March 1, 2010 issue
Gathering upholds sexuality stance
By Chad Umble For Mennonite Weekly ReviewLANSDALE, Pa. — Drawing on Scripture and official Mennonite statements, presenters at a conference on homosexuality Feb. 20 were unequivocal that its practice is sin but that its practitioners can be redeemed.
During the daylong conference, “Affirming the Faith: What the Mennonite Church Believes About Homosexuality,” some 200 people were led through key scriptures condemning homosexuality while being admonished to love those struggling with it.
The conference was hosted and organized by Grace Mennonite Church, a member of Mennonite Church USA’s Eastern District Conference. Line Lexington Mennonite Church, of Franconia Conference, was a co-sponsor.
“If we’re going to teach the truth — what we consider the truth — that homosexual practice is sin, then we must come alongside with the other hand of grace, with the other hand of compassion,” said Charles Ness, pastor of Perkiomenville Mennonite Church.
The written purpose of the conference was “to provide biblical teaching on homosexuality as affirmed by our Mennonite Confession of Faith.”
MC USA’s Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective states that “God intends marriage to be a covenant between one man and one woman for life” and that “right sexual union takes places only within the marriage relationship.”
The event included five sermons, two testimonies of ex-gays and a question-and-answer session.
“We are here today to undergird and affirm what we say we believe about this as the Mennonite church,” Marc Hershberger, pastor of Grace Mennonite Church, said in his opening remarks.
“The cultural pressures that are being brought to bear on the church in regard to homosexuality at times feel overwhelming to us. And increasingly it seems that even the church is starting to get disoriented on the subject.”
Mennonite statements from 1986 and 1987 and from the 1995 Confession of Faith adopted by MC USA were printed in conference materials. Presenters used these statements, along with scriptures like Genesis 2 and Romans 1, to argue that there isn’t a good biblical argument for accepting homosexual practice in the church.
Comments
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Chad,
This is a great write up of the conference - thank you.
I would love to get your feedback on it, too. I tried looking for your email address but couldn't find it.
If you are willing, I would love to chat.
Shawn Harrison six11 Ministries // six11.wordpress.com
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I am amazed the amount of energy the Mennonite Church is putting into the gay lesbian issue. What if the Mennonite Leaders would be having an all day conference regarding people including our neighbors without adequate food? One topic could be giving up shoo fly pie, so others can buy some bread.
In not very distant history the church was using scripture to justify racism, slavery, male dominance.
Melvin Esh
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Mr. Esh, first I applaud the Lansdale church and others for their courage to address the homosexual issue from a Biblical viewpoint.
I disagree with your painting the church with a rather broad brush as regards to slavery, racism, male dominance. I don't know where you went to church but the Mennonite church I attended did not promote or justify slavery or racism. Unlike some today, they did understand and teach the Biblical role of men and women in church leadership.
If the hunger problem in your neighborhood is as serious as you state, I suggest you organize a church hunger summit and address it.
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Like with so many issues that have arisen in modern times, scripture isn't always so unambiguous. Our culture is so very far removed from the cultures under which these books were written. Not to mention the linguistic barriers found in these texts.
We have Bible passages (such as Genesis 19) where the town wishes to rape Lot's visitors. Does this demonstrate that homosexuality is wrong? To say so is to imply that raping female visitors would have been okay. That seems unlikely.
Or how about verses such as Leviticus 18:22, where a general ban on all things homosexual must ignore the fact that the verse only refers to males, and only to a particular practice. While one might believe it implies a broad ban on homosexuality in general, others have good arguments to insist that it bans homosexual practices in a pagan temple.
I do not intend to go verse by verse to demonstrate this point. The reader can do their own research on the matter and come to their own conclusions.
Which is the point, I think. I wonder about declarations of "Truth" when the "Truth" isn't based on any of the primary texts that we follow as Mennonites, nor even based on texts with clear and unambiguous interpretations.
Do we allow each to study the Word of God, and follow the promptings of God on a personal basis? Or do we vote on the meanings of scripture and declare the result to be "The Truth?"
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