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Abolish Abortion Resolution

  • Read and Sign (at the bottom of this post) the Utah/Idaho Southern Baptist Convention Resolution submission on the abolition of abortion.
  • Share this resolution with others. (Email to friends. Share on social media. Or print and share with friends and return to Paul Thompson by October 29, 2021.)
  • Pray that God would liberate our states from this tyranny.
  • By signing (see bottom of this post) you are saying you support and agree with this resolution and agree to your name being published as a co-signer.
  • If passed by the Utah/Idaho Southern Baptist Convention on October 29, 2021 we will mail this resolution to Utah and Idaho legislators expressing our desire to see abortion abolished in our respective states.

Full Text of the 2021 Resolution:

Utah/Idaho SBC Resolution
on Abolishing Abortion

  1. Whereas, the word of God, the Holy Bible, is a lamp to our feet (Psalm 119:105), its words are sweeter than honey to our mouth (Psalm 119:103), the law of God is perfect, the testimony of the Lord is sure, the fear of the Lord is clean, the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous (Psalm 19:7-9), and that this Holy Scripture, as given by inspiration of God, is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:14-17), and
  2. Whereas, from the moment of fertilization, all humans are created in God’s image by, through, and for Jesus to the glory of God, and all souls belong to Him (Genesis 1:27; 4:1; 21:2; Isaiah 7:14; Colossians 1:16; Romans 11:36; Ezekiel 18:4), and
  3. Whereas, all humans display His divine worth, power, and attributes – they possess equal and objective worth before God regardless of means of conception, ethnicity, age, size, mental development, physical development, gender, or contribution to society (Romans 1:19-20; Genesis 1:27; 9:6, Matthew 18:6), and
  4. Whereas, God, who is above all rule and authority, establishes all governing authorities as His avenging servants to punish the evildoer and commands these authorities to judge justly (Colossians 2:15; Psalm 82; Proverbs 20:10; Romans 13:4) and,
  5. Whereas, over the past forty-eight years in the United States alone there have been more than sixty million reported inhumane acts of induced abortions (actions to intentionally stop an otherwise natural birth) of fellow image-of-God-bearing humans, and
  6. Whereas, the Baptist Faith and Message, according to Article XV, affirms that children “from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord”; and further affirms that Southern Baptists are mandated by Scripture to “speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death,” and
  7. Whereas, the messengers of the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting overwhelmingly passed, the Southern Baptist Resolution on Abolishing Abortion,

Now, let it be 

  1. Resolved, that we, the messengers of the Utah/Idaho Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Meridian, Idaho October 29, 2021, agree with God that no human institution, government, rule, or authority has permission from God to allow the intentional shedding of innocent blood and we reject any position that challenges the Holy and Righteous standard of Justice (Genesis 3:1; John 8:44; Romans 2:14-15; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Colossians 2:15;Psalm 94:6; Isaiah 10:1-2; Proverbs 24:11; Psalm 82:1-4), and be it further
  2. Resolved, that we affirm that induced abortions of preborn children is a crime against humanity and must be punished equally under the law, and be it further
  3. Resolved, that as Southern Baptists we will engage, with God’s help, in establishing equal justice and protection for preborn children by calling upon Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson and the rest of the Utah State House, and Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adams and the rest of the Utah Senate to pass, sign, and enforce legislation that would fully, finally, and immediately abolish the heinous act of abortion in Utah immediately without exception or compromise, and be it further
  4. Resolved, that as Southern Baptists we will engage, with God’s help, in establishing equal justice and protection for preborn children by calling upon Idaho Governor Brad Little, Idaho House Speaker Scott Bedke, the rest of the Idaho House, Idaho Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Winder, and the rest of the Idaho Senate to pass, sign, and enforce legislation that would fully, finally, and immediately abolish the heinous act of abortion in Idaho immediately without exception or compromise, and be it further
  5. Resolved, that as Southern Baptists we will engage, with God’s help, in establishing equal justice and protection for preborn children by calling upon President Joe Biden, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the U.S. House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate President Pro Tempore Charles Schumer and the rest of the U.S. Senate to pass, sign, and enforce legislation that would fully, and finally, and immediately abolish the heinous act of abortion in the United States immediately without exception or compromise, and be it further
  6. Resolved that we call upon pastors and churches to use their God-ordained gifts of preaching, teaching, and leading our communities to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor — yes, even our pre-born neighbor — as if he/she were our own life, and be it finally
  7. Resolved, that we stand ready to rescue those being led to the slaughter motivated by our love for God by means that are pleasing to Him, so help us God (Proverbs 24:11).

Additional information:
www.freethestates.org
www.southernbaptistsabolishingabortion.com

Isaiah, the Evangelist

I’ve just finished preaching the first third of the book of Isaiah.

Here are a few thoughts at this point.

  • Matthew Henry identifies Isaiah as the Evangelist. It is clear that Isaiah is an example for the preacher on how to preach the gospel, biblically.
  • Isaiah shows himself willing to obey God regardless of the response of men. His devotion is to obey His God. I want to live like that.
  • Isaiah shows himself to be compassionate for not only his homeland but for every nation. He is a living example of one who not only loves doing what is easy but also genuinely loves his enemy.
  • Isaiah is steadfast and consistent.
  • I have great hope for what is still to come in this mountain of a book.

All past forty-two sermons are archived here:

the Baptist Association

“From time to time, associations have been guilty of telling churches what they need rather than asking them what they need, sometimes simply providing churches with whatever the state and national denominational entities were offering. Too often, associations viewed the denominational stamp as the sign of relevance and then reacted in horror when churches did not demand the product they were selling.” (SBCLife; Baptist Associations, page 17, Pre-Convention Special Issue, 2013)

May is typically a month that receives attention to association life in Southern Baptist history. Emphasis is placed on SBC calendars every year. An association of local churches has been important to me in all of my ministry years. They’ve not all been pleasant, but the local association is vitally important to me. Because they have been vitally important, they have been extremely painful when relationships suffer.

My observation over the past two decades have left me on the verge wanting to walk away from the association as she seems to have become more of a non-functioning non-profit than a helpful partner in the gospel work of the the church. There has been a tendency, from time to time, for the association to view itself as an authority rather than a servant to the Lord’s bride, the church. I think this can be said of state conventions and national denomination agencies as they become more corporately structured and less of a roadway for partnership.

I have respect for association and denominational leaders. I think the motivation of the men and women I know personally desire to live out their role as a helper to churches and not as regional bishops or pastor to pastors. Without meaning, local pastors begin to look at association or denominational leaders as pastors to their church some how. This is not the fault of the association or denominational leader alone; I think the one that opens this door is the local pastor or church. Rather than looking to Christ, the head of the local church, the pastor or church begins to look to another.

9Marks has just published their May/June journal, and the topic is associations. I highly recommend it to all of my pastor friends and church members. The journal is lengthy as a whole but full of short articles on various helpful conversations on the need for churches to associate with churches. Enjoy…

9Marks Journal

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