The Weekly is a rundown of news by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission highlighting the week’s top news stories from the public square and providing commentary on the big issues of our day.

10 Key Resolutions from the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention

Earlier this week, messengers to the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting voted to adopt 16 resolutions, 10 of which were related to ERLC concerns, issues, and legislative priorities. Here is a recap of those resolutions:

On the Dignity and Worth of Women

This resolution affirm the gifts of women in their distinctive God-assigned roles; calls upon women to serve in diverse capacities to advance the gospel in their homes, local churches, communities, the marketplace, and within our denomination; calls upon older women to invest in younger women for the sake of developing them into godly followers of Christ; and calls upon all Southern Baptists to encourage, cultivate, and celebrate the diverse gifts, callings, and contributions of women in biblically appropriate ways.

On Abuse

This resolution makes numerous points concerning abuse, including: condemning all forms of abuse and repudiating all abusive behavior as unquestionably sinful and under the just condemnation of our Holy God; strongly urges abuse victims to contact civil authorities, separate from their abusers, and seek protection, care, and support from fellow Christians and civil authorities; and implores all persons to act decisively on matters of abuse, to intervene on behalf of the abused, to ensure their safety, to report allegations of abuse to civil authorities according to the laws of their state, and to pursue church discipline against impenitent abusers

On the Holiness and Integrity of Ministry Leaders

This resolution calls upon pastors, ministry leaders, entity leaders, and denominational representatives to pursue moral and sexual purity in all relationships before God and exhorts churches to exercise appropriate redemptive church discipline for addressing the sin of ministry leaders, seeking to extend restorative grace. 

On Renouncing the Doctrine of the “Curse of Ham” as a Justification for Racism

This resolution renews the SBC's public renunciation of racism in all its forms, and includes a specific disavowal of the “curse of Ham” doctrine and any other attempt to distort or misappropriate the Bible to justify the evil of racism.

On Immigration

This resolution affirms the value and dignity of immigrants, regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, culture, national origin, or legal status; desires to see immigration reform include an emphasis on securing our borders and providing a pathway to legal status with appropriate restitutionary measures, maintaining the priority of family unity, resulting in an efficient immigration system that honors the value and dignity of those seeking a better life for themselves and their families; declares any form of nativism, mistreatment, or exploitation of immigrants as inconsistent with the gospel; encourages all elected officials to do everything in their power to advocate for a just and equitable immigration system; and encourages pastors to address immigration issues with their local churches and to exhort their congregations to serve their local immigrant communities. 

On Reaffirming the Full Dignity of Every Human Being

This resolution, among other points, reaffirm the sacredness and full dignity and worthiness of respect and Christian love for every single human being, without any reservation and denounces any unjust violation of the first freedom of religious liberty.

On Christlike Communication and the Use of Social Media

This resolution calls on Southern Baptists to commit to maintaining brotherly and sisterly love by resolving our differences in a biblical manner in our communication and use of social media.

On Gun Violence and Mass Shootings

This resolution, among other points,calls on federal, state, and local authorities to address the epidemic of gun violence by evaluating the societal maladies that lead to escalations in gun violence and mass shootings, and to implement preventative measures that would reduce gun violence and mass shootings while operating in accordance with the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.

On Opioid Abuse and Addiction

This resolution, among other points,encourages the medical community, insurance providers, healthcare providers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers to advocate for the prescription of opioids only under the most stringent standards, ensuring that patients are educated on the benefits of appropriate, proper usage as well as the dangers of abuse, as we recognize that the medications are efficacious in managing pain when utilized appropriately, and encourage sour city, state, and national governments to work together to address the crisis.

On Prayer and Support for Arab Christians

This resolution, among other points, commits Southern Baptists to love, support, and encourage Arab brothers and sisters in Christ wherever possible both at home and abroad

This week on ERLC podcasts: Daniel Darling talks to Lauren Green McAfee joins the podcast to talk about growing up in the famous Green family and about the heroes who have shaped her life. On the Capitol Conversations podcast, Jeremy Tedesco, senior council at the Alliance Defending Freedom, joins Matt Hawkins and Travis Wussow to discuss the nuances of the Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. On the Countermoves podcast, Andrew Walker talks to Bruce Ashford about important issues surrounding public theology. And on the ERLC podcast, Cole Huffman, Steve Gaines, Eli Morris, Bishop Ed Stephens, and J. Lawrence Turner—all serving in Memphis—talk about how their city is doing 50 years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. 

