Homosexuality and the American Baptist Church

Homosexuality in the Baptist perform Homosexuality is one of the most debated issues among Christians today, regardless of the denomination of their perform. Some churches view lesbianity as a sin and have no tolerance for it, while other denominations atomic number 18 to a greater ex disco biscuitt accepting and go through it a non-sin. Even though many denominations have taken a stand on homosexuality, there seems to much discord deep down the governing bodies of the churches regarding this issue. It has moved from a topic r atomic number 18ly discussed and considered very in-person and private, to a mainstream topic of conversation.Although there has been a growing acceptance among certain Christian denominations regarding homosexuals, the American Baptist church service has remained firm in its position towards homosexuality. The American Baptist performes descended from the Northern Baptist Convention that was founded in 1907. The church has approximately 1. 5 millio n members and 5800 congregations that ar scattered through 34 regions of the United States. The American Baptist Church members are pursuance the century long traditions of soul freedom, which all(a)ows the independence of individual members of the church to form their own be hypocrisyfs.They besides reassert congregational freedom, which allows each church the autonomy to develop its own policies. In order to chthonianstand the position that the American Baptist Church takes on homosexuality, it is big to examine their general religious beliefs. According to a website of the original Baptist Church in Scituate, MA , they believe that salvation and eternal life are granted to all those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. They believe that both the Old and spic-and-span Testaments of the Bible are the divinely inspired word of deity. The Bible is to be interpreted responsibly under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.Baptists hold the Scriptures and the Old and New Test aments as their final authority. This has become the basis for the outdoor stage that the American Baptist Church has developed on the issue of homosexuality. The American Baptists also have some punishing convictions about the type of person they are supposed to be. Again, according to the First Baptist Church website, these include a redeemed person that claims a personal relationship with God, a biblical person that seeks guidance in understanding the Scripture, and a worshipping person that shares an open and public confession of faith.American Baptists are also supposed to be a mission person that invites others to follow Christ and an inclusive person, who embraces different races, ethnicity, and genders, and also accepts that there are individual differences of conviction and theology. This inclusion also covers those who are from a variety of backgrounds and they are to find iodine in diversity and diversity in unity. These convictions have become a source of division amo ng some of the member churches in spite of appearance this denomination, as they are supposed to embrace and accept those with individual differences, yet they are not accepting of homosexuals.According to the religious tolerance website, The American Baptist Church has been actively responding to issues pertaining to homosexuality as furthermost back as 1987. In June of 1987, a statement of concern regarding homosexuality was defeated by church delegates at their Biennial run across. They decided that Scriptures repeatedly depict homosexuality as a social and deterrent example evil and the unrepentant homosexual has no claim to full acceptance in the Christian community. So at that time, they decided that they just did not want to deal with the issue.Four yrs later, in June of 1991, the delegates of the Biennial Meeting were forced to deal with the topic of homosexuality again. They adopted a statement that rejected the homosexual lifestyle, homosexual marriage, ordination of homosexual clergy, and the establishment of gay churches and gay caucuses On the other hand, their statement also include that the church should love and minister to the homosexual, but condemn the sin of the practice of homosexuality. They were taking the stance of abhor the sin, love the sinner.They also established a Commission on Human Sexuality Resources to provide elucidation and guidance for a Christian understanding of Gods gift of sexuality. By June of 1992 the General calling card of the American Baptist Church was being pressured by some of their member churches to accept the practice of homosexuality within their denomination. A resolution called Homosexuality and the Church, which identified Gods plan for the fulfillment of sexual union to be one man and one woman in heterosexual, monogamous, and lifelong marriage, was narrowly defeated.The resolution further state that the redeeming love of Christ is available to practicing homosexuals as it is to all who turn to him in faith and repentance. thus a few months later, in October 1992, the General Board was again approached and was forced to vote regarding the issues of homosexuality in their church. They finally agreed to issue a one sentence standing that was called American Baptist annunciation on Homosexuality. The sentence briefly express We affirm that the practice of homosexuality is antipathetical with Christian teaching. This started the lout rolling and in June of 1993 the General Board next came up with another resolution that was called American Baptist Resolution Calling for Dialogue on Human Sexuality. That resolution states that there exists a variety of understandings passim our denomination on issues of human sexuality such as homosexuality and encourages discussions regarding those particular issues. American Baptists were also encouraged to seek unity and avoid divisiveness.This resolution might as well have stated there exists a variety of misunderstandings and even th ough it encouraged discussions, their viewpoint was already established. 