DALLAS (LOOTPRESS) — Southern Baptists voted Tuesday to support overturning the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, marking the denomination’s most direct political stance on the issue to date.
The vote, taken during the opening day of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) annual meeting, reflects a growing ambition among conservative evangelicals to challenge Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The denomination’s leaders say they are taking a long-term approach, modeled after the successful campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
“What we’re trying to do is keep the conversation alive,” said Andrew Walker, a seminary ethicist from Kentucky who drafted the resolution. He compared the effort to the anti-abortion movement, which spent decades working to overturn Roe.
While the SBC has long opposed same-sex marriage, this marks the first time its members have formally committed to seeking its legal reversal. The resolution, titled “On Restoring Moral Clarity through God’s Design for Gender, Marriage, and the Family,” also calls for:
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Defunding Planned Parenthood
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Upholding “parental rights” in education and healthcare
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Protecting women’s sports from transgender participation
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Promoting larger families and condemning “willful childlessness”
Though nonbinding, the resolution outlines a clear political and cultural agenda. Supporters acknowledged that same-sex marriage has broad acceptance in American society but say the denomination is taking a “prophetic minority” stance.
“We know that we’re in a minority in the culture right now,” said Denny Burk, president of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, “but we want to be a prophetic minority.”
The resolution also echoes recent pronatalist rhetoric, describing the country’s declining birth rate as a crisis and encouraging larger families as vital to the nation’s future. It stops short of opposing birth control but signals a shift from traditional “family values” toward a more aggressive cultural vision.
Additional resolutions passed Tuesday included a call to ban pornography and a condemnation of the sports betting industry. The gambling resolution criticized corporate promotion of betting and urged policymakers to take action.
The SBC, with 12.7 million members, remains the nation’s largest Protestant denomination despite declining membership numbers. However, church leaders noted that baptisms and attendance are on the rise, signaling continued engagement.
Clint Pressley, pastor of a large North Carolina church, was elected to a second term as SBC president. In his remarks, he acknowledged internal challenges but emphasized unity and conviction.
“It is good to be a Southern Baptist,” he said.
