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Where they stand
How party platforms align with SBC resolutions
Issue and SBC position
Abortion: SBC resolutions have opposed abortion at least 25 times since 1976, including calls to defund Planned Parenthood, repeal Roe v. Wade, and uphold the Hyde Amendment banning federal funding of abortion.
Adoption: In 2009, the SBC encouraged each Southern Baptist family to pray for guidance as to whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child or children.
Capital Punishment: A 2000 resolution supported “the fair and equitable use of capital punishment by civil magistrates.”
Environment/Climate Change: A 2007 SBC resolu- tion urged government leaders to only support cost-effec- tive measures to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions and to reject government-mandated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Guns and Gun Violence: The SBC has called on authorities to implement measures to reduce gun violence, but also said any government solutions to gun violence should be “in accordance with the Second Amendment.”
Human trafficking: A 2013 resolution supported public policies at the local, state, national, and international level which combat human trafficking.
Immigration: The SBC has called for government officials to secure America’s borders against illegal im- migration, while underscoring the need for compassionate treatment of immigrants regardless of their legal status.
Israel: A 2016 resolution supported Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign state and opposed the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, which seeks to isolate the nation of Israel economically and socially.
LGBT Issues: SBC resolutions have opposed framing homosexuality as a civil rights issue, as well as govern- ment efforts to “validate transgender identity as morally praiseworthy.” In 2016, the SBC expressed dissent from the Obergefell opinion that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
Mental Health: The SBC has expressed a commitment “to affirm, support, and share God’s love and redemption with those with mental health concerns.”
Opioid Abuse: A 2018 resolution encouraged city, state, and national governments to work together to address the opioid crisis.
Racism: A 2018 resolution “maintain[ed] and renew[ed] our public renunciation of racism in all its forms.” In 2016, the SBC called Christians to discontinue display of the Confederate flag.
Religious Liberty: The SBC has expressed its support for religious liberty in dozens of resolutions. Among them, a 2016 statement advocated conscience protections for individuals who cannot support laws based on unbiblical views of marriage, sexuality and gender.
Sex Education: The SBC has urged government of- ficials to implement abstinence-based programs in public schools. A 2006 resolution lamented curricula and policies teaching that the homosexual lifestyle is acceptable.
Illinois Baptist
Writer David Roach’s comparison of party positions and Southern Baptist resolutions appears in full at Baptist Press, online at BPNews. net. The Democratic positions are taken from the party’s 2020 platform, while the Republican stances are from the GOP’s 2020 campaign agenda and 2016 platform.
Republican position
Agree: The 2016 Republican platform referenced the party’s pro-life stance about once every two pages, including advocacy of a constitutional amendment applying the right to life to children in the womb.
Democratic position
Disagree: Democrats stated support for federal funding of Planned Parenthood and repeal of the Hyde Amendment, while also pledging to appoint Supreme Court justices who “enforce foundational precedents,” including Roe v. Wade.
Agree: The 2016 platform said federal funding should be utilized to assist families with adoption services.
Agree: Democrats pledged to support adoption services.
Agree: “The constitutionality of the death penalty is firmly settled by its explicit mention in the Fifth Amendment.”
Disagree: The Democratic platform supports abolishing the death penalty.
Partially Agree: The 2016 platform urged “dispassionate analysis of hard data” on climate change and warned that the cost of undue reliance on renewable energy sources could cause disproportionate harm to low-income Americans.
Disagree: “Climate change is a global emergency,” according to the Democratic platform. It calls for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and the elimination of carbon pollution from power plants.
Partially Agree: Lawful gun ownership is part of the “God-given right of self-defense,” according to the 2016 platform. Republicans opposed restrictions on magazine capacity and banning “sale of the most popular and common modern rifle.”
Partially Agree: The platform declared gun violence a public health crisis and pledged to make gun violence a thing of the past.
Agree: President Donald Trump will seek to dismantle human trafficking networks, according to his 2020 campaign agenda.
Agree: Democrats said they would fight human traffick- ing and strive to end the practice of modern-day slavery around the world.
Partially Agree: The Trump campaign pledged to “end illegal immigration and protect American workers.” Specific policy suggestions include blocking illegal immigrants from receiving government benefits and ending sanctuary cities.
Partially Agree: The Democratic platform calls for compassionate treatment of immigrants to the U.S. and a roadmap to citizenship for undocumented individuals.
Partially Agree: The Democratic platform expressed support for Israel and opposed the BDS Movement. Demo- crats also advocated a “negotiated two-state solution” between Israel and the Palestinians.
Disagree: Democrats advocate requiring federal health plans to cover gender confirmation surgery and hormone therapy. They also say transgender students should be guaranteed access to school facilities based on their gender identity, and call for a ban on conversion therapy for LGBT youth and adults.
Partially Agree: Republicans in 2016 asserted their “unequivocal support for Israel,” including recognition of Jeru- salem as its capital, and opposed the BDS Movement.
Agree: Citizens have a constitutional right to uphold the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and the Obergefell decision should be overturned. Permitting transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms that do not correspond to their biological gender is “illegal, dangerous, and ignores privacy issues.”
Agree: Acknowledging mental illness affects people from all walks of life, the 2016 platform said Medicaid-related grants and the military health care system, among other avenues, should be utilized to promote mental health.
Agree: The platform includes at least 30 references to mental health, including pledges to increase federal sup- port of mental health care.
Agree: Legislation must address the opioid crisis, which “is ravaging communities all over the country,” the 2016 platform stated.
Agree: Democrats pledged “to make medication-assisted treatment available to all who need it” and to “require pub- licly supported health clinics to offer medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction.”
Agree: In its 2016 platform, the GOP denounced bigotry, racism, and religious intolerance.
Agree: References to combating racial discrimination and racial disparities are sprinkled throughout the platform, including sections on health care, housing, criminal justice reform, and education.
Agree: Individuals, businesses, and institutions of faith should never be compelled “to transgress their beliefs,” the 2016 platform stated. Accordingly, government should not discriminate against businesses that decline to sell goods or services based on their religious views of marriage or gender.
Partially Agree: Democrats pledged to protect the rights of each American for the free exercise of his or her own religion. However, the platform denounced the “use of broad religious exemptions to allow businesses, medical providers, social service agencies, and others to discriminate.”
Agree: Schools should replace “‘family planning’ programs for teens with sexual risk avoidance education that sets abstinence until marriage as the responsible and respected standard of behavior.”
Disagree: “LGBTQ+ inclusive, age-appropriate sex education” is “essential to ensuring that people can decide if, when, and how to start a family,” according to the Demo- cratic platform.