offer this resolution with the prayer that what I just declared will become reality; and this generation will see it in our lifetime.
I want this resolution to reflect the majority sentiments of all SBC messengers regardless of racial, regional, economic, educational, ideological bents, philosophical persuasions, political party orientation, or affiliations. I want the final product to be a statement of unity that all Southern Baptists can say “Amen” to. I know this seems like an impossible feat, but the SBC need healing and unity, beyond the ERLC—Prestonwood kerfuffle that hopefully has been resolved in recent days. The Graham-Moore controversy uncovered a political, philosophical, racial, and doctrinal divide that is not totally resolved by the much-needed recent reconciliation between the two of them.
If this resolution is passed, understood, believed and practiced—it could help to lead the SBC in experiencing what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called “the beloved community”—which is a greater sense of unity and bridging the gaps between the fault lines of all persons from all socioeconomic backgrounds. And from a biblical perspective, where there is evidence of unity, there is an increase in a greater spiritual harvest; and that’s our ultimate goal. Therefore, please offer criticism, critiques, suggested changes, etc. I thank you in advance for doing so. Here’s the proposed rough draft of the resolution. I’m also looking for co-contributors who are willing to attach their names as coauthors and/or contributors to the final draft that will be submitted.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, in the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention we recognize that convictional and demonstrable unity is essential to our mandate given by our Lord to evangelize and disciple every people group. Jesus prayed that His followers would walk in unity, so that the world would be convinced of His Incarnation (John 17:21); and
WHEREAS, we recognize in the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention that our unity is centered around our Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God who is the Father of all (Ephesians 4:4-6); and
WHEREAS, we recognize in the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention that our unity is not centered in any political party of any stripe; and
WHEREAS, the Southern Baptist Convention recognize that there always has been and always will be a diversity of opinions on political parties, presidential candidates, policies and positions—but we will endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, undivided by secular politics; and
WHEREAS, the Bible extols the virtues, value and visual beauty and blessings of Kingdom unity (Psalm 133:1-3); and
WHEREAS, in the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention we recognize that a house divided against itself cannot stand; and
WHEREAS, our Lord Jesus prayed for unity among His followers (John 17:21); and
WHEREAS, God placed His stamp of approval on visual, verbal and vital unity in the Kingdom of God on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1, 5) by the outpouring of His Spirit and the promise to do it again in the last days (Acts 2:17); and
WHEREAS, the first Gentile congregation in the history of the faith demonstrated ethnic unity in leadership with spiritually gifted men from Africa, Asia and Europe listed as leaders in the Church at Antioch (Acts 13:1-2); and
WHEREAS, within the Kingdom of God and within the Southern Baptist Convention there is a recognition that God’s Kingdom rules over all (Psalms 103:19), and neither the Democratic nor Republican Parties represent the Kingdom of God, but the kingdoms of this world (John 18:36); and
WHEREAS, racial and ideological polarization has been increasing dramatically in America since the Carter-Reagan era—and some would argue as far back as the Kennedy-Nixon era—and continues through this present hour; and
WHEREAS, in the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention we recognize and joyfully accept our mandate to care for the “least among us”—we simultaneously allow for diversity of thought among our constituency as to what responsibility the federal government has as it relates to meeting the needs of the poor (II Corinthians 3:17); and
WHEREAS, within the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention there is unity in the Spirit surrounding biblical teaching regarding the common origin of the races of mankind (Acts 17:26); the equality of the races of mankind (Malachi 2:10); the fairness and favor of God toward all races of mankind (Acts 10:34); and the need to prophetically address biblical social and economic justice for all the races of mankind (Amos 5:24, Luke 4:16-21, Matthew 25:34-40, Ezekiel 16:49-50). We believe that heaven will be comprised of people of every tribe, tongue, race and nation that have trusted the shed blood of Jesus as atonement for their sins (Revelation 5:19, 7:9); and
WHEREAS, in the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention there is unity in the Spirit surrounding The Biblical Command to Pray with Purity of Hearts and Hands for secular political leaders; and therefore, we gladly assume the responsibility and requirement to pray for President Donald Trump, the 45th POTUS, his family, and Cabinet; and
WHEREAS, within the Kingdom of God and within the Southern Baptist Convention there is a recognition that if one believes in the fundamentals of the faith and the Lordship of Christ, believers who vote with their freedom of conscience for either party or candidate should not be viewed as spiritually suspect or be rendered ineligible from serving in the life of the SBC, based on their voting patterns, party affiliation, or ideological views that do not conflict with God’s inerrant and infallible Word. The Southern Baptist Convention allows for diversity of thought on matters not clearly addressed by Jesus, not mandated in Scripture, or not addressed in the BF&M 2000; and
WHEREAS, we acknowledge, along with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, historic discrimination and abuse of minorities; and therefore, and therefore, we encourage law enforcement officers to demonstrate respect and equal treatment toward all persons—regardless of their background—as it relates to police practices in law enforcement; and
