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By Marni Rose McFall
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Southern Baptists will meet in Dallas this week at their annual meeting and be asked to approve resolutions that call for a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court's approval of same-sex marriage.
Newsweek reached out to the Southern Baptist Convention via an online form for comment.
Why It Matters
In five states, conservative lawmakers have introduced measures that encourage the Supreme Court to strike down Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 decision that established the nationwide right to same-sex marriage. Conservative Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito previously signaled in a court dissent that the case should be reconsidered.
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An increasing number of Republicans have indicated that they disagree with same-sex marriage in recent polling. Gallup polling from May 1 to May 18 among 1,003 adults in the U.S. found GOP support for same-sex marriage has dropped to its lowest point since 2016.
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What To Know
The proposed resolutions call for laws on family, marriage and gender, based on what the Southern Baptists, the largest Protestant denomination in the country, say is the biblically stated order of divine creation.
A proposed resolution states that legislators have a duty to "pass laws that reflect the truth of creation and natural law — about marriage, sex, human life, and family" and oppose laws that contradict "what God has made plain through nature and Scripture."
The meeting will also see the Southern Baptists discuss resolutions which call for a legal ban on pornography, as well as debating controversies in its own house, including a proposed ban on churches with women pastors. There will also be calls for legislators to curtail betting on sports and support policies that promote childbearing.
Some of the proposed resolutions from the Southern Baptists reflect long-standing positions of both the convention and conservative politics more broadly.
The May Gallup poll showed that Republicans' support of same-sex marriage stood at 41 percent, a decline from its 2021 peak of 55 percent. Support among Democrats is high, with 88 percent in favor of same-sex marriage, while 76 percent of independents agree with the policy.
What People Are Saying
The American Civil Liberties Union, on Twitter (now X) in 2022, following the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act: "The bill ensures federal recognition of marriage regardless of the sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of either spouse. The bill does not, however, codify the right of same-sex couples to marry in all 50 states, as the Supreme Court deemed constitutionally required in Obergefell v. Hodges. If Obergefell is overturned, states would still be able to deny marriage licenses to LGBTQ couples."
Michigan State Representative Josh Schriver, a Republican, said about the Obergefell decision in February: "[The decision] defaced the definition of marriage, undermined our God-given rights, increased persecution of Christians and confused the American family structure."
Mat Staver, chairman of the conservative Christian ministry Liberty Counsel, said in a video in March: "There is no so-called constitutional right in the Constitution to same-sex marriage, that's ridiculous."
He added: "it's not an if, it's just a matter of when" Obergefell will be overruled.
What's Next
The Southern Baptists' annual meeting will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday this week in Dallas.
This article includes reporting from the Associated Press.
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