Southern Baptists Renounce Dred Scott Decision

Southern Baptists Renounce Dred Scott Decision

June 12, 2007

The hope of all good men and women is for peace on earth and good will towards men, meaning all mankind. This desire was expressed in part by an historic resolution offered to commemorate the Dred Scott Anniversary and to re-emphasize the commitment to that peace previously put forth in 1995.

On June 12, over 5,000 delegates at the 2007 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) unanimously passed a resolution denouncing the U. S. Supreme Court Dred Scott Decision of March 6, 1857 by the U. S. Supreme Court.

Pastor Jim Goforth of the New Life Baptist Church in Florissant drafted and presented a resolution that was accepted as one of eight from thirty three submitted to reach the convention floor. Pastor Goforth is also a member of the Friends of the 150th Anniversary, the civic and corporate planning committee that has supported the anniversary activities and has evolved since late 2005.

With the latest in technology, Jim was able to leave a text message for Lynne Jackson, Foundation president and Scott descendant, to alert her to the impending vote on the floor. She was then able to go online with the quick aid of her devoted husband, Brian, and watch via video the live proceedings for the presentation and vote on the resolution. It all happened within minutes. With no dissents and obvious clarity of understanding, it only took moments for this resolution to pass. The Dred Scott family and Friends are most grateful for this act of humility and repentance on behalf of the national organization of Southern Baptists and for the beautiful way of recognizing the 150th Anniversary. Jim and many others are part of the Reconciliation Initiative the foundation is starting. Many thanks to Jim for his vision and action as well as to the president and delegates of the SBC to bring this to pass.

Read the text of the resolution as follows:

Resolution No. 3
ON THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DRED SCOTT DECISION

WHEREAS , March 6, 2007, marked the 150th anniversary of the infamous Dred Scott Decision by the United States Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS , The majority opinion of the Court concluded that people of African ancestry and their descendants “had no rights which the white man was bound to respect” and ruled that an entire race of people did not have personhood nor right of citizenship; and

WHEREAS , We affirm the Declaration of Independence which says, “we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights”; and

WHEREAS , This deplorable decision required action by all three branches of government to eventually overturn: Emancipation Proclamation (1863); Brown v. Board of Education (1954); and Civil Rights Act of 1964; and

WHEREAS , We are complicit with this erroneous Supreme Court decision when we fail to love, minister to, and share the Gospel with people because of their ethnicity, ability, or station in life; and

WHEREAS , We are all born as slaves to sin and have no rights to the throne of God except through Jesus Christ; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED , That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in San Antonio, Texas, June 12-13, 2007, wholly lament and repudiate the Dred Scott Decision and fully embrace the Lord’s command to love our neighbors as ourselves; and be it further

RESOLVED , That we reaffirm the historic action in 1995 of the Southern Baptist Convention to “unwaveringly denounce racism, in all its forms, as deplorable sin,” and to view “every human life as sacred…of equal and immeasurable worth, made in God’s image, regardless of race or ethnicity”; and be it further

RESOLVED , That we fully concur that “racism profoundly distorts our understanding of Christian morality”; and be it further

RESOLVED , That we commend our churches who intentionally reach out to all persons regardless of ethnicity, and we encourage all other Southern Baptist churches to emulate their example, as the Body of Christ is commanded and called to do; and be it finally

RESOLVED , That we pray for and eagerly await the day that the scourge and blight of racism is totally eradicated from the Body of Christ so that the world may see the love of Christ incarnated in and through us.