This church accepts only LBGT who are celibate. Theoretically, it may disfellowship all who are adulterers. How’s that been working in actual practice? The inference seems to be that homosexuals are far worse than adulterers.
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“We strongly denounce the hate.” Agreed. But can we strongly love and accept LGBT persons? Unconditionally? I have been deeply ambivalent about the free funeral thing all week. It is a wonderful gesture, but only if it can be followed by a real change in attitude and practice among Adventist believers. Otherwise, such a response risks being exposed as nothing more than a face-saving half-measure. Can we ever come to the place where we allow for differences in biblical interpretation and application on this issue? We have done this on other contested issues. How is it that our compassion apparently comes more readily in death than life? Now is the time for the NAD to move forward to protect and include, at the very least, our own Adventist LGBT youth. We rightly mourn the dead of this heinous massacre, but can we not also mourn the many LGBT young people who take their lives each year because they cannot bear the rejection that comes as the result of conflicts between their religious identity and community and their sexual identity? I pray that Peter Mark (above) is not right, but he may be. Let’s allow this to be a turning point for communities of faith, including our own.
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Why is it necessary to specify any group? You should see them as victims and nothing else.
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