To quote Yogi Berra, It’s deja Vu all over again. 10 years on, and nothing really changed.
The involvement of local and regional church leadership in this gross injustice is shameful.
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The non-response of our GC and Ted, in particular, is sickening. Even if you think being a member of the LGBTQ community a sin, what makes it criminal? Why not see if we can pass a law in Uganda to stone Sabbath breakers? Same disgusting principal applies. It would be, at its worst, a victimless crime. Consenting adults should be left alone, even with the most bigoted and judgmental Adventists, all of you should be speaking out against this action.
Ted Wilson is a disgrace, not as much for his position about the nature the LGBTQ community, as to the fact that some of our African leadership would seek to criminalize something that is clearly ONLY a religious belief and a victimless crime, and he won’t even address the issue. He must go. I am fed up with the tip-towing around this issue. He is disgusting and he must go. I hope someone in the GC office will show him my post. I dare him to disfellowship me. It would only confirm that he is a disgrace.
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Very well stated Lindy. Things like this make the church look ridiculous. How can any doctrines or teachings be taken seriously with this attitude from leaders?
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This is appropriate. Not sure of its origin but all credit to whoever wrote it.
“Before you speak to me about your religion, first show it to me in how you treat other people; before you tell me about how much you love your God, show me in how much you love all His children; before you preach to me of your passion for your faith, teach me about it through your compassion for your neighbours. In the end, I’m not as interested in what you have to tell or sell as I am in how you choose to live and give.”
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And in acting like being responsible !!!
Apparently the separation of church and state doesn’t apply in Africa. Or, perhaps, we can ignore it everywhere as long as the state agrees with the church’s conservative, reactionary, and backwards teachings.
If it weren’t so sad it’d be comical. They rely a superficial understanding of an ancient text, refuse to understand that after translation and nearly 3000 years and the resulting loss of context, that they have changed its meaning. And then (if that wasn’t enough) they cherry pick from it in a way that was never intended, in order to come up with a theology of hate and exclusion. Which in turn - they fail to notice - flies in the face of the core teachings found in their new testament and its primary protagonist, Jesus.
Yea… Every time I hear some fundamentalist leader harping about “biblical marriage” I want to laugh in their face and ask the simple question, “Have you read the bible?” In another amazing feat of complete denial, these same leaders can - somehow - find what they think is their view of marriage in the bible. Which of course isn’t there at all. What is found in the bible is a multitude of different practices, most all of which are illegal in the west today, and if not then they’re practices they themselves consider immoral and rail against.
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I suspect the refusal to comment derives from fear of the alt-right members within the Church, much as many conservative politicians fear the MAGA wing of their party. We seem to have a crisis in spinelessness that can be repaired only by a spiritual infusion of calcium and phosphorous.
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@timteichman, dont they read their recent “Family model” out of their environment into the Bible ? - - Abraham and Sarah sitting on their porch somewhere in Portsland, Maine ?
The young newly converts in my little church have to get along in a postmodern society with the economy and the society and making a livelhood and raising their little ones (some - yes - single !!) - - -
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Since all LGBTYQIA’s are also God’s children, I often wonder what Jesus would do? I also often wonder if God still loves Lucifer? Should our GC/church leadership reflect the true character of God? If so why do they continue to be so silent on the matter?
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As time passes from days to weeks, and months to years, it appears with greater certainty & unambiguous clarity, Ted Wilson and cronies are afraid of painting themselves into a corner as Christians; or even worst as His disciples.
For it is He who spoke the very first words in the beginning of Creation, that also spoke with unambiguous clarity that which we so desperately desire to see exemplified in the lives of His people & is so readily relevant today from His Remnant.
For it was the Creator Himself who previously walked the earth with Adam & Eve, who now walked in the flesh as the Son of God who spoke these immortal words: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12
You’re equating taxation with laws that prescribe the death penalty for homosexual behavior. Really?
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Even Ted Cruz came out and condemned what’s happening in Uganda. And the GC falls behind an unprincipled politician such as him??? The so called Christian leadership of the Adventist world church should resign now. It’s downright disgusting.
Frank
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The international news this evening featured clips of Recep Erdogan’s acceptance speech after being re-elected for a third term as President of Turkey. He snidely said, We will never allow LGBTQI people in our party, and chided the opposition party for accepting them. And then there is the Ugandan thing, with Adventist leaders playing along. And we see Republican dominated states in the US passing laws to impinge on the LGBTQI communities. The GC appears tone deaf regarding the people with whom they appear to be aligning. Appearances matter.
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It was nice to see Senator Ted Cruz immediately condemn the Uganda anti-LGBTQ bill that was signed into law today. Early last year his oldest daughter came out as bisexual and last December was rushed to the hospital for treatment of self-inflicted stab wounds. Sometimes personal family circumstances can have a jolting effect on one’s sensibilities.
The new law is a tremendous victory for American right-wing evangelicals, who have poured millions of dollars into Africa in support of the enactment of hate laws against LGBTQ persons.
After the Rwanda Genocide, the GC demanded that all church administrators who were involved (and there were many) be replaced. And they were. But the GC in those days was highly respected. In contrast, the GC today is the weakest it has ever been in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is Ted Wilson’s principal legacy. Rebuilding the authority and credibility of the GC after he is gone will be a difficult task.
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Rebuild authority? Why?
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The GC has no authority, and never should have. The authority rests with the members. Unfortunately all too many are willing to pass it on…
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Boy!!! What an eyeopener this is. When Ted Cruz is acting in a more moral fashion than Ted Wilson, you know you sitting in the wrong pew.
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I doubt that it was a coincidences that Dick Chaney’s daughter and Ted Cruz’s daughter are members of the LGBTQ community. God may be trying to tell us something. Anyone of us could have been born into this community. So…how would we want to be treated?
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I’d also ask “How?!?!”
It’s just my “two cents” but it seems lthe current approach is destined to marginalize SDA-ism even further, rather than them making the sect seem more approachable and enlightened.
But again, if TW is Hades-bent on shaking loose the EGW riff-raff, then all I can say is “Go with throttle up!”
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