“The congress proceeds as planned and our watchword is: ‘In God we trust.’”
With those words, David Coffey, general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and incoming president of Baptist World Alliance (BWA), tried to reassure 12,000-plus Baptists worldwide expected to attend the Baptist World Congress July 27-31 in Birmingham, England, 105 miles northwest of London.
The right message
Four “attempted bombings” struck London July 21, two weeks to the day after four explosions killed 56 people and injured hundreds in the city’s transit system, authorities said. While the latest attacks were not nearly as deadly, they were eerily similar to the July 7 bombings. Both targeted three underground subway locations and one bus.
“We express our continuing sympathy to those who have lost loved ones and to those who were injured on 7/7 and to those who may have been involved in the latest events in London,” Coffey said in a statement. “Here in the U.K., we have lived for many years with acts of terrorism and believe it is important for Christians to witness to their faith and hope in Jesus Christ.”
Coffey and Denton Lotz, BWA general secretary, reiterated their earlier assessment that the global Baptist meeting, even in the wake of terror attacks, sends the right message.
“Many believers face threats to life on a regular basis,” Coffee said. “The current climate in the U.K. provides a context for God to speak to us in a deep way as a gathering of global Baptists.”
The Baptist World Congress, which meets once every five years, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of BWA, which was organized in London in 1905. Cancellations were minimal after the July 7 attacks, BWA officials reported.
(ABP)
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