Southern Baptists call for ban on gay marriage and affirm ‘biological reality’
Other resolutions OK’d at convention denounce porn and sports betting
Delegates to the annual Southern Baptist Convention this week inserted themselves deep in the culture wars, calling for the overturning of the Supreme Court decision and all laws supporting same-sex marriage. They also affirmed the traditional conservative positions on issues related to sexuality, such as by calling for recognition of “the biological reality of male and female,” a ban on pornography and support for “the bearing and raising of children within intact, married families.”
Gathering in Dallas, Texas, the Baptists’ annual meeting of about 10,000 delegates, known as messengers, also approved resolutions denouncing sports gambling, the distribution of chemical abortion drugs, and funding for Planned Parenthood.
The SBC is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. Although the resolutions are not binding on individual congregations or members, they give a strong indication of the denomination’s social priorities for at least the coming year.
The issues related to sexuality, other than the endorsement of bans on pornography and chemical abortion pills, proposed in separate resolutions, came in the form of a multifaceted resolution of almost 1,100 words that was approved without discernible dissent on Tuesday.
The resolution, titled “On Restoring Moral Clarity through God’s Design for Gender, Marriage, and the Family,” offered a lesson in how Southern Baptists understand the Bible’s teachings on how “God created the world with order, meaning, and purpose.”
Among the statements made in the resolution in support of its political positions were:
“God made every person in his image as either male or female.”
“Marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, designed by God for love, faithfulness, the raising of children.”
“Human life is sacred at every stage — from conception to natural death — because all people bear the image of God and law should grant equal protection for each stage of human development.”
“Our culture is increasingly rejecting and distorting these truths by redefining marriage, pursuing willful childlessness which contributes to a declining fertility rate, ignoring and suppressing the biological differences between male and female, encouraging gender confusion, undermining parental rights, and denying the value and dignity of children.”
“The normalization of transgender ideology — especially the participation of biological males in girls’ sports and the medical transition of minors — represents a rebellion against God’s design for male and female, inflicts unjust harm on children and women, employs coercive language control, and undermines fairness, safety, and truth.”
In terms of action, the resolution called for, among other things-:
The “overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, that defy God’s design for marriage and family.”
Opposition to “any law or policy that compels people to speak falsehoods about sex and gender, and we defend the right of every person to speak the truth without fear or coercion.” That section appeared to refer to efforts by some governments, schools and employers to require the use of preferred pronouns for transgender persons.
“Speaking the truth about God’s design with conviction and compassion, trusting that his ways lead to human flourishing, and praying that our nation’s laws and culture would once again reflect the beauty of the world as God created it.”
Sports betting also denounced
Although the issue of gambling received less attention than matters related to sexuality, the messengers also approved a resolution calling sports betting “harmful and predatory.” Southern Baptists have a long history of opposing gambling.
The resolution said that sports betting “presents significant spiritual, moral, ethical, and societal concerns; and … commodifies participants, risks compromising the integrity of athletic competition, and jeopardizes the safety of competitors.”
The resolution urged “corporations involved in this industry to cease their exploitative practices” and for “leaders at all levels of government to curtail sports betting and to address its disastrous effects through policy and legislation.”
The resolution finally urged “Southern Baptists and all other followers of Christ to repent where needed, mourn the ubiquitous presence of sports betting in our culture, and refuse to participate in the sin of gambling.”