RESOLUTION “ON RACIAL UNITY AMONG SOUTHERN BAPTISTS”
WHEREAS, the first president of the Southern Baptist Convention, William B. Johnson indicated in his inaugural address that Southern Baptists were “free to promote slavery” arguing that slavery was a legal and civil matter, not a church matter; and
WHEREAS, many Southern Baptist churches once misappropriated and distorted the Bible to attempt to legitimize white supremacy, slavery, and racial hierarchy, including through the so-called “curse of Ham” narrative which errantly construed Genesis 9:25-27 to say that God ordained the descendants of Ham to be marked with dark skin and be relegated to a subordinated status based on race; and
WHEREAS, the residue of this doctrine remains in use today by white supremacists and continues to distort the witness of the church and present a stumbling block to the Gospel we preach; and
WHEREAS, racial tensions in our churches and our nation would be significantly better if Southern Baptists, instead, had rightly applied the second great commandment, “You shall love our neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39); and
WHEREAS, while Southern Baptists have repented (1995) and have elected their first African-American SBC president (2012), and have begun implementation of action steps from the 2015 report of the African American Task Force, there is still a need for more action; and
WHEREAS, our associations have rightly disfellowshipped churches that insist on excluding from fellowship anyone on the basis of race or ethnicity; and
WHEREAS, the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968 affords our nation, and our churches, with an opportunity for reflection, repentance, and renewed resolve toward racial unity; and
WHEREAS, we are called by Christ to “live worthy of the calling [we] have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3); now be it therefore
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Dallas, Texas, June 12-14, 2018, renew our commitment to the pursuit of reconciliation, justice, and unity in our churches and our communities; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we maintain and renew our public renunciation of racism in all its forms, including our disavowal of any attempt to distort or misappropriate the Bible to justify this evil; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we confess before the watching world that ultimately it is only through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ that our ethnic and racial hostilities can be overcome; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we declare our abhorrence of any cooperating SBC church that tolerates or advocates racism; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call on our civic leaders to uphold justice for all and to pursue legal avenues to strengthen our national commitment to justice and equality for all; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we renew our commitment to proclaim boldly the gospel of Jesus Christ to people from every tribe, tongue, and nation regardless of race, ethnicity or genealogical descent (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8) for the good of the church and the glory of God; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we invite all Southern Baptists to dedicate themselves to prayer, both as individuals and as local churches, in a spirit of humility and love, pleading with the Lord to display his power and glory by making us more faithful ambassadors of reconciliation for “how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity” (Psalm 133:1).
This Resolution “On Racial Unity Among Southern Baptists” will be submitted to the SBC Resolution Committee to be considered for the June 2018 Convention in Dallas, TX, by:
- Danny Akin, Wake Cross Roads Baptist Church, 3328 Forestville Rd. Raleigh, North Carolina 27616
- Cameron Triggs, Grace Alive Church, 870 N. Hastings, Orlando, Florida 32808
- Mike Turner, Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, 253 Oconee Station Rd., Walhalla, South Carolina 29691
- Dwight McKissic, Cornerstone Baptist Church, 5415 Matlock Rd., Arlington, Texas 76018
Wm. Dwight McKissic, Sr. 
May 9, 2018 at 3:34 am
Resolved, That the pastors of the SBC stand as one man in condemning the doctrines and teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. as heretical in the areas of Scripture, the Resurrection, the Trinity, and the Deity of Christ. Be it further resolved that the pastors of the SBC condemn the outrageous immorality in which King conducted himself throughout his life, giving no evidence whatsoever that his faith was of divine origin. And be it further resolved that the SBC will stand together in full support of Law Enforcement Officers and in complete submission to the President so far as such support and submission does not violate the law of God. That each leader will only speak respectfully regarding the civil leaders as if only fitting for those professing Christ. Be it further resolved that terms such as “white privilege” will be abandoned immediately in the interest of Christian love, peace, and unity in the body of Christ. Finally, that the SBC will no longer consider racially motivated resolutions coming from one Dwight McKissic at future conventions, understanding that such resolutions are driven primarily from a position that is biblically untenable.
