At long last, a spark of righteous defiance has ignited in the Southern Baptist Convention — a clarion call that the Supreme Court’s disastrous Obergefell v. Hodges decision must not stand unchallenged. In an age when moral relativism reigns, and the Constitution is trampled under the jackboots of judicial activism, this vote by the nation’s largest Protestant denomination is nothing short of a battle cry. And let’s make no mistake: It’s a battle that needs to be fought, and one that the faithful, constitutional patriots of this country must join with unwavering resolve.
The Obergefell decision, handed down by a bare majority of the Supreme Court in 2015, struck at the very foundation of the American experiment in self-government. By judicial fiat, the Court invented a “right” to same-sex “marriage” that not only defied millennia of moral order, but also trampled the authority of the states and the people to govern marriage according to their own deeply held beliefs. This was not law — it was raw power, masquerading in black robes.
The Southern Baptists’ resolution, adopted at their annual meeting in Dallas, rightly draws inspiration from the successful overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022. Let that be a reminder that no matter how entrenched an unjust Supreme Court decision might appear, it is not beyond the reach of constitutional correction. The Constitution does not grant the Supreme Court the power to legislate from the bench, and it certainly does not authorize the federal judiciary to redefine the very institution of marriage — a power that has always belonged to the states and the people.
Obergefell v. Hodges
Let’s be clear: Obergefell v. Hodges was judicial tyranny in its purest form. By conjuring a constitutional “right” to same-sex “marriage” from the penumbras and emanations of the Fourteenth Amendment — an amendment (allegedly) ratified in 1868, when the very notion of same-sex “marriage” would have been unthinkable — the Court once again demonstrated its contempt for both the plain text of the Constitution and the will of the people. This was not an act of interpretation; it was an act of usurpation.
Andrew Walker, the ethicist who authored the resolution, deserves applause for his sober acknowledgment that the fight against Obergefell is a long-term struggle. The successful campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade is testament to the power of perseverance, strategic litigation, and the unwavering conviction that the Constitution means what it says. For nearly 50 years, pro-life Americans labored to correct the judicial monstrosity that was Roe. Now it falls to those who cherish the sanctity of marriage and the constitutional structure of federalism to mount the same defense of truth.
Critics will undoubtedly howl that the Southern Baptists are on the wrong side of history — that same-sex “marriage” is now widely accepted and that the moral arc of the universe bends toward progressivism. But let’s remember: The moral arc of the universe is only as sound as the moral compass guiding it. If the compass is unmoored from natural law and the Constitution, it will point not to liberty, but to licentiousness and tyranny. That is the road down which Obergefell has dragged this nation, as states have been forced to submit to the dictates of five unelected justices.
“Prophetic Minority”
Denny Burk, president of the Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood, rightly declared that Southern Baptists now stand as a “prophetic minority.” And prophetic voices are precisely what this country needs. We stand on the shoulders of giants — men like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson — who warned that an unchecked judiciary would become the very despotism they fought to overthrow. Jefferson’s words still ring true: “To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions is a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy.” That is exactly what Obergefell imposed: an oligarchy of black-robed usurpers.
Let’s be blunt: Marriage is not a social experiment. It is the bedrock of civil society, predating governments themselves. It is rooted in the natural law that binds every man, woman, and nation. The Founders understood this, which is why they left questions of marriage to the states and to the people. Obergefell overturned that constitutional arrangement, subordinating state sovereignty and the voice of the people to the whim of a transient Court majority.
The Southern Baptists’ resolution is nonbinding, yes, but its significance cannot be overstated. It marks the beginning of a long-overdue reckoning with judicial imperialism. It signals to every constitutionalist, every patriot, and every faithful American that this fight is not over — that Obergefell is not settled law, and that the Constitution’s separation of powers and federalist principles must be restored.
We Need a Constitutional Revival
Let’s draw inspiration from the pro-life movement’s dogged determination. Let’s commit ourselves to a constitutional revival that will not rest until marriage is once again defined by the people, through their elected representatives, rather than by five justices cloistered in marble halls. Let’s demand that Congress use its power under Article III to limit the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to hear cases redefining marriage. Let’s urge states to pass constitutional amendments and statutes reaffirming marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Let’s elect leaders who have the courage to challenge judicial overreach, and who understand that the Constitution means what it says.
The fight to overturn Obergefell is about more than marriage. It is about restoring the rule of law, the authority of the people, and the integrity of the Constitution. It is about rejecting the judicial tyranny that threatens every liberty we hold dear. The Southern Baptists’ stand is a righteous stand. It is a just stand. And it is a stand that every patriot should rally behind.
Let history record that in the year of our Lord 2025, the Southern Baptists declared that they would not go quietly into the night of moral relativism and judicial usurpation. Let history record that they — and all who cherish liberty — rose to reclaim their rightful place as the authors of the laws under which they live.
The battle has been joined. Let’s not shrink from it. Let us press forward with courage, conviction, and a steadfast belief that the Constitution still stands as a bulwark against tyranny. If we do not, we may one day find that liberty itself is but a memory, and that the American experiment was a cautionary tale with a tragic demise.
