Nation's largest Protestant denomination calls for overturning Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage
The Southern Baptist Convention adopted a lengthy resolution this week that, in part, calls for the overturning of the Supreme Court's 2015 gay marriage ruling.
The text of the resolution, titled, "On Restoring Moral Clarity through God's Design for Gender, Marriage, and the Family," calls "for the overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, that defy God's design for marriage and family."
The multifaceted and wide-ranging resolution calls "for laws that affirm marriage between one man and one woman, recognize the biological reality of male and female, protect children's innocence against sexual predation, affirm and strengthen parental rights in education and healthcare, incentivize family formation in life-affirming ways, and ensure safety and fairness in athletic competition."
It also urges defunding Planned Parenthood and directing public funds toward "life-affirming healthcare providers."
The 10-year anniversary of the high court's controversial landmark 5-4 gay marriage decision falls later this month.
"The Constitution, however, does not permit the State to bar same-sex couples from marriage on the same terms as accorded to couples of the opposite sex," the opinion asserted.
Resolutions committee chair Dr. Andrew Walker, who described the SBC as the biggest Protestant denomination in the U.S., emphasized during a press conference that he recognizes the "headwinds."
"There is very little desire, even on the conservative side, I think, to go to bat for marriage in this… culture," he said, explaining that the resolution aims to convey that "Southern Baptists are not going anywhere on this issue."
He noted that he hopes "this is used as a mechanism for encouragement for other conservative-minded evangelicals."
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