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Sunday, January 19, 2014

SBC position statement & resolution on the sanctity of human life



Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Introduction: The Sanctity of human life
As Jeremiah the prophet begins his book under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he remarks about how God's elective purpose was at work in his life before He was born.  The elective purpose in this instance had to do with God choosing Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations.  Often this passage is cited among many others to affirm the sanctity of human life and to remind us that from the moment of conception, a real human life is living, breathing and growing.  Imagine the catastrophic outcome if Jeremiah's life had been extinguished in the womb? In today's post I want the reader to see the official stance of the Southern Baptist Convention on the issue of sanctity of life, being that today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. The below documents are statements that this blogger whole heartily affirms. The two documents quoted below can be found at the following links:

May the Lord bless the reader this day and may we all do what is Biblically and reasonably right in affirming the sanctity of human life, not only today, but for every day of the year. 

SBC Position statement on the Sanctity of Life
"Procreation is a gift from God, a precious trust reserved for marriage. At the moment of conception, a new being enters the universe, a human being, a being created in God's image. This human being deserves our protection, whatever the circumstances of conception."


RESOLUTION ON SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE (passed in June 1991)

"WHEREAS, The Bible teaches that God holds human life to be sacred and created human beings in His own image; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have historically affirmed biblical teaching regarding the sanctity of human life by adopting numerous pro-life resolutions at the national, state, and local levels; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 1.6 million unborn babies are killed each year in America as a result of the 1973 decision of the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade; and

WHEREAS, In 1989 the Supreme Court began the dismantlement of the Roe decision by upholding a Missouri pro-life statute in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services; and

WHEREAS, As a result of the Webster decision, states now have more flexibility to regulate and restrict the practice of abortion; and

WHEREAS, The Supreme Court is likely to erode or overturn the Roe decision in the near future; and

WHEREAS, Legislation has been introduced in the United States Congress which would codify and expand the Roe abortion rights and thereby restrict the rights of states to regulate abortions within their borders; and

WHEREAS, Pro-abortion legislators in Congress are also attempting to repeal restrictions on federal abortion funding; and

WHEREAS, New drugs and technologies, including RU-486, which will make the practice of abortion easier, are being researched and used in other nations and abortion advocates are attempting to bring these technologies to America; and

WHEREAS, Some scientists in America are experimenting with the tissues of babies from induced abortions in order to find cures to certain diseases and are working to repeal the ban on federal government research on fetal tissue transplantation; Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, That we the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, June 4-6, 1991, affirm the biblical prohibition against the taking of unborn human life except to save the life of the mother; and

BE IT FUTHER RESOLVED, That we call on all Southern Baptists to work for the adoption of pro-life legislation in their respective states which would expand protection for unborn babies; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we call on all Southern Baptists to work with equal fervor to compassionately encourage and assist girls and women with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies to carry their children to term and to prepare for the best life possible for their children; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we oppose all efforts by the United States Congress to limit the rights of states to restrict abortion-on-demand and call upon Congress to maintain current pro-life policies which prohibit the use of federal funds to encourage, promote, or perform abortions except to save the life of the mother; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we oppose the testing, approval, distribution, and marketing in America of new drugs and technologies which will make the practice of abortion more convenient and more widespread; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we support the current federal government ban on funding any transplantation of tissue from induced abortions for purposes of experimentation and research and call on the federal government to maintain the ban despite pressure from the scientific community and pro-abortion organizations."