[1]DALLAS (BP) – Resolutions to be presented to messengers to the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting include calls to ban sports betting and pornography and strong statements on the natural family and religious liberty. The SBC Committee on Resolutions released its proposed resolutions [2] May 30.
“Resolutions are not binding, but they are clarifying. In a time of moral confusion and cultural drift, these resolutions help Southern Baptists say, with one voice, what we believe and why it matters,” said committee chairman Andrew Walker.
Walker hopes the eight resolutions won’t be used to “settle debates” but to “shape discipleship.”
“They are intended to strengthen our churches in conviction, inform our witness to the watching world, and provide clarity to policymakers, media and fellow Christians about where we stand,” he told Baptist Press in written comments.
Walker serves as the associate dean in the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Last year marked the first year resolutions were released 10 days before the beginning of the SBC Annual Meeting due to a bylaw change in 2023.
[3]Walker said the committee was composed of men and women from across the SBC “marked by theological conviction, pastoral wisdom and a deep love for our churches and our cooperative witness.”
“The work required long hours, honest deliberation and a willingness to speak plainly – but also charitably – about matters of real consequence. Every member approached this task with prayerful seriousness and a desire to honor Christ above all,” he said.
The proposed resolutions are:
- On Appreciation for the City of Dallas
- On the Centennial Anniversary of the Cooperative Program
- On the Harmful and Predatory Nature of Sports Betting
- On Banning Pornography
- On Restoring Moral Clarity through God’s Design for Gender, Marriage, and the Family
- On Standing Against the Moral Evils and Medical Dangers of Chemical Abortion Pills
- On Advocating for International Religious Freedom
- On Honoring the Centennial Anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Message and Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Message (2000)
Walker encouraged Southern Baptists to “read these resolutions with discernment, with charity, with patience and above all, with a heart fixed on Christ. These are not inspired words, but they are the prayerful and careful efforts of your fellow messengers to speak to our times from the foundation of God’s Word.”
Southern Baptists “may not all agree on every nuance” of the resolutions, he added, but they can help the Convention “bear witness together to the Gospel that saves and the truth that sets men free.”
SBC President Clint Pressley announced the committee [4] in February. In addition to Walker, members include:
[5]- Whitney Alexander, First Baptist, Gadsden, AL
- Michael Carlino, Kenwood Baptist, Louisville, KY
- David Crowther, Immanuel Baptist, Wichita, KS
- Anthony Dockery, St. Stephen Baptist, La Puente, CA
- Mollie Duddleston, Cross Church, Springdale, AR
- Christopher Sanchez, Dauphin Way Baptist, Mobile, AL
- Obbie Tyler Todd, Third Baptist, Marion, IL
- Jana White, Freedom Church, Lincolnton, NC
- Lemanuel Williams, Redeemer Church, Rocky Mount, NC
“Every proposed resolution was read closely, discussed seriously and evaluated in light of several key criteria,” Walker said.
Those criteria included:
- The consensus and convictions of our Convention as reflected in our confessional documents and historic positions
- Doctrinal clarity and fidelity to Scripture
- The Convention’s competency and standing to speak to particular issues
- The goal of fostering unity without sacrificing truth
- The presence of Gospel hope, not just cultural commentary
- A tone marked by Christian charity
- The urgency of the issue at hand
- The resolution’s relevance to our churches and witness in this season.
“These resolutions seek to honor the authority of Scripture, the truth of the Gospel and the conscience-binding lordship of Jesus Christ,” Walker said. “They aim to help Southern Baptists think Christianly about urgent ethical issues – from the sanctity of life to religious liberty, from human dignity to biblical sexuality.”
The resolutions are scheduled [6] to be presented to the Convention at the following times:
- Tuesday, June 10, at 8:50 am
- Tuesday, June 10, at 2:40 pm
- Tuesday, June 10, at 5:10 pm
- Wednesday, June 11, at 3 pm
Access the full text of the resolutions here [2]. The 2025 SBC Annual Meeting is set for June 10-11 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
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