Southern Baptists Call for Reversal of Same-Sex Marriage Ruling, Push Broader Conservative Agenda at National Meeting

Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley gives the President's Address during the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Dallas

Southern Baptist delegates meeting in Dallas overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting same-sex marriage and calling for the reversal of Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision legalizing same-sex unions nationwide. The move is part of a sweeping conservative agenda promoted at the 2025 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.

The resolution, adopted without debate before a crowd of more than 10,000 church representatives, calls for “the overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, that defy God’s design for marriage and family.” It also affirms support for “laws that affirm marriage between one man and one woman,” signaling an aggressive step toward reestablishing traditional legal definitions of marriage.

A messenger attending the Southern Baptist Convention participates in worship during the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Dallas

While a reversal of Obergefell would not automatically ban same-sex marriage—since 36 states had legalized it prior to the ruling—it would eliminate federal protection and enable states to roll back marriage equality laws. The resolution also called for legislators to reject laws contrary to “natural law” and to promote policies consistent with what the denomination describes as “biblical truth.”

The marriage issue was embedded in a broader resolution addressing family, gender, and fertility. Delegates called on legislators to recognize “the biological reality of male and female,” oppose any law compelling speech “about sex and gender” contrary to their beliefs, and endorse policies supporting marriage, fertility, and childbearing.

Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley gives the President's Address during the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Dallas

The resolution also warned against what it called “willful childlessness,” citing a declining fertility rate as a national crisis. It called for “renewed moral clarity” and pro-natalist policies that promote “bearing and raising of children within intact, married families.”

On other fronts, the convention reaffirmed its longstanding opposition to pornography and gambling. Delegates passed a resolution denouncing pornography as “destructive, addictive, and exploitive,” and encouraged governments to use their power to ban it. They also adopted a resolution calling sports betting “harmful and predatory.” A proposed amendment to distinguish between low-stakes and addictive gambling failed.

Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, speaks during the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Dallas

Andrew Walker, chair of the Committee on Resolutions and a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, acknowledged the uphill legal battle ahead, stating that the goal of overturning Obergefell would require “incremental steps.” He said the resolution signals that Southern Baptists do not intend to follow the cultural mainstream on same-sex marriage.

The gathering also reflected ongoing tensions over the SBC’s handling of sexual abuse. Casting a shadow over the event was the recent death of Jennifer Lyell, a former Southern Baptist publishing executive and whistleblower who came forward in 2019 with allegations of abuse by a seminary professor. Lyell, 47, died Saturday after suffering a series of catastrophic strokes. Advocates say the backlash she endured after going public took a severe toll on her health.

Messengers attending the Southern Baptist Convention lay on hands and pray over missionaries during the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Dallas

Though SBC leaders issued public statements mourning Lyell’s passing, many abuse survivors and reform advocates skipped the convention this year, citing a lack of meaningful action. Two demonstrators stood outside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center holding signs with images of Lyell and Gareld Duane Rollins, another abuse victim who died earlier this year.

“The survivors know it’s not healthy to be here anymore,” said Johnna Harris, a podcast host focusing on abuse in evangelical circles. “But someone needs to show up. People need to know we still care.”

Despite a 2022 commitment by the SBC to create a database of ministers credibly accused of abuse—following a landmark report detailing decades of mishandled cases—the convention’s Executive Committee has since scaled back plans, choosing instead to refer churches to external registries and focus on abuse prevention education. Critics have called this insufficient.

Abuse survivor Christa Brown called the response a familiar pattern of “hollow words” and “phony dog-and-pony shows of reform.”

The Executive Committee is now requesting $3 million in additional funds for legal costs related to abuse cases.

Tuesday’s meeting also saw 10,541 messengers in attendance, a far cry from the historic 45,000 who attended the Dallas meeting in 1985—an event that sealed conservative control of the denomination under leaders such as Paul Pressler, who himself has faced multiple abuse allegations.

Still ahead at the convention are debates over a proposed constitutional ban on churches with women pastors and the possible dismantling of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the denomination’s policy arm. Though deeply conservative, some critics claim the ERLC is not sufficiently aligned with the current trajectory of the SBC.

ERLC President Brent Leatherwood is scheduled to address the controversy Wednesday.