The leadership has officially adopted the change in our approach toward LGBTI members. I am deeply moved that our community chose to align its practices with the fundamental command to love one another. We must now remain focused on ensuring these new commitments carry genuine weight in our local congregations.
August 23, 2013
Final supporters
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35
We recognize, however, that we have fallen short of Jesus' vision for his followers--particularly with respect to our lesbian and gay sisters and brothers. We confess that as a church, we have failed to demonstrate Jesus' love in our interactions with the LGBTI members of our community.
For that reason, we, the undersigned, call on our fellow Seventh-day Adventists to extend the love and grace of Jesus to the homosexual individuals in our Adventist family in the following ways:
1. Acknowledging that a homosexual orientation is most often determined before birth and/or very soon after, by a complex combination of physiological and environmental factors that are beyond the individual's control.2. Rejecting as a form of violence any programs that attempt to change or redirect one’s sexual orientation, recognizing that orientation is highly unlikely to change and that such attempts have caused deep trauma, even leading some to become suicidal.
3. Acting deliberately and decisively to prevent judgmental and condemning attitudes and actions against homosexual individuals.
4. Providing our homosexual sisters and brothers not only a place in our pews, but also a space on our platforms, allowing all of the gifts God has given them to be used to honor and serve God.
5. Fully integrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex members of the Adventist Church into the life of the church community.
These things we resolve to do in Jesus' name, for the sake of the Body of Christ.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
June 19, 2013
Reached 100 supporters
October 7, 2010
9 Comments
I grew up in an SDA home and attended SDA schools through my junior year of college. 20 years ago when I retired from my carrer at General Motors Executive Office, I was hired as organist/choir director at a no-denominational church and subsequently decided to become a member of that church. About ten years ago that church voted to become a Reconciling United Methodist church. Now at age 82, I remain the church organist and an active member of New Community UMC.
It is time that our beloved church starts loving all people like Jesus did, and does, and always will do!
The Church should welcome everyone. Period. Stop the "love the sinner, hate the sin" nonsense, Stop trying to change people the minute they walk into your churches because you don't like who they are or what they do (ie sexual orientation, gender identity, whether they smoke, drink, eat meat, are divorced ....) A true Christian doesn't need a reason to love, they just do because that is the truth of Christianity.
I am a Post op Woman with a transsexual history. I Would love to come back to SDA if I was wanted.
One of the main reasons I no longer go to church is due to the hypocricy, and unyielding rules in the SDA church. I loveJesus and believe in Him and I don't think His vision of the SDA church was fanatisim, and the problem they have of not being accepting of other ppeople and their beliefs.
All manner of sin can be forgiven, provided we admit our wrongdoing, repent, and turn away from it. This a lustful desires and practices. God bless a man and a women. This is and end time sin. Repent and sin no more said Jesus. You are fighting against the Spirit of the Lord. We are not save in our sin. The power of the Holy Spirit can give us the freedom of our sin. Jean-Guy
Thy will be done. Amen
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The leadership has officially adopted the change in our approach toward LGBTI members. I am deeply moved that our community chose to align its practices with the fundamental command to love one another. We must now remain focused on ensuring these new commitments carry genuine weight in our local congregations.
August 23, 2013
Final supporters
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35
We recognize, however, that we have fallen short of Jesus' vision for his followers--particularly with respect to our lesbian and gay sisters and brothers. We confess that as a church, we have failed to demonstrate Jesus' love in our interactions with the LGBTI members of our community.
For that reason, we, the undersigned, call on our fellow Seventh-day Adventists to extend the love and grace of Jesus to the homosexual individuals in our Adventist family in the following ways:
1. Acknowledging that a homosexual orientation is most often determined before birth and/or very soon after, by a complex combination of physiological and environmental factors that are beyond the individual's control.2. Rejecting as a form of violence any programs that attempt to change or redirect one’s sexual orientation, recognizing that orientation is highly unlikely to change and that such attempts have caused deep trauma, even leading some to become suicidal.
3. Acting deliberately and decisively to prevent judgmental and condemning attitudes and actions against homosexual individuals.
4. Providing our homosexual sisters and brothers not only a place in our pews, but also a space on our platforms, allowing all of the gifts God has given them to be used to honor and serve God.
5. Fully integrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex members of the Adventist Church into the life of the church community.
These things we resolve to do in Jesus' name, for the sake of the Body of Christ.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
June 19, 2013
Reached 100 supporters
October 7, 2010
9 Comments
Like many Christians, I never really researched or questioned the Biblical and historical stance on homosexuality. More horrifying though is that I never took the time to consider that our church was judging and causing our homosexual members pain and fear. May God open all of eyes to accept and love everyone without judgment.
I grew up in an SDA home and attended SDA schools through my junior year of college. 20 years ago when I retired from my carrer at General Motors Executive Office, I was hired as organist/choir director at a no-denominational church and subsequently decided to become a member of that church. About ten years ago that church voted to become a Reconciling United Methodist church. Now at age 82, I remain the church organist and an active member of New Community UMC.
It is time that our beloved church starts loving all people like Jesus did, and does, and always will do!
The Church should welcome everyone. Period. Stop the "love the sinner, hate the sin" nonsense, Stop trying to change people the minute they walk into your churches because you don't like who they are or what they do (ie sexual orientation, gender identity, whether they smoke, drink, eat meat, are divorced ....) A true Christian doesn't need a reason to love, they just do because that is the truth of Christianity.
I am a Post op Woman with a transsexual history. I Would love to come back to SDA if I was wanted.
One of the main reasons I no longer go to church is due to the hypocricy, and unyielding rules in the SDA church. I loveJesus and believe in Him and I don't think His vision of the SDA church was fanatisim, and the problem they have of not being accepting of other ppeople and their beliefs.
All manner of sin can be forgiven, provided we admit our wrongdoing, repent, and turn away from it. This a lustful desires and practices. God bless a man and a women. This is and end time sin. Repent and sin no more said Jesus. You are fighting against the Spirit of the Lord. We are not save in our sin. The power of the Holy Spirit can give us the freedom of our sin. Jean-Guy
Thy will be done. Amen
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Like many Christians, I never really researched or questioned the Biblical and historical stance on homosexuality. More horrifying though is that I never took the time to consider that our church was judging and causing our homosexual members pain and fear. May God open all of eyes to accept and love everyone without judgment.