Southern Baptists Meeting This Week

The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, is meeting this week in Dallas. During the meeting, members will be asked to approve several resolutions, including a call for a legal ban on pornography and a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court’s approval of same-sex marriage.

Proposed Resolutions

The proposed resolutions call for laws on gender, marriage, and family to be based on what they say is the biblically stated order of divine creation. They also call for legislators to curtail sports betting and to support policies that promote childbearing. Additionally, the resolutions decry pornography and sports betting as destructive, calling for the former to be banned and the latter curtailed.

Background

The meeting comes 40 years after a similar meeting in Dallas, where a record-shattering 45,000 church representatives clashed in what became a decisive blow in the takeover of the convention by a more conservative faction. This shift has had a lasting impact on the denomination, with attendance this week expected to be a fraction of the 1985 meeting. However, the influence of that meeting will still be evident, with debates among solidly conservative members.

Conservative Stances

Many of the proposed resolutions reflect long-standing positions of the convention, though they are especially pointed in their demands on the wider political world. The resolutions are proposed by the official Committee on Resolutions, whose recommendations typically get strong support. A proposed resolution says legislators have a duty to “pass laws that reflect the truth of creation and natural law — about marriage, sex, human life, and family” and to oppose laws contradicting “what God has made plain through nature and Scripture.”

Outside Perspectives

To some outside observers, such language is theocratic. Nancy Ammerman, professor emerita of sociology of religion at Boston University, says that when you talk about God’s design for anything, there’s not a lot of room for compromise. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, disagrees, saying that the resolutions reflect a divinely created order that predates the writing of the Scriptures and is affirmed by them.

Internal Debates

The Southern Baptist Convention is also expected to debate controversies within its own house during the meeting. These include a proposed ban on churches with women pastors and calls to defund the organization’s public policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. The commission has been accused of being ineffective and has opposed state laws criminalizing women seeking abortions.

Defunding the Commission

A staunchly conservative group, the Center for Baptist Leadership, has posted online articles critical of the commission. The commission has appealed to Southern Baptists for support, citing its advocacy for religious liberty and against abortion and transgender identity. However, some have criticized the commission for not going far enough in its support for conservative causes.

Membership and Baptisms

The meeting comes as the Southern Baptist Convention continues its long membership slide, down 2% in 2024 from the previous year. However, baptism numbers are up, exceeding pre-pandemic levels and reversing a long slide. This is seen as a positive sign for the denomination, which is still the largest among Protestant denominations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Southern Baptist Convention’s meeting this week in Dallas will be marked by debates over several proposed resolutions, including calls for a ban on pornography and a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court’s approval of same-sex marriage. The meeting will also see discussions over internal controversies, such as a proposed ban on churches with women pastors and calls to defund the organization’s public policy arm. As the denomination continues to navigate its place in the modern world, it will be important to watch how these debates play out and what impact they will have on the future of the Southern Baptist Convention.