A STATEMENT OF FAITH AND CALL TO PRAYER
We
as the bishops of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference affirm our love, respect,
and desire for unity with brothers and sisters in every part of the Mennonite
church worldwide. By the grace of Christ, we wish to keep the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:3)
Our
common identity is in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who called us
out of darkness into his marvelous light. (I Pet. 2:9) He came to us full
of both grace and truth. (John 1:14) In seeking to participate in forging
a new national identity for the Mennonite Church USA, we wish to affirm
both grace and truth, both unity and holiness.
When
the delegates to the Mennonite General Assembly (St. Louis, 1999) did not
reaffirm the faith statement that sexual relations are reserved for a man
and a woman in marriage, many in the church were left in a state of uncertainty
and confusion. We believe it is important at this time for each Christian
community to reaffirm their beliefs and to encourage and strengthen others
in the faith once delivered to the saints.
In
light of these considerations we wish to make the following faith and polity
statements:
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We believe that our sexuality is a good gift from God. We also believe
that God through Christ has given us clear directions on managing our sexuality
to his glory. We believe that God’s grace teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness
and worldly lusts and to say “yes” to the demands of Christ on our lives.
We also believe that God’s grace gives us the energy and the ability to
carry out God’s call to holy living.
We believe with the Purdue statement that homosexual, extramarital and
premarital sexual activity are all sin is based on the scripture and should
be the teaching position of the church.
We believe that the church should teach and support people in either a
life of celibacy or a lifetime marriage between one man and one woman.
We do not believe that all persons with homosexual desire will experience
a miraculous change of orientation if they come to Christ. Rather, we believe
that Christ will give the person struggling with homosexual desire, as
well as the one struggling with heterosexual desire, the grace to avoid
expressing that desire in homosexual, premarital or extramarital sexual
behavior.
We will seek ways to minister gracefully to those dealing with homosexual
desire, including those who are in same-sex covenantal partnerships. We
will endeavor to make the church a safe and welcoming place for all who
come, while at the same time faithfully proclaiming and living the truth
of God’s Word with compassion, patience, and hope.
We believe that where conferences and congregations are committed to these
teaching points, they should have the freedom to seek God’s wisdom and
discernment as to how to apply these principles in a life giving way in
the many chaotic, broken and sinful situations which present themselves
to the church.
We ask, respectfully and prayerfully, that churchwide leadership make every
effort to bring a resolution to the next Delegate Assembly that we could
affirm together as an expression of common conviction with respect to homosexual
behavior.
During this interim season of deliberation, we commit ourselves to walking
with the national church, yet acknowledging a tentativeness about the future
which results from the uncertainty and confusion described above.
Because we believe that homosexual behavior is sinful and that God does
not condone sin, we believe that the new united denomination will need
to make its teaching position clear on these issues. We believe that we
cannot be faithful to our understanding of Scripture that homosexual behavior
is sin and join with a church body which does not support these commitments.
We reaffirm both our love for the Mennonite Church and our desire to see
the church stand in faithfulness to the scriptures. We do not wish to choose
between unity and holiness in forging a new identity.
We call ourselves, along with the whole church, to prayer and a renewed
commitment to Christ’s lordship.
January 21, 2000
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