On Tue., Nov. 10, Messengers to the 109th annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO), meeting at Oklahoma City, Southern Hills, approved six resolutions, including ones on popular social and church subjects.

“The resolutions committee prayerfully worked through various important topics in the culture and the church today, and we came forth with what we believe were strong statements about our convictions,” said Jeremy Freeman, chairman of the 2015 Resolutions Committee.

Resolution topics included religious liberty, protecting human life, marriage and evangelism. The two resolutions gaining much attention of those at the meeting and online were the ones on Planned Parenthood and on marriage.

Anthony Jordan, BGCO executive director-treasurer, said, “Each year, Oklahoma Baptists express support for the unborn and the value of every human life. We believe Planned Parenthood’s practices are unacceptable and immoral, including their recently exposed practice of harvesting and trafficking body parts of aborted babies. And with their long-standing status as the single largest abortion provider in the country, at taxpayer expense no less, it is past time our tax dollars go to support more reputable health care providers, which are far more numerous and focused on real health, not abortion.”

Regarding marriage, Hance Dilbeck, pastor of Oklahoma City, Quail Springs, and BGCO president, said, “The Southern Baptist view on marriage as between one man and one woman, with complete faithfulness for life, is well-known. We have not always lived up to our own standards, sadly. Even as our commitment to the biblical definition is unchanging, we recognized in this resolution that we need to do better in living up to our beliefs, which stem from the Scriptures.”

The following is the full text of each resolution, each of which passed unanimously:

>> Resolution No. 1. On Appreciation to Host Church for the 2015 Annual Meeting

We, the messengers to the 2015 Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, meeting at Southern Hills Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, November 9-10, 2015, express our profound appreciation to Pastor Douglas Melton and to the staff and congregation of Southern Hills for the countless hours in support and preparation for this convention. We further state that this church is an outstanding example of genuine Christian service and hospitality. We offer our prayers for God’s continued blessing in the future ministry of Southern Hills Baptist Church.

(Phil. 1:3; Philemon 4-7)

>> Resolution No. 2. On Promoting Religious Liberty

We, the messengers to the 2015 Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, meeting at Southern Hills Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, November 9-10, 2015, are deeply concerned about threats to religious liberty in America and abroad. Freedom of worship and the free exercise of religion are fundamental rights, with implications for public and private life. We call on the President of the United States, and all world leaders, to promote and actively defend religious liberty and freedom of conscience for all people.

(Josh. 24:15; Mark 12:17; Rom. 13:3-4)

>> Resolution No. 3. On Affirming Human Life and Opposing Planned Parenthood

We, the messengers to the 2015 Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, meeting at Southern Hills Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, November 9-10, 2015, reaffirm our long-standing position advocating the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. Therefore, we are opposed to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the single largest abortion provider in our nation. In light of Planned Parenthood’s recently exposed immoral practice of harvesting and trafficking body parts of aborted babies, we call on policymakers to redirect taxpayer funds away from Planned Parenthood toward more reputable medical providers of women’s health.

(Ex. 20:13; Psalm 127:3; Psalm 139; Matt. 7:12)

>> Resolution No. 4. On Marriage and Marital Faithfulness

We, the messengers to the 2015 Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, meeting at Southern Hills Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, November 9-10, 2015, affirm marriage as the sacred union between one man and one woman for life. We are grieved by the culture of divorce and marital unfaithfulness in America and even in our own churches, as seen in recent public scandals. Understanding marriage is a portrait of the Gospel and central to God’s design for the family, we resolve to live out our biblical beliefs in our marital relationships.

(Ex. 20:14; Matt. 5:27-28; Eph. 5:33; Heb. 13:4)

>> Resolution No. 5. On Personal Evangelism and Baptisms

We, the messengers to the 2015 Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, meeting at Southern Hills Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, November 9-10, 2015, realize that Oklahoma is in need of Jesus Christ and the Gospel. We are concerned at the drop in the number of people coming to faith in Christ and the resultant reduction in baptisms. In obedience to the command of Christ in the Great Commission, we renew our commitment to share the Gospel with every person in this state and boldly call for individual believers to be faithful personal witnesses of the Gospel. We support biblical evangelism efforts, such as the BGCO’s Connect>1 Personal Evangelism Campaign, to mobilize believers to share the Gospel with the lost.

(Matt. 28:16-20; Acts 16:30-31; Gal. 3:27)

>> Resolution No. 6. On Civic Involvement

We, the messengers to the 2015 Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, meeting at Southern Hills Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, November 9-10, 2015, strongly encourage Oklahoma Baptists to fulfill their civic responsibilities, vote based on biblical principles, and pray for our current and future leaders.

(Jer. 29:7; 1 Kings 3:1-15; James 1:5)

In addition to Freeman, resolutions committee members included: James Biesiadecki, Bartlesville, First; Mark DeMoss, Oklahoma City, Capitol Hill; Deanna Huff, Oklahoma City, Capitol Hill; Ryan Smith, Stillwater, Eagle Heights; Matt Spann, Enid, Emmanuel; Michael Staton, Mustang, First; Michael Taylor, Alva, First.

For more information, visit www.bgco.org/annualmeeting.