WHEREAS, we acknowledge that there are citizens in our nation who view police persons with disdain and disrespect—the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention encourage all people of all backgrounds to hold police persons in high esteem and to respect and honor the necessary and life-threatening work that they do daily for the benefit of all American citizens. We condemn all police shootings by citizens as rebellious, defiant acts against the almighty God that police persons represent (Romans 13:4); and
WHEREAS, in the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention, we affirm marriage between one man and one woman; therefore we encourage President Trump and the Congress to proffer a constitutional amendment that places into law the traditional definition of marriage; and
WHEREAS, in the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention it is taught that God created male and female. Therefore, we commend President Trump for reversing President Obama’s Executive Order sanctioning transgender restrooms among school students; and
WHEREAS, in the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention, we support the protection of innocent unborn life in the womb; and encourage the defunding of Planned Parenthood and commend President Donald Trump for defunding the Mexico policy; and
WHEREAS, in the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention we recognize that the beauty of diversity within unity, often is accompanied with challenges, misunderstandings, suspicions, infighting and even sometimes temporal separation; and
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, THAT THE JUNE 2017 SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION GATHERING IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA, RESOLVE TO ENDEAVOR TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT IN THE “BOND OF PEACE” (EPHESIANS 4:3); RESPECT LEGITIMATE PHILOSOPHICAL, IDEOLOGICAL, POLITICAL PREFERENCES—CULTURAL AND “SHEEPFOLD” DIFFERENCES AMONG US—WITHOUT THOSE PREFERENCES AND DIFFERENCES BECOMING UNNECESSARILY DIVISIVE AND THE SOURCE OF THE BREAKING OF FELLOWSHIP AND REDUCING OR ESCROWING FUNDS EARMARKED FOR THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM.
Wm. Dwight McKissic, Sr. 
March 23, 2017 at 7:10 pm
I received this letter in the mail today which explains why the above proposed Resolution is needed:
“16 March 2017
Dwight McKissic, Sr Cornerstone Church Arlington, TX
Dear Sir,
I read in The Baptist Record today where you spoke of “huge implications” for blacks in the SBC regarding the investigation of Russell Moore, and its outcome. The Record stated that you expresed that the “vast majority” of blacks are not “Trump-leaning, blindly loyal Republican voters.” The implication is that blacks might leave the SBC.
I suggest you take your Barack Hussein Obama-leaning, blindly loyal, Socialist voters with you, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out!!
Robert Peters
Vicksburg, MS”
March 28, 2017 at 5:47 am
The man who’s response you feel led to vilify obviously doesn’t think this resolution is “needed”. The yearly white guilt look at me excercise just may be the real problem in and of itself. Respectfully but honestly.
March 24, 2017 at 12:25 am
Thank you Dr. McKissic, unity within the SBC is indeed essential to the SBC’s effectiveness in making disciples, and in experiencing and promoting the “beloved community” Dr. King spoke of by name and Christ alluded to in endorsing the second greatest commandment. Your appeal resonates especially strongly with me, and I believe millions of others, as it speaks to today’s urgent, unmet need for racial justice and interracial reconciliation, two topics which derive from that great commandment, to love one another as ourselves. With this as my passion, and since you asked for critiques of your rough draft and for suggested changes, I would like to humbly submit the following detailed thoughts:
1) In your third WHEREAS, I would suggest adding wording along the lines of “but on obedience to the Word and Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2) In your fourth WHEREAS, I would suggest adding words to the effect of “but determined to stay true to biblical commands concerning the poor and downtrodden of every race (Galatians 2:10, Deuteronomy 15:11), to which commands we all wish with one accord to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of Christ in these matters.”
3) Regarding “WHEREAS, in the Kingdom of God and the Southern Baptist Convention we recognize and joyfully accept our mandate to care for the “least among us”—we simultaneously allow for diversity of thought among our constituency as to what responsibility the federal government has as it relates to meeting the needs of the poor (II Corinthians 3:17) – I strongly recommend taking this resolution out. The Bible teaches that God intends government to be an agent for our good (Romans 13:4), and that in every way includes and in no way excludes the responsibility of citizens acting in concert through the agency of the governmental authority God established of, by and for the people to meet the needs of the poor. That simply is not in the Bible anywhere. Further, Isaiah 10:1-3 strongly admonishes and warns any citizenry or body politic that enacts oppressive laws toward the poor via the agency of their government. All throughout the Bible, God defends the poor and condemns the covetous. He said give unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, so that the good purposes for which He established government could be achieved. I strongly believe that the current teaching endemic within the Southern Baptist Convention as being taught from many influential pulpits is at clear and serious odds with the heart and word of God. It’s one thing for this thought to exist in the pews, but quite another to be preached from its pulpits or excused via a resolution. To give credence to a very questionable ethic should, at any rate, not be necessary to achieve a robust unity to which we could all with clear hearts and minds agree, and therefore I recommend it be stricken from the draft.
