One of the items on the agenda for the Executive Committee of the Seventh-day Adventist Church this week during its biannual leadership meetings is “proposed guidelines in responding to changing cultural attitudes regarding homosexual and other alternative sexual practices.”
The seven-page, 3,000-word document that accompanied the agenda for the meeting includes a section on “The Moral and Religious Freedoms of the Church” that states:
“The Seventh-day Adventist Church will encourage all its congregations, employees, ministry leaders, organizations, and entities to uphold church teachings and faith-based practices in Church membership, employment, education, and marriage ceremonies, including officiating at weddings. These teachings and faith-based practices, built upon the Bible’s instructions about human sexuality, are equally applicable to heterosexual and homosexual relationships. It is inconsistent with the Church’s understanding of scriptural teaching to admit into or maintain in membership persons practicing sexual behaviors incompatible with biblical teachings. Neither is it acceptable for Adventist pastors or churches to provide wedding services or facilities for same-sex couples.” Read full story...