Dear Pastor:
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
I am writing to you as a representative of Kingdom Now, an organization devoted to encouraging the body of Christ to seek first the Kingdom of God and to proclaiming that our primary allegiance is to Jesus. My name is Tristin Hassell and I am currently a post-graduate student in Christian Ethics at the University of Edinburgh. After spending time in prayer for each of the Baptist Churches in North Carolina, we wrote this letter in the hopes that God will use it to bless each of you.
It has come to our attention that the State Baptist Convention of North Carolina, of which you are a member, has recently passed a motion to display the flag of the United States at its annual meeting and also to include a pledge to that flag as part of the meeting's agenda. As ones deeply concerned about the institutions to which our churches pledge allegiance, we believe it is our duty to inform you that the above motion stands in conflict with the Baptist World Alliance's Berlin Declaration of May 2001 (a full copy of this statement has been enclosed with this letter). The Baptist World Alliance is an umbrella organization uniting almost every Baptist denomination from around the world. The Southern Baptists (USA) form the largest denominational percentage of the BWA (15 million of 44 million members). The Berlin Declaration states:
That in playing a full and active role as responsible citizens of a particular nation, our national commitment is nevertheless always seen as provisional, for we are 'citizens of heaven' (Philippians 3:20)
and
That nationalism or adherence to a national ideology which exalt one nation over others, or are used to exclude others, are forms of idolatry and not compatible with our Christian beliefs.
It seems clear to us that the act of pledging one's allegiance to a nation is not reflective of a "provisional commitment," and also is an act that serves to "exalt one nation over others." While Christ's followers undoubtedly are called to respect the governing authorities (Rom. 13:1-4), we affirm the Baptist World Alliance's belief that the only unwavering allegiance that a Christian can pledge is to Jesus and the Kingdom he established.
Thus, for the sake of the unity of the body of Christ, we humbly plead with you to prayerfully reconsider the above motion and to seek reconciliation with your fellow Baptists in the Baptist World Alliance.
We are praying that the unity of the Spirit will prevail.
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus,
Tristin Hassell
Representative, Kingdom Now
http://www.kingdomnow.org/
BSCNC Letter