INDIANAPOLIS (ABP) — President Bush promised messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting he would “defend the sanctity of marriage against activist courts.”
Bush's June 15 live address via satellite marked the third straight year he has spoken to the meeting. Messengers interrupted his 12-minute speech more than 20 times with applause, including several standing ovations. Some of the loudest cheers came when Bush mentioned his defense of marriage.
“The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution,” he said.
Bush, who could hear the messengers' response as he spoke, got another standing ovation when he referenced his signing a ban on so-called partial-birth abortions. “I am working to build a culture of life in America,” he said.
Bush also noted his support for other pro-life legislation, such as the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which treats the murder of a pregnant woman as a crime against the unborn as well. “Common sense and conscience tell us that when an expectant mother is killed, two lives have ended and criminals should answer for both,” he said.
Bush talked about military victories in Afghanistan and Iraq, but said tough challenges lie ahead. “In Afghanistan and Iraq, we will finish the job.”
Bush thanked Southern Baptists for their strong support of the war on terror. He called freedom “God's gift to every man and woman who lives in this world.”
Bush cited his economic accomplishments and attempts to release federal funding to faith-based groups. He called on lawmakers to stop holding up his judicial appointments. “It is time for those senators to stop playing politics with American justice,” he said.
Before Bush spoke, SBC president Jack Graham praised Bush's strength and resolve, saying the president and Southern Baptists have “strong, shared values.”
Tim Goeglein, a special White House assistant who deals with evangelicals, talked to messengers briefly before Bush spoke. Goeglein thanked Southern Baptists for praying for “the Bush-Cheney administration.”
Bush's address to the SBC this year comes in the middle of his re-election bid. The November election pits Bush against Democrat Sen. John Kerry, with many polls showing the race as a dead heat. Conservative evangelicals are widely credited with helping Bush win a narrow election over Al Gore in 2000.
Recently, the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission launched a Web site, www.iVoteValues.com, to “promote awareness of the immediate and long-term importance of value-based voting.”
The ERLC web site lists issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage on which Bush and many Southern Baptists would likely agree.
At a meeting in Raleigh, N.C., about a month before that election, Land told a group that God is not a Republican or a Democrat, but God is pro-life, pro-family and not pro-homosexual.
An announcement in the SBC Bulletin distributed daily at the annual meeting was titled “Churches and Elections.” “Pastors, you would be amazed at how much freedom you and your church have to legally be involved in the election process — without endangering your non-profit status,” the announcement stated.
As part of the iVoteValues.com effort, ERLC officials unveiled a trailer designed to help people register to vote and research campaign issues. The trailer will be hauled across the country between now and the November election.
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