Other Issues

American Culture

How to talk about God in Silicon Valley
Quartz

On Palm Sunday, a week before Easter, there are still plenty of good seats available at the Palo Alto Christian Reformed Church. Located on a sleepy side street, nestled between suburban cul-de-sacs and a sprawling cemetery where Steve Jobs is buried , it’s easy to miss. My Lyft driver did just that before making a lazy U-turn that got me to the church, but not on time.  

Satanist loses legal challenge to strip ‘In God We Trust’ from currency
Crux

A U.S. appellate court has ruled against a self-described Satanist from Chicago who had filed a lawsuit seeking to remove the motto “In God We Trust” from U.S. currency. The ruling, released May 31, found that “a reasonable observer would not perceive the motto on currency as a religious endorsement.”  

Bioethics

Upper Midwest sees massive rise in suicide rates
ABC News

Suicide rates increased in nearly every state in 2016, with more than 45,000 Americans age 10 and older dying by suicide that year, according to a newly released report.

Christianity and Culture

J.D. Greear elected SBC president
Baptist Press

North Carolina pastor J.D. Greear was elected Southern Baptist Convention president June 12 during the 2018 annual meeting in Dallas, two years after conceding a closely contested election to lead the denomination.

Dave Ramsey urges pastors to lead people out of debt
Baptist Press

Personal finance speaker and author Dave Ramsey, speaking at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas June 12, urged pastors to lead people out of debt by teaching them what the Bible says about money.

For Black Evangelicals, How Does Masterpiece Cakeshop Compare to Jim Crow?
Christianity Today

Four views on why African American Christians have mixed feelings about the Supreme Court’s first ruling on refusing services for same-sex weddings. Recent legal attempts to balance religious freedom with LGBT anti-discrimination efforts have been compared to the push for racial equality during the civil rights movement in the United States decades before.  

Family Issues

Five Myths About Fathers and Family
Institute for Family Studies Blog

With Father’s Day almost upon us, expect a host of media stories on men and family life . Some will do a good job of capturing the changes and continuities associated with fatherhood in contemporary America. But other reporters and writers will generalize from their own unrepresentative networks of friends and family members

Acknowledging the Unique Role of Fathers
Institute for Family Studies Blog

Too often today, we as a society tend to minimize the parental strengths of fathers and the unique role they play in children’s lives, despite the growing body of research that shows otherwise. My own research suggests that the role of the father is salient and should not be diminished. Recently, I undertook a meta-analysis of 34 studies that found statistically-significant effe

Health Issues

Heavy drinking increases the risk of Alzheimer’s, and now we know why
Big Think

Drinking heavily over a long period of time has been known to cause early onset Alzheimer’s. But the forces behind this phenomenon have been a mystery, until now. Read More

International Issues

The Age Gap in Religion Around the World
Pew Research Center

Young adults tend to be less religious than their elders by several measures; the opposite is rarely true. This pattern holds true across many countries that have different religious, economic and social profiles.

World Cup Evangelism Evades Russia’s Ban
Christianity Today

Banned from sharing the gospel at games, Protestants adopt a new missionary strategy. When the biggest sporting event in the world—the World Cup—comes to a country with tight restrictions against missionary activity—Russia—ministries hoping to use the international gathering for evangelism have to get creative.  

Vice President Concerned About Aid To Iraqi Christians and Yazidis
Religion Clause

Vice President Mike Pence issued a statement ( full text ) on Friday on promised U.S. aid to Iraq's Christian and Yazidi communities, saying in part: To save what remains of these ancient and proud peoples, President Trump directed the United States government to stop using slow, ineffective and wasteful United Nations programs and to instead distribute assistance through USAID.

Sexuality Issues

Sex abuse news 'wake-up call' for pastors, ERLC panel says
Baptist Press

The revelations of sexual abuse of women and mishandling of it by Christian leaders offer a "divine opportunity" for the Southern Baptist Convention and its pastors to take a stand, attendees were told at a Monday evening (June 11) panel discussion sponsored by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Teacher claims school made him resign for not using transgender student's name
ABC News

An Indiana teacher said he'd prefer to call a student by their last name.