c. 2003 Religion News Service

PHOENIX _ Spurred on by new and proposed laws allowing gay civil unions, Southern Baptists overwhelmingly adopted a resolution Wednesday (June 18) opposing homosexual marriage.

“We continue to oppose steadfastly all efforts by any court or state legislature to validate or legalize same-sex marriage or other equivalent unions,” the resolution reads.

Baptists, on the second and final day of their annual meeting, also adopted resolutions on AIDS, anti-Semitism and religious liberty.

The resolution on same-sex unions criticizes news media, entertainment outlets and public schools for trying to “mainstream homosexual unions in the eyes of our children.”

It was adopted a day after leaders of the 16.2 million-member denomination announced a “No Way Out” initiative affirming “ex-gay” ministries and during a meeting that was protested by the pro-gay group Soulforce for the fourth year in a row.

“It does not in any way say we do not care for those who have a problem with homosexuality,” said the Rev. Mike Hamlet, chairman of the resolutions committee and a South Carolina pastor.

Another committee member, Russell Moore, an assistant professor of Christian theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., said he thinks the statement connects with Southern Baptist beliefs that they should express to homosexuals a message of forgiveness through the gospel.

“We believe same-sex marriage hurts homosexuals,” said Moore. “We believe this is actually a message of love to homosexuals. You can change and you can be forgiven.”

Baptists also supported President Bush for the recently adopted $15 billion AIDS package addressing the pandemic and urged churches “to recognize the gravity of the global AIDS crisis.”

“We confess as Christians blessed to live in an affluent North American context that the Evil One will tempt us to concern ourselves with our own comfort and to ignore the cries of those suffering around the world,” the resolution reads.

The religious liberty resolution responded to criticism of Southern Baptists and other evangelicals for declaring that a Christian commitment is the only way to salvation. It urged government and media leaders to recognize Baptists’ longtime commitment to religious liberty.

“… We remind the international community that religious liberty is not merely the right to remain in the religion of one’s birth, but includes the right of anyone to change his religious loyalties without fear of persecution,” the resolution reads.

The delegates, or messengers, also adopted a resolution about increasing anti-Semitism across the world, saying they “denounce all forms of anti-Semitism as contrary to the teachings of our Messiah and an assault on the revelation of Holy Scripture.”

Continuing their theme of “kingdom families,” the Baptists also adopted a resolution urging all Southern Baptist churches to work on strengthening families and offer ministries to single-parent families.

They also adopted resolutions reaffirming their opposition to abortion _ and applauding congressional passage of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 _ and supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom as “a warranted action based upon historic principles of just war.”

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