May 9, 2018 at 7:34 am
Sir, God Loves You. He has a wonderful plan for your life. I pray that you’ll discover it & find peace in your life.
May 30, 2018 at 3:40 am
Rev. McKissic’s response is the picture of a graceful and loving response to something that falls somewhere between foolish ignorance and indulging the fleshly desire to malign a brother in Christ. I attend an independent Baptist church and not SBC. But the SBC is large and visible. i have been praying for the unity we have to be maintained (Eph 4:1-6). i would ask the brother: have you ever listened to or read to a brother or sister of color talk about their feelings and perspectives? Since you appear to be a fan of the current administration, have you ever listened to Secretary Carson’s heartbreaking story about what he has had to tell his own son about going into predominately white areas? Have you read Acts 17:26-27 or any of 90+ verses that are God’s inspired instruction about treating the stranger or alien when you are part of the majority culture? Have you read the warnings in Matthew 25 of how Jesus will view those that mistreat one that is a stranger to you, especially one that is a brother or the statement in 1 John 4:20? Was your “resolution: an expression of love toward Rev. McKissic? And if you respond that it is “love in truth” you provide just one Scripture, properly interpreted in context, that supports each statement.
Thank you Rev. McKissic for your graceful and courageous leadership.
May 10, 2018 at 2:09 pm
https://cacoethisscribendiblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/04/revisiting-ferguson/
I have no context from which to completely understand that which has been experienced by most African Americans regarding their racial experience, in the culture at large, or in the church. I’ve done considerable reading on the subject, and have been involved in ministry and career situations which required a reasonable grasp of a multi-cultural situation in order to effectively be a minister of the gospel. But as a Caucasian male, I’ve never been contained inside the glass ceilings that create barriers for people who are not Caucasian, have English as their second language, and have experiences that affected their lives in ways that I never did.
I’ve met Dr. McKissic on two or three occasions. I attended the conference he held at his church on Baptists and the Holy Spirit many years ago, have heard him preach in chapel at Southwestern and in his church, read his blog regularly, and he even seconded a motion I made at an SBC meeting years ago about a study committee regarding the use of private prayer language when that had become a hot button issue for missionaries on the field. I have a fair idea what life has been like for an African American pastor over the years from those whom I know, but my life experience does not qualify me in any way to give advice or participate in the authoring of this resolution. I trust that Dr. McKissic’s experience is much more suited than mine to address this issue in the way that it needs to be addressed, and that he speaks with a voice from the African American community that needs to be acknowledged as a legitimate, and accurate statement leading to a level of racial equality and unity among the body that reflects the Biblically stated desire of Jesus for his church.
Were I still a member of a Southern Baptist church, I’d go to Dallas and nominate Dr. McKissic for President of the SBC. It certainly couldn’t hurt, and it would stop the embarrassing, divisive politics going on now.
The work of Dr. King on behalf of the civil rights of millions of Americans warrants at least giving him the same pass on his theology that Dr. Patterson gets within the SBC because of his leadership of the CR, and a pass on immorality that Trump gets from the Evangelical right.
May 24, 2018 at 4:06 pm
Thank you Pastor Mckissick for this. I too have felt very conflicted on this. I understand rebuking unwise counsel but fear that you are right that some in the SBC have set traps and I am loathed to see the consequences.
May 31, 2018 at 8:34 pm
I would like for the first commenter in this thread to point out one single thing, just one, only one (get the point) in this, or any resolution proposed by Dr. McKissic that is “Biblically untenable.” Just one.
June 5, 2018 at 8:48 am
[…] pleading with messengers to consider how it would look in the press. Currently, Marxissic is planning a resolution with Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President, Danny Akin, which will yet again focus on […]