#nashville statement

This week some 'Christians' signed the so called Nashville Statement. The Nashville Statement is an evangelical Christian statement of faith relating to human sexuality and gender roles authored by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) in Nashville, Tennessee. The Statement expresses support for an opposite-sex definition of marriage, for faithfulness within marriage, for chastity outside marriage, and for a link between biological sex and "self-conception as male and female." The Statement sets forth the signatories' opposition to LGBT sexuality, same-sex marriage, polygamy, polyamory, adultery, and fornication. It was criticized by egalitarian Christians and LGBT campaigners, as well as by several conservative religious figures.The Dutch Christian party which is in our government, the SGP, has signed this as well. 

Yesterday, a coalition of more than 150 evangelical Christian leaders released a joint statement explaining their views on homosexuality, transgender people, and marriage equality. It’s a harsh takedown that basically says none of these things are acceptable, and neither are the Christians who support them. 

At least two of the people who signed it are evangelical advisors to President Trump. So there’s that. 

The “manifesto,” which is composed of 14 beliefs, rejects the idea that “otherwise faithful Christians should agree to disagree” on gay, lesbian and transgender issues. The leaders refer to this mentality as “moral indifference.”

“The spirit of our age does not delight in God’s good design of male and female. Consequently, confusion reigns over some of the most basic questions of our humanity,” Denny Burk, president of the council said in a statement. “The aim of The Nashville Statement is to shine a light into the darkness — to declare the goodness of God’s design in our sexuality and in creating us as male and female.” [...]

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood was founded in 1987 to “to help the church defend against the accommodation of secular feminism,” according to its website. The council focuses on outlining the differences between male and female roles in the home and church. It supports the biblical teaching that men must be Christlike leaders at home and in the church, and upholds wives’ submission in marriage.

Nashville mayor Megan Barry took particular issue with the statement, saying it was “poorly named” and didn’t reflect Nashville’s values. (It was named as such because that’s where the group met to endorse it.) Lots of progressive Christians have also spoken out against it already. 

There’s this absolutely inane idea that’s been going around for a while. It’s especially prevalent in American evangelicism, and in its worst form takes the name of “prosperity gospel”. These people think it's possible to be exorbitantly wealthy and be a Christian, and sometimes they even think they should be prideful of this! In this time of great and ever-increasing income inequality, this is an unacceptable moral failure.

These people have distorted the plain truth of the Bible to fit their own ends. Unwilling to see the truth, they've blinded themselves in their conceit. There is no way to reconcile the Bible with these perverted ideas.

For example, take Matthew 19:16-24. A rich young man asks Jesus what to do to get to heaven. Jesus says he’s almost perfect, but he has to give up all his possessions first. The wealthy man goes away grieving, and Jesus ends it with saying that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person to go to heaven! If it is not impossible, is not exceedingly implausible for a rich person to be a Christian?

We see proof of this again in Matthew 6:19-21. This time, it’s an explicit command to not store up possessions on earth, because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“ How can any wealthy person presume to not be in violation of this? The scriptures are clear: Their heart is on earth, and not in heaven.

Those who support these immoral activities are just as culpable. I deny that approval of storing up wealth on earth, becoming rich, is a matter of moral indifference about which otherwise faithful Christians should agree to disagree. It is sinful to approve of this greed and idolatry and such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness.

However, the grace of God allows those stuck in the sin of greed and idolatry to forsake their desires and accept God’s divine command of self-sacrifice for others. Christ Jesus has come to earth to save everyone, including those in such horrendous immorality. Forgiveness of sins and eternal life are available to every person who repents of sin and trusts in Christ Jesus alone as Savior, Lord, and supreme treasure. No sinner is beyond His reach. Indeed, after telling the rich young man to give away his possessions, and telling His disciples that a rich man has less of a chance of getting into heaven than a camel has getting through the eye of the needle, He says this:

I'm so sorry you even have to read things like that "Nashville Statement." (If you haven't, don't.)

So I want you to hear some other things that I and a LOT of Christians believe:

You are valid.

You are beautiful.

You are wanted.

You belong as much as anyone.

You are not sick, or lying, or wrong for living as the person you know you are.

Heterosexual and cisgender Christians are no better, holier, or more loved by God than you.

It's not a surprise or an offense to God that you're LGBTQ+.

God doesn't hate you.

God doesn't want any of us to hate or shun you.

People who tell you otherwise have a very, very messed up sense of the Gospel.

In light of the hateful, harmful, and utterly unbiblical #nashvillestatement put out today by a group of people claiming to speak for Christ, we offer, again, this post letting everyone know that they are loved by God just as they are. Not in spite of their queer or trans identity but because of it. Your identity is God's gift to you and you are God's gift to the church.