I came across an article asking the question, “Why are Southern Baptists so obsessed with ending gay marriage?” It was written for the Herald-Leader, a news organization based in Lexington, KY. The OP-ED piece is clearly written by a person who staunchly opposes the Southern Baptists’ pursuit of taking God’s Word seriously and faithfully exegeting the Bible. In the first paragraph, Roger L. Guffey proclaims that Southern Baptists are “once again fanning the flames of hatred and homophobia.”1 His reason is that Southern Baptists are “trying to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision that legalized same sex marriage.”2 Guffey attempts to bolster his harsh criticism by suggesting that Southern Baptists only selectively choose Bible passages to support their pursuit.
A couple of notes concerning this claim. One, the texts in question are taken within the context of the work passage. Those who claim homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle before God twist and pervert the word of God. Romans 1:18-32 makes it abundantly clear that same sex attraction and relationships are unnatural and dishonorable (Rom. 1:26-27). It is also the result of God giving people over to their rebellion against him. The lifestyle of LGBTQ+ is not compatible with Holy living. Guffey attempts to use Jesus’ lack of discussion about it in the Gospels as a reason to accept it. This is the issue with liberal Christianity. There is a segment within the group that believes only “the red letters” are actually important or binding. All of Scripture is the inspired, infallible Word of God. Homosexuality is not marriage; it is rebellion against God.
However, Roger Guffey does provide some significant claims that he did not cite, so I’ll list his claim here, but keep in mind that it’s not cited. He notes that “Same sex marriage is gaining acceptance in American society. Sixty-two percent of mainline white Protestants agree that the right to marry should be protected for all citizens. Sixty-eight percent of Episcopalian and United Church of Christ adherents support this position, as do 69% of PCUSA parishioners and 53% of white Baptist Christians.”3
Pew’s 2023–24 study shows Christians overall lean slightly in favor of legal same-sex marriage; most evangelical Protestants (62%) oppose, while 70% of Catholics, 71% of Mainline Protestants, and 56% of historically Black Protestants favor it.4 Guffey’s use of Mainline’s is interesting; keep in mind that most Mainline denominations do not hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, which explains why so many are so quick to support sin like homosexuality as acceptable.
So who makes up the Mainline denominations? They are as follows: the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA), the United Church of Christ (UCC), and the American Baptist Churches US. The Mainline denomination accounts for approximately 11% of the U.S. adult population, while Evangelical Protestants comprise 23% of the population.5 Evangelical Protestants comprise a large group that includes some United Methodist Churches, Southern Baptists, Reformed/Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Anglicans, Nondenominational Christians, and others.
Why is this important? Guffey’s churches, which he hand-picks to support his claim, are mainline denominations. He ignores the conservative churches altogether. Sure, the percentages are large, but it is a smaller group within the “Christian” landscape. It appears that he is selectively choosing groups for his own benefit. His data supports his point rather than considering the broader scope of the argument. At which he then changes his debate to divorce rather than the discussion of LGBTQ+, while some divorce is sin, not all cases of divorce are, as Scripture does provide reasons that a divorce is acceptable. This is a false equivalence argument. Also, the data that he assesses does not seem to indicate the kind of divorce these people have had, which raises the question of what percentage was an acceptable divorce according to Scripture, rather than a sinful one. Also, why does he begin to quote from sources so regularly here instead of also where he is supporting his own position? It simply feels weird to not clearly support your supporting claims on the same sex marriage acceptance percentages.
I’m not recommending reading Guffey’s article, but if you choose to do so, be cautious about some of the information. I’m going to give Guffey the benefit of the doubt, but there are multiple moments where things just seem like intentional misinformation or lazy research. For example, Guffey incorrectly identified Pat Robertson as a Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) pastor. Granted, Robertson had a season when he was affiliated with the SBC, but he left the SBC in 1987 to pursue his presidential run.6 Additionally, Robertson attended the New York Theological Seminary, a nondenominational institution for his theological training, and was ordained in a Baptist church that left the SBC after the Conservative Resurgence. If you are not familiar with the Conservative Resurgence, please see the endnote for a brief overview of this period of Southern Baptist history.7 Furthermore, Robertson’s beliefs often conflicted with those of the Southern Baptist Convention following the Conservative Resurgence. Plus, the quote Guffey used to support his angle came from Robertson in 2011, well after his departure from the SBC. So claiming as he did that “Pat Robertson, a celebrated Southern Baptist minister,”8 is factually incomplete and fails to acknowledge that this is long after his departure from the Southern Baptist Convention. Furthermore, examples of issues include his lack of citing sources for easy confirmation of statistics and his limited scope, which tends to lean towards his ideological perspective. It results in the article communicating a strong bias but lacks a faithful representation of the facts.
