[ Return to Top ] |
A Quick Summary
With the United Church of Christ (UCC) as the outstanding exception, every U.S. based Christian denomination currently condemns homosexual practice. Although most mainline denominations are discussing their positions, the majority in each religious body still refuses to accept homosexuals as full members of their churches with the rites (or the rights) of marriage or ordination.
Although the Universalist Unitarian Association does not consider itself a "Christian Denomination" most of their local congregations are open and accepting of gay and lesbian members.
The congregations affiliated with Reform Judaism are fully accepting. Orthodox and Conservative Jewish congregations currently condemn homosexual practice.
The following news release recounts a recent decision Winter, 1998, by the worldwide Anglican Community NOT to accept homosexuals as full members with all the rights and responsibilities of membership.
[ Return to Top ] |
Lambeth Conference Resolution On Sexuality
This was a worldwide conference of Anglican bishops meeting July 18 – August 9, 1998 in Canterbury, England. Meeting in four Conference Sections, they came up with the following resolution concerning homosexuality:
This conference commends to the Church the subsection report on human sexuality:
In view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence [A28] is right for those who are not called to marriage.
Recognizes that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation. Many of these are members of the Church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the Church, and God’s transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships, and we commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual people. We wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptized, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ;
while rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture, calls on all our people to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals, violence within marriage and any trivialization and commercialization of sex;
cannot advise the legitimizing or blessing of same-sex unions, nor the ordination of those involved in such unions;
requests the Primates and the ACC to establish a means of monitoring the work done on the subject of human sexuality in the Communion and to share statements and resources among us;
notes the significance of the Kuala Lumpur Statement and the concerns expressed in resolutions IV.26, V.1, V.10, V.23, and V.35 on the authority of Scripture in matters of marriage and sexuality and asks the Primates and the ACC to include them in their monitoring process." The Conference approved the resolution as follows:
- For: 526
- Against 70
- Abstentions: 45