Southern Baptists Take Aim at Porn, Sports Betting, Same-Sex Marriage—and Even Childlessness

As the Southern Baptist Convention gathers this week in Dallas, leaders are preparing to vote on a slate of resolutions that push for sweeping changes in American cultural and political life—from banning pornography and limiting sports betting to overturning same-sex marriage rights and encouraging more Americans to have children.

These proposals, rooted in what the denomination calls “the biblical order of creation,” reflect the group’s long-standing views but come with fresh urgency in a political landscape increasingly receptive to conservative Christian priorities.

A Political and Cultural Manifesto

The proposed resolutions ask lawmakers to enact legislation that aligns with a conservative Christian worldview, particularly regarding sex, marriage, gender, and family. One resolution calls on lawmakers to pass laws that “reflect the truth of creation and natural law,” opposing anything that contradicts “what God has made plain through nature and Scripture.”

Other measures target the growing influence of sports gambling and the widespread availability of pornography—both of which are denounced as destructive forces that should be curbed or banned outright.

A resolution even singles out “willful childlessness” as a contributing factor to America’s declining birth rate, calling on policymakers to adopt “pro-natalist” policies that promote having children.

A Flashback to 1985—and a Glimpse of the Future

This year’s gathering happens on the 40th anniversary of one of the most pivotal moments in the convention’s history. In 1985, more than 45,000 attendees packed into the same city for a heated showdown that cemented the denomination’s hard conservative turn—a moment Southern Baptist leaders now call the “hinge convention.”

While attendance this year is expected to be significantly smaller, the ideological echoes are loud and clear. “There’s not a lot of room for compromise,” said religion scholar Nancy Ammerman, who witnessed the 1985 meeting firsthand. “There’s not a lot of room for people who don’t have the same understanding of who God is and how God operates.”

Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a leading voice in the denomination’s conservative shift, says these resolutions are not just theological—they are moral obligations rooted in a divine order that applies “to all persons, in all times, everywhere.”

When Religion Meets Politics

The resolutions land at a time when social conservatives have increasing sway in government. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Southern Baptist, is third in line to the presidency. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has suggested revisiting the court’s landmark 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

And voices from the Catholic postliberal movement, along with evangelical conservatives, are pushing for a more activist government—one that openly legislates moral values, bans pornography, and promotes traditional family structures.

Internal Tensions: Women Pastors and Public Policy

But not all the tension is external. The denomination will also confront divisions within its own ranks, including another push to ban churches that employ women as pastors. A proposed constitutional amendment narrowly failed in 2023 and 2024 but is expected to be reintroduced.

While the Southern Baptist statement of faith limits the role of pastor to men, debate continues over whether this applies only to senior pastors or all pastoral staff. The issue flared again when a prominent South Carolina megachurch with a woman on staff was briefly retained—before it left the convention on its own.

Meanwhile, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC)—the denomination’s public policy arm—is facing calls for defunding. Critics, including the conservative Center for Baptist Leadership, argue the ERLC has lost its edge, especially after opposing the criminalization of women who seek abortions.

Still, defenders say the ERLC’s work on religious liberty and anti-abortion advocacy remains vital. “Without the ERLC, you will send the message… that the SBC has chosen to abandon the public square,” said ERLC President Brent Leatherwood in a video plea.

Race, Immigration, and the SBC’s Future

Race and immigration are also hot-button topics. A coalition of Southern Baptist ethnic leaders has criticized the denomination’s silence—or in some cases, opposition—to compassion in immigration policy, especially during the Trump-era crackdown. Black pastor Dwight McKissic described the current direction of the SBC as a move from “evangelical” to “fundamentalist,” warning that fewer Black churches will stay on board.

Declining Numbers, But a Glimmer of Hope

Despite holding onto its title as the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, the SBC continues to shrink. Membership dropped another 2% in 2024, marking the 18th consecutive year of decline, now down to 12.7 million.

There’s one bright spot, though: baptisms. Viewed as a key sign of spiritual vitality, baptisms rose to 250,643—surpassing pre-pandemic levels and temporarily reversing a long downward trend.