In 1942, God used some dedicated men and women to found the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). Constituted as an association of evangelical denominations, churches, organizations and individuals, the first and most pressing theological commitment was that the Bible is the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

Now that 45 years have passed since the founding of NAE, it is appropriate that we declare where we stand to our constituency, to a younger generation, and to the world at large. We expect this declaration to influence our concerns, shape our policies, fashion our strategies and determine short and long-range goals.

At the 45th Annual Convention, therefore, we renew our commitment to God and to one another and declare ourselves as follows:

WE STAND… FOR the essentials of the Christian faith as expressed in our Statement of Faith – AGAINST the denial of God’s Word as final authority on religion.

WE STAND… FOR the free exercise of religion – AGAINST State intervention in the affairs, governance and hiring practices of churches and Christian organizations.

WE STAND… FOR the sanctity of human life – AGAINST abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and the general eradication of the unique God-given dignity and worth of all human beings.

WE STAND… FOR pursuing renewal through commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the infilling of the Holy Spirit for power, lives of sacrifice and separation from the sins of this world – AGAINST personal and structural injustice, whether it is religious, political, or economic.

WE STAND… FOR the right to evangelize freely among all peoples – AGAINST any effort to deny individuals the right to adhere to and propagate the faith of their choice.

WE STAND… FOR Christian education where the biblical world and life view is central – AGAINST education that is intolerant of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

WE STAND… FOR democracy based on the rights of all citizens –AGAINST racism and anti-Semitism anywhere, anytime.

WE STAND… FOR strengthening marriage relationships and the family as God’s basic social unit – AGAINST the growing practice of divorce, premarital sex, extramarital sex and domestic abuse.

WE STAND… FOR the pursuit of a pure and holy life –AGAINST homosexual and lesbian relationships, incest, prostitution, pornography in all forms, drug and alcohol abuse, Satanism and materialism.

WE STAND… FOR a vigorous prophetic witness by the Church to the State on clearly moral issues –AGAINST politicizing the Church or encouraging the Church to speak beyond its area of competence.

WE STAND… FOR a generous response to the needs of the oppressed, poor and hungry as acts of Christian compassion –AGAINST any liberation theology that advocates violent revolution and the ideological subversion of the Bible and basic Christian doctrines to Marxist dictates.

WE STAND… FOR the support of religious liberty around the globe, the legitimacy of all nations to provide for national security and the non-violent resolution of international conflict –AGAINST those voices on both the left and the right that would make churches and church organizations instruments of political activism with a primary commitment to a political ideology.

Having so declared, we now give ourselves to the fulfillment of this declaration to the glory of God the Father. We do so convinced of His help, guided by the Holy Scriptures and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thes. 5:23).