1995 was an important year for the American Baptist Churches and their stand on homosexuals. In June 1995, the Granville Baptist Church in Granville, Ohio was expelled from the The Columbus Baptist Association because the church support full participation of homosexuals. Then in September, the Pacific Southwest Region of the American Baptist Churches, which represented more the 300 churches, began defecting over the issue of homosexuality.The leaders of the region cited underlying issues regarding interpretation of the Scriptures and church discipline. As a result of the defection, The General Board of the American Baptist Churches created a commission to find ways to deal constructively with issues most which there has been considerable disagreement. In other words, they realized that the homosexuality issue was starting to put down their denomination and they needed to get serious about resolving the probl ems.After various resolutions, committees, and remediatements over the next ten years, The General Board of the American Baptist Churches finally made some decisions in 2005. At that time they voted to amend their own document We Are American Baptists by adding a statement to the section A scriptural People Who submit to the teaching of Scripture that Gods design for sexual intimacy places it within the context of marriage between one man and one woman, and acknowledge that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Biblical teaching. This represents their final stand on homosexuality, which is that they believe it is wrong and is not in line with the teachings of their church. Although every denomination believes in the Bible as their guiding light, they all interpret it in a different way and can put their own spin on different line of achievements. The American Baptist Church relies on their interpretation of the Bible to support the position that they have taken on hom osexuality. There are passages in the Bible that are known as the clobber passages, because they are used to beat up homosexuals.Leviticus 1822, 2013 is a typical passage that is thought to support the anti-gay stance. It states You shall not lie with a male as with a woman it is an abomination (Leviticus 1822). There is also an important passage in the New Testament that condemns homosexual behavior. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their police wagon to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, because they exchange the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.Their women exchanged natural carnal knowledge for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the cod penalty for their own error. (Romans 124-27). However, later on there is a passage abo ut perspicacity others, so therefore you should prepare to be judged so it is really a contradiction to think that the passage is condemning homosexuals. The arguments that support homosexuality within Christianity are widespread.They include the fact that we are all Gods children and he created us the way he wanted. So if he made some multitude homosexual, then that was his choice and it should be accepted. The Bible does not really give any straightforward servicing in guiding Christians regarding the entire problem of homosexuality. It is up to each person to develop their own credit based upon their knowledge, experiences, and influences of their chosen religion. The ongoing problem between homosexuality and Christianity will probably be around for a long time. 1 . American Baptist Churches in the USA.Accessed October 14. http. //religioustolerance. org_abc1. htm 2 . American Baptist Beliefs. Accessed October 14. http//firstbaptistcituate. com/americanbaptistbeliefs. asp x 3 . American Baptist Church. Accessed October 14. http//abcusa. org/LinkClick. aspx? fileticket=iRGq66AgLAU%3d&tabid=199 4 . American Baptist Church. Accessed October 14. http//abcusa. org/LinkClick. aspx? fileticket=iRGq66AgLAU%3d&tabid=199 5 . American Baptist Church. Accessed October 14. http//abcusa. org/LinkClick. aspx? fileticket=iRGq66AgLAU%3d&tabid=199 6 . American Baptist Church. Accessed October 14. ttp//abcusa. org/LinkClick. aspx? fileticket=iRGq66AgLAU%3d&tabid=199 7 . American Baptist Church. Accessed October 14. http//abcusa. org/LinkClick. aspx? fileticket=iRGq66AgLAU%3d&tabid=199 8 . Moll,, Rob. 2005. American Baptist Exodus. Christianity Today. November 23, 2005 9 . American Baptist Church. Accessed October 14. http//abcusa. org/LinkClick. aspx? fileticket=iRGq66AgLAU%3d&tabid=199 10 . Hays, Richard. 1991. Awaiting the salvation of Our Bodies. Sojourners. November 11. P 17-21 11 . Hays, Richard. 1991. Awaiting the Redemption of Our Bodies. Sojourners. N ovember 11. P 17-21