WHEREAS, the church, possessing the Great Commission of her Lord Jesus to make disciples of all nations, must have license in every nation to fulfill this task as God ordains it (Matt. 18:18-20), and
WHEREAS, liberty of conscience, being regarded for that which is solely God’s (Mk. 12:17), is essential for the flourishing of the gospel to the good of those made in His image and the unhindered advancement of God’s glory (Acts 17L27-28; John 17:1-3), and
WHEREAS, the state, having no right to come between man and his Creator concerning his right and true worship (Rom.13:3-4) as the sword it wields is not competent to quicken the spiritually dead, should submit to and honor God by recognizing the freedom of His church to propagate the truth (Eph. 2:1-9), and
WHEREAS, Baptists, wherever they are found, have sought to protect and promote the religious liberty of all peoples, Christian and non-Christian alike, in recognition of liberty’s theological foundation, and
WHEREAS, threats to religious freedom have been waged in the context of excessive, unequal, and unjust pandemic measures, disparaging treatment of Christian adoption and foster care agencies, and corrupting ideologies that trample on Christian liberty.
Therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Kentucky Baptist Convention, on this the 15th day of November in the year of our Lord 2022, reaffirms the historic Baptist confession that God alone is “Lord of theological conscience,” and be it
RESOLVED, that the churches of God should do all that is available to them in advance in our society the protection of the sacred rights of conscience endowed to us, and be it
RESOLVED, that these rights are not only to be applied to one’s inward conscience but must attend the freedom to act from one’s convictions in all spheres of life touched by religious duty (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 4:1; Col. 1:9-10), and be it finally
RESOLVED, that despite how ungodly authorities might seek to bid the people of God against the will of their sovereign Lord by suppressing, targeting and harassing true religion, we recognize that nothing can ultimately separate those who have invested their trust in Christ from their true belief (Matt. 10:28; Rom. 8:38-39) and therefore “we must obey God rather than man” for He will one day judge all consciences in prefect justice (Acts 5:29; Acts 17:31).