Seventh-day Adventist Sexuality Summit Creates Controversy

Seventh-day Adventist Summit on Sex "In God's Image" opens in Cape Town, South Africa

Editorial | AdventMessenger.com

From March 17 to 20, Seventh-day Adventist world leaders descended to Cape Town, South Africa to hold a summit meeting on sexuality. “In God’s Image: Scripture. Sexuality. Society,” was the name of the entire event in which church administrators, pastors, educators, clinical professionals, and scholars met to tackle the issue of gays and lesbians and how the church should respond to this growing, world-wide phenomenon.

Even though the overall theme seemed to support and embrace the heterosexual lifestyle, there was a call made by some panelists and keynote speakers that sounded as though it was time to change our views on homosexuality. One speaker urged the Seventh-day Adventist constituency to show love and compassion and tolerance towards homosexuals.

Another speaker warned that trying to reform gay people actually does them more harm than good. And yet another spoke of the need to take the "Christian" approach towards homosexuals and show sympathy, encouragement, and love. This church "authority" concluded by making a startling, revolutionary statement:  "Since there is no known cause of homosexuality, there is no cure." This was followed by the announcement that the "church" was going to equip itself to be ready to handle and consider the gays within its fold.

These "gay-friendly" remarks did not sit well with many church members. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zimbabwe, for example, responded very bluntly through its communications director, NKosilathi Khumalo:

"The Bible makes no accommodation for homosexual activity or relationships. Sexual acts outside the circle of heterosexual marriage are forbidden. Leviticus 20 vs. 7-21 is clear on how such people should be dealt with. Verse 13 reads: 'If a man lies with a male as if he were a woman, both men have committed an offence (something perverse, unnatural, abhorrent and detestable) they shall surely be put to death, their blood shall be upon them.'"

It seems that the Seventh-day Adventist Summit of Sexuality was an attempt to see how the church members would react towards any shifts in perceptions on this topic. One thing is certain, the church remains divided on this subject and it doesn't seen that a consensus is within reach any time soon.

Source: http://www.chronicle.co.zw/sda-cracks-over-homosexuals/