Southern Baptists To Debate Bans On Pornography, Same-Sex Marriage, And Women Pastors

The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, will convene its annual meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday in Dallas, where members will consider resolutions calling for a legal ban on pornography, a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage, and measures to curtail sports betting and promote childbearing.
The convention will also address internal controversies, including a proposed constitutional amendment to ban churches with women pastors and calls to defund its public policy arm.
The resolutions, proposed by the official Committee on Resolutions, urge legislators 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,' the Associated Press reported. One resolution decries pornography as destructive and calls for its ban, while another seeks to limit sports betting. Another resolution criticizes 'willful childlessness which contributes to a declining fertility rate' and advocates for pro-natalist policies.
Albert Mohler, longtime president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, said the resolutions reflect a divinely created order that 'is binding on all persons, in all times, everywhere.'
However, some critics, like Nancy Ammerman, professor emerita of sociology of religion at Boston University and author of 'Baptist Battles,' call such language theocratic.
'When you talk about God's design for anything, there's not a lot of room for compromise,' she said. 'There's not a lot of room for people who don't have the same understanding of who God is and how God operates in the world.'
The meeting coincides with the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Dallas convention, which saw a record 45,000 representatives and marked a turning point in the denomination's conservative shift.
'The 1985 showdown was 'the hinge convention in terms of the old and the new in the SBC,'' Mohler said, per AP.
Today's debates occur among a solidly conservative membership, bolstered by political allies like House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Southern Baptist, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who has signaled openness to revisiting same-sex marriage.
Internally, the convention faces tension over the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), its public policy arm, which some criticize for not supporting criminal charges for women seeking abortions despite its anti-abortion stance. Ten former Southern Baptist presidents endorsed continued funding, but the Center for Baptist Leadership has called for defunding, accusing the ERLC of ineffectiveness.
ERLC president Brent Leatherwood defended the commission, stating, 'Without the ERLC, you will send the message to our nation's lawmakers and the public at large that the SBC has chosen to abandon the public square at a time when the Southern Baptist voice is most needed,' AP reported.
A proposed constitutional amendment to ban churches with women pastors, which failed in 2024, is expected to resurface. The denomination's belief statement limits the pastor's role to men, but disagreements persist over whether this applies to assistant pastors. Recent expulsions of churches with women in pastoral roles have fueled the push for the amendment.
Texas pastor Dwight McKissic, a Black pastor with conservative views, criticized the ERLC backlash, posting on X, 'The SBC is transitioning from an evangelical organization to a fundamentalist organization. Fewer and fewer Black churches will make the transition with them.'
A group of Southern Baptist ethnic leaders also expressed concerns in April about Trump's immigration crackdown, stating in a video, 'Law and order are necessary, but enforcement must be accompanied with compassion that doesn't demonize those fleeing oppression, violence, and persecution.'
The Center for Baptist Leadership countered, accusing the denominational Baptist Press and Leatherwood of working to 'weaponize empathy.'
The convention's agenda includes little reference to specific actions by President Donald Trump, such as tariffs, immigration, or the pending budget bill affecting taxes, food aid, and Medicaid.
Meanwhile, the denomination reports a membership of 12.7 million, down 2% in 2024, marking its 18th consecutive annual decline. However, baptisms rose to 250,643, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and reversing a long-term slide.

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