Southern Baptists, like all believers, weep over the fallenness and destruction of the world. But more than being a people of lament, we are fundamentally a people of hope…This is what the conference has equipped me and thousands of others to speak in my daily life. We believe that no sinner, no matter how far gone, no matter how sexually compromised in either a heterosexual or homosexual way, is out of the reach of Almighty God. That, and not cultural preservation, is our cause. That, and not political domination, is our hope.

The first national conference of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention was held this week from October 27-29, 2014. I was present for most of the event, entitled “The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage,” which lit up social media.

I wanted to share five thoughts from my experience.

1. This was a landmark event for Southern Baptists.The tone of the ERLC event was a sea-change from the way that many conservative Christians have spoken about homosexuality. Led by ethicist Russell Moore and theologian Albert Mohler, the spirit of the event was humble, self-critical, and self-consciously gospel-oriented. Mohler went so far as to say the following: “I repent of denying that sexual orientation was legitimate.” He said this in the very first address of the conference. What a model this was for those of us who count him a mentor and pedagogue. As Christians, we should be marked by our humility. I’m deeply thankful for this example on Mohler’s part.

Over and over again, speakers made clear that sin has affected us all, that people with same-sex attraction are broken just as we all are, and that our hope is in Christ alone. We heard from numerous speakers about how crucial marriage is to the flourishing of children. This was powerful stuff. Despite this, some, including my sharp friend Matthew Anderson, have suggested that podium time should have been given to those who identify as “gay Christians.” I understand the motivation behind this suggestion, and I’m guessing there could be a forum for such exchange. But the ERLC gathering was not a debate. It was a teaching event.

Furthermore, in my view (I do not speak for the ERLC, please note), it would not have been appropriate to feature unbiblical teaching (see Rom. 1:26-27). The only sexual behavior and identity approved of in the Bible is heterosexual activity in the covenant of marriage. All else, though natural to us because of our sin, is outside the bounds and an offense to God. All other behavior requires wholescale repentance and change. It would have been both unwise and even cruel to feature commentary that would suggest otherwise.

“Gay Christianity” is not viable because it is not biblical. In saying this, we in no way undermine the essential humanity of friends who ground their identity in homosexual orientation. They are image-bearers just as we are. But we do not have the ability to approve of what is outside the bounds of holiness.

2. As a young Southern Baptist, I came away profoundly encouraged by the tone and content of the conference.It drew some critique online, to be sure. But I thought the event planners and speakers got things just about right. I returned home feeling better equipped to engage fellow sinners caught in sexual sin (whether heterosexual or homosexual). The posture that we need to simply “fix” people with same-sex attraction is gone, as is the belief that wholeness is found primarily in marriage.

To speak theologically, I believe that Southern Baptists were challenged to apply their doctrine of sanctification to homosexual sin. Some people tempted in this direction have found glorious freedom from it. Others wrestle with it over a lifetime to various degrees. Pastors who were at the ERLC conference are now equipped to apply the gospel to people with different situations and different levels of victory over lust. This is a heartening development, and a needed one.

3.  David Platt and others made clear that though the church must evangelize graciously, there will be no shift away from theological complementarity.Platt, the new president of the International Mission Board, said this: “We must defend and display sexual complementarity in order to display God’s glory in the world.” He challenged husbands to lead as Christlike heads and wives to show the world what joyful submission looks like. He was, in short, faithful to Scripture (Ephesians 5:22-33).

Southern Baptists are working through the reality of homosexuality. That is clear. But this should not be read to mean that we are giving up one inch of biblical teaching. We are not.

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