Southern Baptist Conference 2025 Resolution On Restoring Moral Clarity through God’s Design for Gender, Marriage, and the Family
REBUTTAL
WHEREAS, God created the world with order, meaning, and purpose, revealing through both Scripture and creation enduring truths about human life, marriage, sexuality, and the family (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:24); and
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:26-28, 2:24
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Concur that God purposely created the world and everything in it. However, the world God created follows natural laws, evolving with selection of the fittest. God sent his own Son, Christ Jesus, to start humanity on the path toward God’s kingdom where humanity follows the Greatest Commandment and the Golden Rule.
Jewish law provided rules and laws for sanitation and human welfare to allow God’s chosen people to be fruitful and multiply faster than other groups. The earth is now overpopulated and cannot support the current population.
WHEREAS, God made every person in his image as either male or female in accord with his good design for humanity, equal in worth but different by design, and this difference is not accidental or arbitrary (Genesis 1:27); and
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:27
Resolution ignores that God created individuals with a large variation in each characteristic in both the males and the females. There is overlap between the male and female distributions. All males are not taller and stronger than all females. All females are not better chefs than all men. These variations are not just physical, but also include the talents, tastes, likes and dislikes, including sexual desires. God’s image includes this wide spectrum of individual characteristics.
WHEREAS, Marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, designed by God for love, faithfulness, the raising of children, and as a picture of Christ’s love for the church (Ephesians 5:31-33); and
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
WHEREAS, Human life is sacred at every stage—from conception to natural death—because all people bear the image of God and law should grant equal protection for each stage of human development (Deuteronomy 16:18-20; Psalm 139:13-16); and
18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. 20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
WHEREAS, God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society, prior to the state, with a divine mandate to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28), and entrusted parents with the primary responsibility of raising, educating, and discipling their children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Ephesians 6:4); and
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord
WHEREAS, These truths about the created order are not only Christian convictions but also universal truths that are essential for a healthy, just, and free society; and
These so called “universal truths” are beliefs of some “Christians” who are justifying their own prejudices and making their own exemptions to the Golden Rule.
WHEREAS, Law is not meant to create moral truth but to recognize and uphold it, and lawmakers are accountable to God for the policies they promote and have a God-given duty to legislate in ways that honor the truth of creation and protect the common good (Romans 13:1-7); and
13 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Concur with this statement which also holds the writers and proponents of this proposal accountable to God for their failure to obey the Greatest Commandment and Golden Rule which take precedence over all other scripture.
WHEREAS, Our culture is increasingly rejecting and distorting these truths by redefining marriage, pursuing willful childlessness which contributes to a declining fertility rate, ignoring and suppressing the biological differences between male and female, encouraging gender confusion, undermining parental rights, and denying the value and dignity of children; and
Our culture and our legal system were increasingly recognizing that we need to treat all our neighbors with respect (and the Gold Rule), rather than WOKE policies. WOKE denies that individuals created in God’s image have a wide spectrum of every characteristic, including sexual preferences.
Finding a good potential mate is difficult. Potential mates who will support their spouse and family are scarce. Monetary resources of child-baring aged couples are insufficient. Why bring a child into a overpopulated, problem-ridden world?
WHEREAS, Commercial surrogacy often treats children as products and women as a means to an end, and may entail the destruction of embryonic life, violating the dignity of human life and distorting God’s design for procreation within marriage; and
God created humanity with a drive to procreate. We thank God for women who have compassion for a childless couple and will act as their surrogate. When we have the technology to give couples a way to procreate, we should do so. Embryos outside of a woman’s womb, do not constitute a viable human life. Treating embryos as viable life devalues the mother’s life. Medical people are at the point that they must refuse care to a woman having a miscarriage and women are dying as a result.
WHEREAS, Christians are called to grieve with and support couples who struggle with infertility and to uphold moral and compassionate paths to parenthood that protect human dignity; and
No dignity or compassion is shown to pregnant women or their families when embryos are treated as more important than the woman’s life
WHEREAS, The normalization of transgender ideology—especially the participation of biological males in girls’ sports and the medical transition of minors—represents a rebellion against God’s design for male and female, inflicts unjust harm on children and women, employs coercive language control, and undermines fairness, safety, and truth; and
Concur with the coercive language control of WOKE policies and its undermining of the Golden Rule. To the best of my knowledge, there is insufficient medical documentation to determine who if anyone is harmed,.
WHEREAS, Free speech is increasingly threatened by policies that compel individuals to speak against their conscience, especially on matters of sex and identity; and
Concur: WOKE policies prevent Christians from following the Golden Rule. Firing teachers for obeying the Golden Rule is intolerable. Teachers should address children in accordance with their wishes.
Society has always had the right and responsibility to step into a family situation that threatens the wellbeing of children
WHEREAS, Parents are being pushed out of essential decisions about their children’s health, education, and identity, in violation of their God-given rights and responsibilities; and
Society has always had the right and responsibility to step into family situations to protect children when parents harm their children’s welfare.
WHEREAS, Legal rulings like Obergefell v. Hodges and policies that deny the biological reality of male and female are legal fictions, undermine the truth of God’s design, and lead to social confusion and injustice; and
This proposal denies that individuals created in God’s image have a wide spectrum of every characteristic, including sexual preferences.
WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood remains a leading provider of abortion, undermines parental rights, and promotes harmful ideas about sex and the family, all while receiving taxpayer funds; now, therefore, be it
The issue is that Planned Parenthood does not agree with narrow-minded and prejudiced opinions of the “Christians” which were incorporated into this petition.
The issues cited above justify rejection of this proposal. These issues fail to justify below actions. The Government should not force the beliefs of the Southern Baptist Convention on other Christians, other religions and nonbelievers.
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Dallas, Texas, June 10-11, 2025, affirm the goodness and truth of God’s creation order and declare that it is vital for the health of our culture, the justice of our laws, and the well-being of future generations; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we affirm the duty of lawmakers to pass laws that reflect the truth of creation and natural law—about marriage, sex, human life, and family—and to oppose any law that denies or undermines what God has made plain through nature and Scripture; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call for the overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, that defy God’s design for marriage and family; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call 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 female athletic competition; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we oppose any law or policy that compels people to speak falsehoods about sex and gender, and we defend the right of every person to speak the truth without fear or coercion; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call on Southern Baptists to love all their neighbors in accordance with their God-given dignity as image bearers and to advocate for the government to restrain actions inconsistent with the dignity and value of every human being, including commercial surrogacy; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call on Christians to celebrate and embrace marriage and childbearing— seeing children as blessings rather than burdens (Psalm 127:3-5)—and the privilege of raising the next generation; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call for renewed moral clarity in public discourse regarding the crisis of declining fertility and for policies that support the bearing and raising of children within intact, married families; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage and extend compassion to individuals who find themselves in situations of familial loss or breakdown and are seeking to honor the Lord in their parenting; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call for the complete and permanent defunding of Planned Parenthood and for public funds to be directed to life-affirming healthcare providers; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge all Southern Baptists to advocate in the public square for laws and policies that reflect the moral order revealed in Scripture and nature, and to bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which alone restores broken lives, redeems sin, and brings eternal hope; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage churches to disciple their members in a biblical view of marriage, sexuality, parenting, and the sanctity of life; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we commit to speaking the truth about God’s design with conviction and compassion, trusting that his ways lead to human flourishing, and praying that our nation’s laws and culture would once again reflect the beauty of the world as God created it.