By further illustration, try substituting “slavery” for “meeting the needs of the poor” in the above resolution, and see how it reads then. Or, substitute “Jim Crow” or “Mass Incarceration” or “Minority Voter Suppression.” I hope that clear hearts will not be willing to sanction any sin that would oppress “the least of these,” or to coexist as leaven with it. A little leaven will leaven the whole lump.
Further, if the federal government is to get a pass from the church of God in meeting the needs of the poor, do state governments get similar passes? And if they don’t, what biblical grounds exists to put that yoke on them, but not on the federal government? And how about county and city governments?
I, and I believe hundreds of thousands if not millions of other Southern Baptists (maybe primarily minority ones), view the teaching as “false teaching,” with a root of the love of money (low taxation, i.e., politics) in it. We view the issue as one of “Is the SBC going to stand up for, obey and work for biblical justice for the poor and minorities,” – in short, a biblical issue – not one that should be couched in terms of “politics” and marginalized (promoted/excused) for that reason. Whatever is close to God’s heart is not merely politics as far as the church is concerned, but a cornerstone command, and should not be labeled as politics in order to permit it (if evil) or squash it (if good).
Further, the argument then goes that the Bible gave the Church the responsibility to care for the poor, exclusive of government. This is not in the Bible, and neither does the Church have the wherewithal or the intention to put billions more in the offering plates every year to care for the poor, if it were actually given the opportunity to supplant government assistance, as the false teaching goes. The church has definitely been given a commission to care for the poor – but NOT to the exclusion of that same commission given to governments in scripture. People can and will have differing opinions on this in the SBC – but the opinion that the Federal government has no biblical command to meet the needs of the poor is not biblical, and should not be aided, abetted, provided sanction or comfort, or espoused in any way – it should be reproved – or, at the very least, not included in this or any other resolution. Unity should be striven for, but not at the price of forsaking the heart and commands of God. I respectfully suggest and hope you will consider removing this WHEREAS from the draft.
In the WHEREAS concerning biblical social and economic justice for all mankind – I love it. I would only suggest changing the word “need” to “command,” and in support thereof, adding Isaiah 1:17, Isaiah 10:1-3 and Proverbs 31:8-9 to the list of supporting scriptures.
On the WHEREAS concerning praying for the president, my suggestion is to take out the name of our current president, and just leave it as “the president and his family, the congress, the supreme court, and the cabinet and all federal agencies, as well as all state and local government officials.” I have nothing against including President Trump by name, except I think it will make the resolution more timeless without it.
In the WHEREAS regarding freedom on conscious and voting, I believe it is clear that sometimes, votes can = sin (as Isaiah 10:1-3 clearly supports), and especially when a denomination finds itself in an unholy marriage with one political party. Examples would be voting for a party that widely supports the enactment of sinful public policies such as minority voter suppression, mass-incarceration, school-to-prison pipelines, our nation’s 44,000 “Second Prison Laws,” and drastic cuts to the social safety net for the poor. Supporting these sinful public policies by our votes is no different than supporting slavery or Jim Crow by votes in the 1700’s through 1964, because they oppress our minority communities nationwide, separate families, preclude the loving guidance and spiritual and financial support from incarcerated fathers necessary to raise a child to spiritual, educational, emotional and financial maturity, preclude wealth development through work, relegate young black males with a minor drug conviction to a lifetime of poverty (75% of whom never rise above our lowest income quartile), etc. Denominations can become weaponized voting blocks against the poor and minorities. Therefore, such voting blocks can, legitimately, become spiritually suspect based on their voting patters and ideological views which DO conflict with the word of God – all the time thinking adamantly that they don’t. I’m not sure how better to word this WHEREAS so as to not inadvertently leave this concern out or promote spiritually blind weaponized voting blocks, but I would just encourage some thought about how this might be best expressed in a faithful and non-offensive way.
In the WHEREAS about police, I would add “and courts,” as they also sentence minorities disparately, using a variety of “mandatory minimum” sentences, “three strikes you’re out” laws, school-to-prison pipelines, etc. While unnecessary police killings of black men are real and should be addressed by the church, I believe that the injustice in the court system (Ecclesiastes 3:16) also should be addressed.
