Policy Chang Announced for Members Gay Marriag, Children of LGBT Parents - Church News and Events

Contents:

• ON GAY MARRIAGE IN CHURCH, STANC VARY AMONG RELIGNS, CLERGY, MEMBERS
• HOW SHOULD THE CHURCH LOVE A GAY COUPLE? (PART 1)
• HOW SHOULD THE CHURCH LOVE A GAY COUPLE? (PART 2)
• POLICY CHANG ANNOUNCED FOR MEMBERS GAY MARRIAG, CHILDREN OF LGBT PARENTS
• MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• ALL 4 NY EPISPAL BISHOP NDIDAT WILL ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE IF ELECTED
• 3 OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMATNS THAT ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE

ON GAY MARRIAGE IN CHURCH, STANC VARY AMONG RELIGNS, CLERGY, MEMBERS

Register Rachel for Vatn Bible School and then hand the uple Marantha Bible's statement of fah, cludg the part on human sexualy where homosexual behavr is nmned. Along wh a scere wele, tragilly, too many tim fear of disease (HIV/AIDS), public nmnatn, homophobia, and prsure for behavr change through unproven and often harmful therapi overwhelmed any sense of wele. Would J go to a gay pri para?

Would J attend a gay marriage ceremony si a church? Would J enter a gay bar? Y—J would go a gay bar, or for that matter, the lol Sunday champagne bnch, if the Matt and Alex ved him.

It is a scere act of Christian hospaly to wele gays and lbians when they e to our church as well as engage them the plac they meet. Another example: Peter Ould, an Anglin pastor and blogger Canterbury, England, scrib himself as "postgay. Now a hband and father, Ould, wrg God, Gays, and the Church, says his mistry is to help church disver how "to rpond wh passn and re to those whose sexualy is broken....

HOW SHOULD THE CHURCH LOVE A GAY COUPLE? (PART 1)

"We have several people our church who practice a homosexual liftyle. • They watch their language and won't put up wh people monizg or homophobic slurs.

Though the Supreme Court has clared the Defense of Marriage Act unnstutnal and validated California's gay marriage ban, marriage remas a plited and ntted issue among relig nomatns. (The urt lg on California's Proposn 8 effectively will allow gay marriage the state, but do not change same-sex marriage laws or bans other stat).

Yet, while surveys have shown that people who are agast gay marriage most equently pot to relig views to expla their objectns, the number of nomatns that perform same-sex marriage and blsg ceremoni is growg. In 2004, after Massachetts legalized gay marriage but before the ph for same-sex marriage legalizatn picked up steam natnally, the church voted to support state efforts to legalize civil unns.

HOW SHOULD THE CHURCH LOVE A GAY COUPLE? (PART 2)

The Renstctnist movement also allows gay marriag. The Orthodox Unn, the major Orthodox Jewish body the Uned Stat, has opposed gay marriage.

Most mosqu do not allow same-sex marriag, and a high-rankg cleric at Egypt's Al-Azhar Universy, one of Islam's most rpected schools, recently clared gay marriage to be agast the fah. Hduism do not have an official posn on gay marriage, though some Hd and scholars have poted to ancient relig texts as ndong homosexualy. Some Buddhists terpret that to clu homosexualy.

Although polici among relig groups on gay marriage differ wily, recent surveys have shown that members of many relig groups are creasgly supportive of legalizatn. PerryhomosexualyRelign and SexualyDefense of Marriage ActBefore You GoSCOTUS Decisns On Prop 8, Defense Of Marriage Act.

POLICY CHANG ANNOUNCED FOR MEMBERS GAY MARRIAG, CHILDREN OF LGBT PARENTS

How should Christians exprs love and mster to upl livg a homosexual liftyle when the upl attend church? Recent sermons by well-known and popular pastors, who, while addrsg sexual s, stop short of sayg homosexualy is forbidn or sful, have produced tense Print Obama addrsed the issue this week when he fally exprsed public support for same-sex marriage (somethg that sirs on both the left and right assert the print has supported quietly all along):"In the end, the valu that I re most eply about, and she (Michelle Obama) r most eply about is how we treat other people, " Obama help answer the qutns, The Christian Post sought out dividuals who prevly had been volved homosexual relatnships, pastors and noted Christian lears who uld provi a glimpse to what effective re looks like om their personal and profsnal experienc.

Whout exceptn, everyone terviewed for this article agreed that takg a lovg and empathetic approach is pecially important for those who make the cisn to attend a church – or already attend a church – sce many volved homosexualy have been sred by the church or rry around paful memori of prr experienc associated wh everyone agreed that at some pot, the issue of s has to be addrsed an appropriate manner, pecially if they want to bee volved or ga membership wh the Hildreth, a born-aga Christian who liv East Tennsee scrib himself as an "unassumg, laid back and non-nontatnal" person. Until 10 years ago he was immersed a homosexual liftyle before fdg J. However, he believ the first qutn Christians need to fd out about someone who attends their church and is volved a homosexual liftyle is where they are their relatnship wh Christ.

MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE

"I thk the majory of men and women who are volved homosexualy don't want anythg to do wh the church and they'll tell you so, " Hildreth told CP. As far as the uple who is engaged a homosexual liftyle, I thk the church should al wh them like they would anyone else – a dg addict, alholic or any other sner. He said homosexuals sometim have trouble alg wh the oppose sex so someone of the same genr needs to be the one to iate the relatnship.

He went on to say that most of the time the public has a distorted view of most homosexuals. "The overwhelmg majory of homosexuals are not the on you see on televisn news programs or who wre blogs articl on webs, " said Hildreth. Their goal is to nvce the public that homosexualy is not a s, but rather a part of who they are and that they're law-abidg cizens who are good neighbors and productive members of the muny.

ALL 4 NY EPISPAL BISHOP NDIDAT WILL ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE IF ELECTED

"The issue of jt how large the homosexual muny is is another pot wily bated. Acrdg to Harvt USA, a Christian anizatn that works wh men and women who are volved or stgglg wh homosexualy, 6 percent of mal and 11 percent of femal have had at least one same-sex sexual enunter at some pot their liv. Approximately 8 percent of men between the ag of 18 and 44 are homosexual or bisexual, while 13 percent of women the same age range fall to the same associate homosexualy wh men but as the statics pot out, more women are volved same-sex relatnships than are Nance heads up Concerned Women for Ameri and is a noted Christian lear natnal evangelil circl.

"But the issue of why some pastors are willg to speak on homosexualy and others are not is also dividg Christians and church lears. Hildreth poted out that his experience there are three reasons why pastors avoid the issue of homosexualy.

3 OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMATNS THAT ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE

"First of all, I don't thk many pastors unrstand homosexualy or thk 's not an issue their church. ""Pl, many livg a homosexual liftyle don't see anythg wrong wh what they are dog and will argue such.

"One pastor that feels strongly that the church needs to addrs homosexualy a forthright manner is Phillip Meek of Love and Tth Church Savannah, Tenn.

Wilson has been unselg dividuals who stggled wh sexual addictns for over a and also thks Christians should show passn but take a firm posn that homosexualy and other sexual ss are jt that – s. "READ: CAN YOU BE A GAY CHRISTIAN? Behd the church's bate over homosexualy, behd the theology and the polics, li a muny of people who need J Christ.