2009 – Resolution Opposing H.R. 1913 and S. 909

Local Law Enforcement and Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009

Whereas H.R. 1913 and its Senate equivalent S. 909 are being considered by the United States Congress and Senate to grant special status as a protected class of citizenship to homosexuals, sexual deviants and pedophiles by making any speech against their behaviors a hate crime, when such speech is determined to lead to violence against them, and

Whereas efforts to amend H.R. 1913 to exclude protections from this “hate crime legislation” for pedophiles have been rejected by the House Judiciary Committee, and

Whereas sexual conduct is not a civil right under the Constitution of the United States of America, and

Whereas both these bills and others similar in theme and character in the state legislatures demonstrate a concerted effort to silence the preaching, teaching and personal witnessing of the truths of the Word of God, which plainly and repeatedly condemn such behaviors as abominations in the sight of God (Romans 1:24-27), and

Whereas such legislation is a direct attack upon the free speech rights of Christians, as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, and compounds the penalties upon those whose thoughts and conscience have never before been required to answer to men, under American law, and

Whereas no nation throughout history that has accepted, condoned, approved or recommended homosexual and/or pedophile conduct has ever survived for very long,

Be it therefore resolved that we, the members of the Independent Baptist Fellowship of North America meeting in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, on June 23-25, 2009, do hereby condemn any and all legislation, whether national, state or local, that robs Christians of their God-given rights of free speech, to proclaim the whole counsel of God’s Word, including the condemnation of any and all sins, including the sins of homosexual conduct, pedophilia and other sexual deviations.

We further resolve that because our faith rests solely upon the authority and truthfulness of the Word of God, we cannot, in good conscience before God, neglect to preach against the sins of our society, such as homosexual conduct, pedophilia and other sexual aberrations, as defined by Scripture; and we would rather suffer the persecution of the state than yield our witness and ministry of God’s Word to the presumed authority of men (Acts 5:29). Therefore, we will not cease to preach, teach and bear witness to the whole counsel of God’s Word, including the condemnation of the sins of homosexuality, pedophilia and other sexual deviations, since our consciences are answerable only to God and not to man. Scripture teaches us that God alone is the Judge of the thoughts and intents of our hearts by His Word (Hebrews 4:12).

We further resolve that we hereby admonish, in Christ’s stead, those who presume to make laws in direct defiance and contradiction to the one true Lawmaker and His Word, who would rob God-fearing citizens of this nation of their God-given rights of free speech and freedom of worship and urge earthly lawmakers to repent of such folly lest they draw the wrath of God upon themselves and upon our land.

We finally resolve that, together with our spiritual forefathers, who safeguarded our liberties so that the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18b-20) might be fulfilled in our land, we confess that we own no Sovereign but God and no king but Jesus.