During the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance in Lagos, Nigeria, members of the body’s general council on Thursday (July 11) unanimously passed a resolution on religious nationalism that specifically denounced Christian Nationalism as “a form of idolatry.” Two other unanimous resolutions addressed issues of world hunger and the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The resolution on religious nationalism noted the rise of such ideologies around the world in various religious traditions. Asserting that “religious nationalism threatens religious freedom and may corrupt or exploit any religion in the pursuit of obtaining or maintaining political power,” the resolution “decries the harm caused by all forms of religious nationalism that may include discrimination against and silencing of religious minorities and other marginalized communities, resulting in vandalism, harassment, violence, arrest, forced displacement, and death.”
Rather than just condemning religious nationalism when practiced by Hindus, Muslims, or others, the resolution acknowledges that “Baptists and other Christians are not immune to this dangerous trend.” The resolution specifically names dominionism as a theology that “distorts gospel values to misuse churches for political gain.”
“In Christian Nationalism the gospel of Jesus Christ is reduced to a gospel of earthly political power,” the resolution explains. “Christians who perpetuate and fuel Christian Nationalism should repent of, not celebrate, their participation.”
Although noting that Baptists can be tempted to espouse Christian Nationalism, the BWA resolution also highlights the “Baptist heritage of fighting for more than 400 years for a radical separation of the institutions of religion and government as the best way to protect the religious freedom of all people.” It thus commends Baptists who are confronting Christian Nationalism or other types of religious nationalism and urges more Baptists to find ways to oppose and resist such ideologies. It cites Christians Against Christian Nationalism as a helpful example.
“In contrast, we endorse Jesus’s model of civic engagement characterized by love and sacrifice for our neighbors,” the resolution adds. “We further affirm a constructive and prophetic Christian strategy of civic engagement and advocacy that defends the freedom of religion or belief for everyone, protects the human rights of all, and promotes the common good.”
Representatives from new Baptist World Alliance member partners holding a specially commissioned glass globe handcrafted by a Baptist artist collective in Bulgaria during the BWA annual gathering in Lagos, Nigeria. (Merritt Johnston/BWA)
The resolution on world hunger laments the recent rise in people around the world who are affected by hunger because of a variety of issues like “poverty, economic injustice, personal and corporate greed, climate change, war, and racial and gender inequality.” The resolution therefore urges more work toward “addressing issues of world hunger and poverty.”
With the resolution, the BWA committed to stand “with Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities in safeguarding their lands, forests, and resources from illegal or corrupt acquisition by governments and multinational corporations.” The BWA also pledged to advocate “for and with peoples who have been historically colonized as they pursue the development of a social, economic, cultural, and political future that erases poverty and hunger.”
The third resolution on peace in the Middle East emerged due to the deadly terrorist attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and the deadly Israeli military strikes on Gaza in the months since. The resolution highlights “the biblical call to be peacemakers,” which was also the theme of this year’s BWA annual gathering. Unlike a recent resolution passed by the Southern Baptist Convention that offered a one-sided defense of Israeli military actions as “just” and sparked criticism from Palestinian Baptists, the BWA’s resolution condemns all “attacking, kidnapping, and killing of civilians” and “the destruction of civilian property and facilities and supplies indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.”
“We also denounce genocidal rhetoric by any party or country, especially that which utilizes biblical passages,” the resolutions adds. “We condemn all forms of antisemitism and Islamophobia, and we seek to continue our commitment to multifaith dialogue for the pursuit of peace.”
In response, the resolution calls for “an immediate ceasefire in Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Yemen” and “the immediate return of all hostages (as well as the bodies of dead hostages) by Hamas.” The resolution also appeals for states and non-state actors to “follow and ensure respect of international humanitarian law,” urges greater humanitarian efforts to “prevent more deaths from starvation” in Gaza, and calls for peacemaking efforts to bring “a peace with justice and with a hope rooted in the equal opportunity for a flourishing freedom for both Palestinians and Israelis.” Noting that Gaza Baptist Church has suffered significant damage, the resolution also commits the BWA to “support the Baptist presence in Gaza and the preservation of Christian community and witness throughout the Middle East.”
The BWA includes more than 266 unions and organizations in 134 countries and territories. Next year’s BWA meeting will be the Baptist World Congress — a larger BWA gathering that occurs every five years. It will be held in Brisbane, Australia.
NOTE: Word&Way Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor is the chair of the BWA Resolutions Committee and was involved in the drafting of the resolutions.