Three Lessons from this Exercise
1. Verify the Information Your Reading
As believers, we should verify the information we read and listen to before accepting the message of the messenger. There is no question that we are all given a lot of information, and reporting bias is an inevitable reality in a fallen world. Make sure the information you’re reading is not misinformation you’re falling prey to in your news consumption. Just because it is an official article from a news organization doesn’t mean it is without error or heavy bias. Take the time and check their sources and see if there are inconsistencies or if they are twisting the facts to their bias.
2. Ensure you understand the basis of your Christian Convictions.
As a believer, an article should not become a spiritual crisis. Stay rooted in Scripture and know why you hold to your convictions. The most important and only truly inerrant truth in the world is God’s Word. All other information sources are prone to error. So, make sure to spend more time studying and establishing your faith and convictions in what God’s timeless Word has to say, rather than being swayed by the news or social constructs.
For example, if you handle Scriptures correctly, there is only one faithful conclusion: Homosexuality is sin, and as believers, we cannot support it; otherwise, we give approval to wickedness (Rom. 1:18-32). That is why this article should not shake our faith, but rather lead us to pray for the original writer to have their eyes opened to the truth.
3. Bias twists sticky webs
Any good storyteller can weave webs of lies that appear to be the truth because they themselves believe their own lies. They will attempt to make you think that you are in the minority, even among your peers. Yet, in most given contexts, you are not in the minority, but rather in the majority of believers who hold a high view of Scripture. However, even if you were in the minority, if it is a biblically faithful position, then great! Celebrate that the Lord has kept you on his path. Also, know that you are not alone. There are plenty of faithful believers around you as long as you’re holding on to the truth.
Closing
This week, I came across an article in my Apple News app for Southern Baptist News. I didn’t go looking for it. The title did draw me in, and as I read it. I felt like it would be a good example for us to walk through together. A reminder of how we are living in a bias-filled news world and that it is easy to be discouraged if we are not holding on to God’s Word and fact-checking on our own accord the news we come across. I hope this has been a benefit to you today.
God bless.
- Roger L. Guffey, “Why are Southern Baptists so obsessed with ending gay marriage?” Lexington Herald-Leader, July 17, 2025. https://apple.news/AgxYTwCHpQlWVI01Hn_5B2w ↩
- Guffey, https://apple.news/AgxYTwCHpQlWVI01Hn_5B2w ↩
- Guffey, https://apple.news/AgxYTwCHpQlWVI01Hn_5B2w ↩
- Pew Research Center, “16. Religion and views on LGBTQ issues and abortion,” Feb 26, 2025. (Use the “Same-sex marriage” section.) https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religion-and-views-on-lgbtq-issues-and-abortion/ ↩
- Pew Research Center, “Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off,” Feb 26, 2025. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off/pr_2025-02-26_religious-landscape-study_0-011/ ↩
- Washington Post, “Robertson Quits Ministry for ’88 Race,” Sept 30, 1987; UPI, Oct 1, 1987; Britannica bio. ↩
- The Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention was a period of time where the convention returned to faithful biblical exegetical practices, returned to holding to inerrancy and infallibility, along with a return to the conviction that a pastor is limited to men. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 was born out of this movement. Churches that wanted to keep their women senior pastors, who did not hold to the inerrancy of scripture, and generally didn’t hold to conservative and faithful Christianity, left to establish a moderate, and now very much liberal branch of Baptist theology called the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. ↩
- Guffey, https://apple.news/AgxYTwCHpQlWVI01Hn_5B2w ↩
