Megachurch Leader Drops Celibacy Requirement for Gay Members

Christian News | March 18, 2015

The leader of a megachurch in San Francisco has announced that it will no longer require members who struggle with feelings toward the same-sex to remain celibate as long as the sexual activity is within “marriage”—an announcement that has generated disapproval from Christian leaders nationwide.

“Our pastoral practice of demanding life-long ‘celibacy,’ by which we meant that for the rest of your life you would not engage your sexual orientation in any way, was causing obvious harm and has not led to human flourishing,” Fred Harrell of City Church, the largest professing evangelical church in San Francisco, announced in a letter on Friday.

“We will no longer discriminate based on sexual orientation and demand lifelong celibacy as a precondition for joining,” he said. “For all members, regardless of sexual orientation, we will continue to expect chastity in singleness until marriage.”

Source: http://christiannews.net/2015/03/18/megachurch-leader-drops-celibacy-requirement-for-gay-members-as-long-as-sex-is-in-marriage/