|PIC1|Baptists in Estonia have recently reaffirmed their defence of the sanctity of marriage and the “significant role” it plays in society at the recent annual Baptist Conference in Tallinn.

The major conference of the Union of Free Evangelical and Baptist Churches in Estonia brought together 135 delegates from across 83 congregations to discuss the significant role played by marriage in society.

The delegates passed a resolution at the conference entitled “No Alternative to the Sanctity of Marriage” in which the Baptists spoke out against what they regarded as the tendency in Estonian society to accept homosexual relations as an alternative form of human relationship.

“The Scriptures teach that humans are created bisexually,” the resolution read.

The Baptists instead emphasised the God-given sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, warning that “the results of sin should not receive social acceptance” but should rather “be labeled so by name”.

|TOP|The conference was held under the motto “Go ye into all the world and make disciples of all people” with a view to developing a new vision for the Union.

A modest yet positive rise in attendance during 2005 was also reported by Union President Joosep Tammo, Vice-President Ermo Juerma and General Secretary Ruudi Leinus, as well as increases in voluntary donations.

The leaders went on to express their deep gratitude for a special partnership with the German Federation of Evangelical Free Churches which has, through the additional funding, enabled the Union in Estonia to launch a number of new projects over the past year.

The Estonian Union also announced a new partnership with the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches (IFFEC).

At European Baptist Federation (EBF) Executive Committee sessions held in Bristol at the end of last month, David Coffey, President of the Baptist World Alliance, appealed for Baptists to renew their efforts in the fields of mission and social politics.

The BWA president also called on Baptists to commit to greater engagement in social issues such as global poverty and climate change, as well as religious freedom and human rights.