Southern Baptists consider move to overturn same-sex marriage
The Catholic Herald• June 9, 2025
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) – the largest Protestant denomination in the United States – is convening its annual meeting in Dallas this week and will vote on a series of resolutions addressing contentious moral and social issues.
Chief among these is a measure urging efforts to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalised same-sex marriage nationwide. While the SBC has long opposed same-sex unions, this marks the first time the denomination is formally calling on representatives of its tens of thousands of member churches to work towards ending legally recognised same-sex marriage.
The SBC’s Resolutions Committee has put forward eight proposed resolutions for the meeting, covering issues from gambling and pornography to gender ideology. One resolution calls on the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse its Obergefell ruling, reflecting Southern Baptists’ view that marriage should only be defined as between one man and one woman. The draft text asserts that lawmakers have a duty to pass laws aligning with “the truth of creation and natural law” regarding marriage, sex, human life and family, and to oppose any legislation that contradicts those principles.
This resolution – authored by Southern Baptist ethicist Andrew Walker – not only counters same-sex marriage but also denounces the “normalization of transgender ideology” and calls for the complete defunding of Planned Parenthood.
Other proposed resolutions take aim at what Southern Baptist leaders describe as harmful elements in society. One measure on the “predatory nature of sports betting” takes aim at the rapid expansion of legal gambling as a serious spiritual and social concern. It urges pastors to educate their congregations about the “deceptive sin” of gambling and to support those struggling with addiction, while also calling on authorities to curb sports betting through legislation.
Similarly, a resolution to ban pornography labels it a distortion of God’s gift of sexuality and presses state and federal lawmakers to outlaw the creation and distribution of pornographic content across all media.
The Convention will also reaffirm its uncompromising positions on life and gender issues. Delegates are expected to endorse a statement that the church “seeks to denounce abortion” in all forms and opposes the acceptance of transgender identity in society. In practical terms, one resolution calls for the “complete and permanent” removal of government funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. Another explicitly condemns the use of abortion-inducing drugs like mifepristone and misoprostol, citing both moral evils and medical dangers associated with what it terms “chemical abortion”.
These resolutions, once adopted, are not laws but formal declarations of the Convention’s values and priorities. By approving such statements, Southern Baptists aim to influence public policy and rally their members in advocacy consistent with their religious convictions.
The Convention is taking place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, from Sunday 8 June to Wednesday 11 June. The four-day gathering is expected to draw approximately 20,000 attendees, including church delegates known as messengers, along with guests and observers.
Photo credit: DANIEL KRAMER/AFP via Getty Images)