Leaders of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) approved actions on religious liberty, the forgiveness of the national debts and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, welcomed five new members and elected new staff during the annual general council meeting July 2-7.
BWA leaders called on Baptists to be vigilant in defending and promoting religious liberty for all people, work for reconciliation and pray for those who suffer religious persecution. Baptists are asked to serve HIV/AIDS victim with the greatest of compassion, pray for them and support ministers, health care workers and governments in combating the disease.
The resolution on HIV/AIDS emphasizes however that “a Christian lifestyle and sexual values including the biblical model of chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage is a significant means of limiting the spread of HIV/AIDS.”
At the start of the meeting the BWA numbered 196 member bodies. With the acceptance of five new member bodies from Asia and Africa it now comprises 201 member bodies with approximately 500,000 new members.
Four of the new member bodies are from Africa. The largest is the Sudan Interior Church which has churches in the South of Sudan. Due to the war in Sudan numbers are not available for the churches there. (BWA)
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