c. 1998 Religion News Service
SALT LAKE CITY _ Southern Baptists passed separate resolutions Wednesday (June 10) calling on government leaders to maintain the”highest standards of morality”and affirming the”true Christian Gospel.” Although both resolutions were couched in general language, they appeared to address specific areas of concern for many Baptists _ the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against President Clinton, himself a Southern Baptist, and the tenets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
But members of the resolutions committee for the Southern Baptist Convention’s three-day annual meeting, which ends Thursday, insisted the resolution on morality was addressed to more public officials than Clinton alone.
In fact, the committee rejected two other proposed resolutions mentioning Clinton by name, and the convention defeated an amendment that would have added Clinton’s name to the adopted resolution. “The committee discussed at some length whether to name personalities or whether to focus on principle,”Michael Whitehead, chairman of the resolutions committee, said following the overwhelming passage of both resolutions.”We decided that to name one or more persons would blunt the message of the principle.” However, Whitehead acknowledged Clinton was among the leaders who could be included in the resolution’s concern that”some journalists report that many Americans are willing to excuse or overlook immoral or illegal conduct by unrepentant public officials so long as economic prosperity prevails.””He fits the category of this resolution,”said Whitehead, vice-president of business affairs at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo. “He’s one of those accused of wrongdoing … But, as our committee talked about that issue, we realized there are scores of people on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue for whom these shoes also fit and there are hundreds of political officials at every level of city government, county government and state government and international government for whom these shoes fit. This is a one-size-fits-all moral standard.” Wiley Drake, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., proposed an amendment that would have specifically included Clinton’s name in the resolution.”I believe we need to hold him personally accountable,”Drake said on the convention floor.
Whitehead countered that his committee chose to avoid personal attacks.
Some of the more than 8,000 messengers, as delegates to the convention are called, agreed with Drake, but his amendment was defeated by a wide margin.
The adopted resolution concluded that the convention”urge all Americans to embrace and act on the conviction that character does count in public office, and to elect those officials and candidates who, although imperfect, demonstrate consistent honesty, moral purity, and the highest character.” The other resolution passed Wednesday stated the messengers’ affirmation of”the finality, sufficiency and exclusivity of the Christian Gospel and of biblical revelation as the sole source of saving truth.” Mormons believe that divine revelation has continued since the biblical era and that other writings, such as the Book of Mormon contain divine revelation. The president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is considered by Mormons to be a prophet in the full biblical sense who continues to receive revelations from God.”It would be disingenuous to say that this resolution was not passed with the knowledge we’re in Salt Lake City and Mormons will be examining this text,”Whitehead said.”We didn’t come here to try to offend Mormons or offend any people who reject some of these statements. We did come to say, as lovingly and as graciously as we could, we believe this is fundamental, non-negotiable truth and you reject this truth at your peril.” Whitehead said the resolution was initially drafted by Phil Roberts, a SBC North American Mission Board official who co-ordinated much of the evangelistic activities by Baptists during their visit to mostly Mormon Utah.
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