WHEREAS, The call of the pastor is to shepherd the flock of God and bring healing and counsel through the proclamation of God’s Word to the sheep (1 Peter 5:2); and
WHEREAS, The sufficiency of Scripture is an essential pillar upon which the pastor stands to proclaim and counsel God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12); and
WHEREAS, Debate persists even among Bible-believing Christians as to the merits of what is commonly known as “Reparative Therapy” or “Conversion Therapy,” a counseling paradigm that seeks to bring someone’s sexual desires and gender identity into alignment with God’s pattern for sexuality and biological sex by appealing to the insights of secular psychology; and
WHEREAS, National efforts have been undertaken to ban “conversion therapy;” and
WHEREAS, In September 2020, the city of Louisville passed a resolution banning “conversion therapy;” and
WHEREAS, Conversion therapy may be wrongly associated with pastoral counseling, and thus conversion therapy bans can or may impede upon a pastor’s right to administer biblical counsel to those with same-sex sexual desires or gender confusion, thus endangering their constitutional and God-given right to religious freedom; and
WHEREAS, Conversion therapy bans have the impact of leaving those with unwanted same-sex sexual desires or gender confusion with no therapeutic recourse; and
WHEREAS, Secular therapies are often grounded upon principles that deny any normative pattern for human sexuality or gender expression, thus denying human nature exists, is stable, or directive to any particular end; and
WHEREAS, Secular therapies are grounded upon conflicting, contradictory foundations that communicate to individuals that gender is malleable while sexual desire is not; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers of the Kentucky Baptist Convention meeting in Owensboro, Kentucky, November 10, 2020, oppose conversion therapy bans whether in local, state, or federal legislation; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the churches of the Kentucky Baptist Convention resolutely assert the constitutional protections of churches to administer scriptural counsel on matters of sexuality and gender to those who seek pastoral counsel; and be further
RESOLVED, That this resolution is not to be interpreted as an unqualified endorsement of conversion therapy; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the churches of the Kentucky Baptist Convention deny, in any way, that God’s design for sexuality and gender pose any harm or risk to an individual’s flourishing, but their blessing, flourishing, and holiness; and be it finally
RESOLVED, that the gospel of Jesus Christ empowers those with sinful sexual desires and confused gender identities to live lives of holiness unto God’s glory (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)