WHEREAS, the marriage covenant, defined as being between a man and a woman, was created and ordained of God (Genesis 2:21-25; Matthew 19:4-9); and WHEREAS, the Baptist Faith and Message states in Article XVIII, "Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in the covenant commitment"; and WHEREAS, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, in November of 2008, affirmed this traditional definition of marriage; and WHEREAS, this traditional view of marriage is under attack from some political leaders, business leaders, and other opinion makers; and WHEREAS, President Barack Obama has added his voice to these attacks by voicing support for same sex marriage—support never before offered by a sitting U.S. president; now, be it therefore RESOLVED, that we, the Executive Board members of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, meeting August, 7, 2012, in Grapevine, Texas, do affirm the biblical witness regarding marriage and sexual morality; and be it further RESOLVED, that we agree with the Word of God that all sins, including all sexual relations outside of marriage, incur the wrath of God; and be it further RESOLVED, that we acknowledge that all men are sinners who need God’s redeeming love—people with whom we must share God’s message of new life in Christ; and be it further RESOLVED, that we support the right of individuals and corporations to express opinions that represent their convictions on any subject they consider pertinent; and be it further RESOLVED, that our support of free speech implies a responsibility to be informed Christian consumers who patronize businesses that stand for biblical morality, and who may also deny our patronage to businesses or individuals that stand against biblical morality; and be it finally RESOLVED, that we respectfully implore our president, Barack Obama, to reconsider his unprecedented endorsement of same sex marriage and instead maintain his former support for traditional marriage.

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