WHEREAS, the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees the free exercise of religion, and
WHEREAS, the free exercise of religion most certainly pertains to Christians, including evangelical Christians who have been subjected to increasing criticism, ridicule, contempt and persecution for standing on their religious beliefs, and
WHEREAS, U. S. District Judge David Bunning ordered Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis jailed for five days for refusing to violate her religious convictions, and
WHEREAS, this kind of selective prosecution of Christians is unfair and clearly unconstitutional, and
WHEREAS, Baptists came to America to seek religious liberty and enjoy the free exercise of religion by conducting their lives in obedience to their Lord Jesus Christ, and
WHEREAS, the free exercise of religion necessarily includes the liberty to honor God in word and deed in both private and public realms, and
WHEREAS, the suppression of religious expression in American life is destructive of religious liberty and violates the guarantees of the First Amendment.
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that we, the messengers to the 2015 annual meeting of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, decry the decision by Judge David Bunning to order Kim Davis to jail for refusing to violate her conscience and demand that he never again order any Christian to be incarcerated for standing on his or her religious beliefs.
BE IT THEREFORE FURTHER RESOLVED that we declare our support for Kim Davis in refusing to relinquish the full and free exercise of religious liberty as provided for in the Constitution of the United States.
BE IT THEREFORE FURTHER RESOLVED that we strenuously object to the growing anti- Christian bias in the judicial system and call on judges at every level to treat Christians with the respect and dignity afforded them by God and the Constitution of the United States of America.
BE IT THEREFORE FURTHER RESOLVED that as followers of Christ Jesus we understand scriptures teaching that those who “seek to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12), we call upon Kentucky Baptists to pray for those who are suffering persecution and ridicule for their commitment to the Lord.