During its annual meeting in Dallas, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, will vote on several contentious resolutions. Proposed measures include calls for a legal ban on pornography, a repeal of the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling, and legislative actions reflecting their interpretation of a biblically ordained order concerning marriage, gender, and family. The Convention will also address internal issues, such as a proposed ban on churches with women pastors and debates over the future of its public policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), which some want to defund.
These discussions come on the 40th anniversary of a pivotal meeting that saw the SBC solidify its conservative stance amidst theological battles. While attendance is expected to be far lower than in 1985, the spirit of that transformative meeting persists. Proposed resolutions emphasize curbing sports betting and advocating for increased birth rates, reflecting a strong alignment with conservative political agendas, especially amidst current Republican leadership in Washington.
Additionally, there are debates over the SBC’s stances on issues like immigration and the ERLC’s effectiveness in advocating moral positions without compromising its nonpartisan identity. Some leaders express concern that the SBC is becoming more fundamentalist, which could alienate diverse congregations, particularly Black churches.
The denomination has experienced a decline in membership for 18 consecutive years but reports a notable increase in baptisms, with over 250,000 recorded in the previous year. This uptick may suggest a potential revival, indicating a complex and evolving landscape within Southern Baptism as it straddles theological convictions and contemporary political dynamics.
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