NASHVILLE (BP) — The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has released a practical guide designed to help pastors and church leaders navigate difficult ministry scenarios regarding the growing problem of gambling.

The guide, titled “Pay to Play: A Practical Guide to Addressing Gambling in the Church” and released Monday (Feb. 24), was written by the ERLC’s research team and is meant to go in tandem with another recently released resource laying out a biblical foundation for opposing sports gambling.

Although a large portion of the guide is focused on the rapid expansion of sports betting, the content is written to be applicable to all forms of gambling.  

RaShan Frost, director of research and senior fellow for the ERLC, hopes the guide will assist ministry leaders in addressing this issue in their congregations.

“It’s nearly impossible to watch a sporting event without seeing an advertisement for sports betting, and it is a pervasive problem that impacts individuals, families and society,” Frost said.

“Our team produced this guide to help churches better understand gambling from a biblical and theological framework, while also providing them with practical scenarios to address the negative impacts of gambling. We pray this guide will serve our pastors and congregations to better understand the dangers of sports betting and the damage it can do spiritually, relationally and financially.”

The guide states that Southern Baptists have historically opposed both the expansion or legalization of gambling and the practice of gambling in itself. Messengers most recently spoke on the topic in a 2017 resolution, “On The Sin Of Gambling.”

The resource explains the rapid expansion of sports betting in the last several years has been caused by a 2017 Supreme Court decision overturning the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). This federal law banned most sports betting in the country from 1992 until the 2017 decision.

Following this decision, 38 states and the District of Columbia quickly legalized sports gambling amid promises of increased state revenue.

“The impact of sports gambling on American life and culture since the overturning of PASPA has been overwhelmingly detrimental to individuals, families, and society,” ERLC Vice President Miles Mullin writes in the guide’s forward.

“As a result of this rapid expansion, we have witnessed significant increases in many societal ills, including financial ruin, addiction, and domestic violence. These are tangible outgrowths of the gambling industry’s new footholds in our culture, plaguing the everyday lives of millions of people—including Southern Baptist church members. Southern Baptists’ committed opposition to gambling is more important now than ever.”

The resource addresses both the legal side of opposing the predatory gambling industry and the ministry side of how to help those who struggle with gambling.

It begins by laying out a theological framework for addressing the topic of gambling and then offers answers to 15 different practical scenarios ministry leaders may face in their churches.

The theological framework presented contains the following points:

• The Great Commandment calls for the love of God and neighbor.
• Every person bears God’s image and possesses inherent dignity.
• Humans are called to trust in God’s provision.
• Humanity is responsible for the stewardship of God’s creation, using resources wisely and ethically.
• Scripture emphasizes cultivating virtues such as self-control, generosity, patience and wisdom.
• Scripture commands Christians to abstain from vices such as greed and covetousness.
• Government has a responsibility to protect citizens from exploitation and predation.

Some of the practical scenarios addressed include the following:

• A faithful member of your church reaches out to you and says she is worried about her husband’s secretive gambling habit.
• A young man you have been discipling comes to you and confides that he has been spending inordinate amounts of money on online sports gambling.
• After a Wednesday night service where you teach about the need to push back against the predatory gambling industry, a church member approaches you with a disagreement.
• You are a pastor in a state where gambling is legal. A recently proposed ballot initiative would regulate the gambling industry by implementing higher protections against targeted advertising in impoverished areas. Some members of your congregation want to vote for the initiative, as they desire to stand against predatory business practices, but others worry that doing so would implicitly legitimize the gambling industry overall.
• During a Bible study, some of the members of your group share that they hold a weekly poker night among friends for the purpose of building fellowship.

The guide’s introduction closes by doubling down on the importance of opposing gambling and ministering to those ensnared by it.

“The battle to end the gambling industry’s predation is sure to be hard fought, a long road marked by small-yet-significant steps forward,” it says.

“Despite the challenges, we must press forward, confident that our opposition to legalized gambling is rooted in God’s Word. At the same time, we must come alongside those caught in gambling’s snare, ministering to them, and exhorting them toward godliness. We hope that this guide provides help in both areas.”

The full guide can be downloaded here.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Timothy Cockes is news editor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.)