Finally, I would encourage consideration of leaving out the WHEREAS’s having to do with marriage, transgender and Planned Parenthood. A large percentage of our young people in the faith are weary of constantly hearing about these subjects… similar to Mrs. Clinton’s emails, if you will. A constitutional amendment on marriage isn’t likely to pass (zero chance), but will just perpetuate a very vocal culture war for years into the future. I get tired of hearing these topics on Christian radio, instead of just hearing Jesus preached. I think it’s counterproductive. It causes a lot of people in the world to flee from the church, rather than to run to it. Regarding the transgender issue, I believe it has been overturned, so I don’t believe it serves a uniting purpose in a SBC resolution at this point. If you want to leave the Planned Parenthood WHEREAS in, I would encourage leaving out the commendation of President Trump, because, again, that could be divisive, rather than unifying.
Finally, I would love to see the SBC pass resolutions on Mass Incarceration, our nation’s 44,000 “Second Prison Laws,” School-to-Prison Pipelines, and Minority Voter Suppression via voter ID and other types of laws. Dr. King was right when he said the church should be a headlight in these very important biblical social/racial justice battles, not a tail light, and not AWOL. I think that if we really want to attract a lot of young people to the church and to Christ, one of the best ways to do it would be to engage strongly in these issues that they care about.
Thank you for working for a biblical unity that includes racial justice and reconciliation… it is so needed.
March 24, 2017 at 1:26 pm
Craig,
I wondered if anyone would take my request seriously to offer critique, sugesstions, modifications, etc. Not only did you take my request seriously, I’m overwhelmed & grateful as to the extent, depth, and degree of seriousness with which took my requests. Thanks again.
I find your suggestion quite helpful & thought provoking. Will print your suggestions Monday & begin to carefully work through them determining how they should be incorporated to the extent that I agree with your recommendations. For certain I agree with the majority of what you’ve recommended here.
As you probably know, the resolution has to first be approved y the resolutions committee, before it can be voted on by the messengers. Therefore, one must consider the content of a resolution based on what likely will be approved or disapproved by the committee & messengers.
Whereas, I like by far most of your suggestions, some of them will probably not be approved by the committee or messengers. That probably also true of some items proposed in the working draft. However, I look forward to giving your suggestions serious consideration, come Monday.
Question: do u think I should allow my perceptions of what the committee will or will not approve of influence the content of the resolution?
March 26, 2017 at 12:17 am
Hello Dr. McKissic,
I really appreciate your work to restore a meaningful and robust brotherhood to the SBC, so that we can have a credible Gospel witness to the world together. I am pleased that you are seeking input from others, and I’m humbled and thankful to be able to offer mine. I understand that there are a lot of things you must consider in preparing a draft that should stand a reasonable likelihood of being adopted, and I will definitely be keeping you in my prayers for wisdom as you do that next week and until you present it to the Resolutions Committee in June. Regarding your question as to my thoughts on whether you should allow your perceptions of what the committee will or will not approve to influence the content of the resolution, I think it is reasonable to do so. Having said that, though, I think that should be balanced with a strict fidelity to the Gospel, as best you understand it. I myself tend toward being a little bit of an envelope pusher for progress toward moving people in the right scriptural direction in my advocacy, as I think Russell Moore is also. I’m sure you’ll agree that the Scriptures instruct us to exhort, instruct and reprove with all might to love and good deeds, and so much the more as we see that day approaching, which it is. I think that’s often one of God’s expectations when He chooses leaders in the church, and I think some examples of failures to lead might be how Aaron and Peter allowed the crowds to exert peer pressure on them such that they failed in their leadership responsibilities, in different ways and at different times, although God strengthened them through other leaders, such that His plans were kept on track. Personally, I would like to see the resolution 1) bring unity to the SBC, and 2) support Russell Moore as much as possible, because if he is muzzled or forced out, those would not work toward a truthful, robust unity. It’s one thing to permit yourself to be chastised for the sake of unity, but another to be muzzled in speaking prophetically to issues that need that kind of a voice spoken to them going forward. And 3) to any extent possible, address some of the things that may be useful not only to move the SBC forward with any racial healing and reconciliation that may be needed now, but also, if possible, to address some of the ways the church could/should be in the forefront of advocating and working for racial justice in our country, in some of the ways I had described in my comments above. I don’t know to what extent that may be able to be moved forward in this resolution, or if that might require a separate resolution on those topics. So, anyway, I guess my answer is yes, its reasonable to consider what is possible to get passed, balanced against whatever degree the envelope may also be pushed in a biblical direction. I hope this helps, and again, I’ll be praying for wisdom for you, and will be happy to help you in any way I can going forward. God bless you as you continue this work of love!
Craig Eastman
June 13, 2017 at 11:50 am
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