At that General Conference, delegates removed the church’s longtime stance that sex is only for marriage between husband and wife. Adultery and extramarital sex were removed as chargeable offenses for clergy, along with homosexual behavior.
Read moreDay 1 of 2024 Spring Council - Swing and a Miss on The German LTBTQ Problem
Throughout this humbling process, the Lord reminds us that He is far more interested in weighing ‘Israel’, than counting them.
Read moreInter European Division Responds to the German Queergedacht Book
One year ago, in January 2023, a Seventh-day Adventist Church pastor in Germany presented himself as bisexual and promoted this lifestyle. After meeting with him, the Hanseatic Conference voted on March 19, 2023, to affirm his ministerial credentials.
Ten months ago (March 2023) the EUD said,
“We consider that his open rejection of the official position of the worldwide church disqualifies him for pastoral ministry. The administration of the EUD will work with the Hanseatic Conference, in close consultation with the North German Union, to address this issue and reconsider the status of his credentials.”
Nine months ago, world leaders, assembled at the General Conference headquarters for Spring Council, called on the Inter-European Division to deal swiftly and biblically with this pastor’s violation of SDA Church moral standards.
Four months ago, The Inter-European Division issued a Statement regarding the pro-LGBTQ+ September issue of Adventisten Heute, the OFFICIAL church paper of the SDA church in Germany. It was weak. It ended with a vague committment to ‘dialogue.’ We’ve had too much dialogue already. We already know what the Word of God says regarding male and female sexuality.
Yesterday, the Inter-European Division released another statement on their News website. Here is the statement,
“The September 2023 issue of Adventist Today and the recent publication of the book Queergedacht have caused tension and concern among church members and leaders in Germany and beyond.
The negative reactions were mainly triggered by the fact that both publications take a one-sided position on a very complex issue and endorse same-sex marriage.
The Board of the Inter-European Division is convinced that more study, reflection and prayer should be devoted to the question of how we deal with LGBTQ+ people in our church. In this way, any tensions that may have arisen in local churches could be eased, as well as helping individuals, families and congregations who are struggling to find a solution characterized by understanding and compassion while upholding the ideal of God's creation: monogamous, heterosexual marriage.
As a church, we must listen carefully to those who identify as LGBTQ+ and encourage multidisciplinary research to better understand the situation of those affected and create an environment in our communities where all people are welcome.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church was founded on the conviction that the Bible is the Word of God and that its authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit; this conviction is also the basis for preserving the unity of our church. The Bible is the highest authority on matters of faith, doctrine and lifestyle. We must study it carefully, using an exegetical approach that focuses primarily on understanding the message of the particular author and comparing the different passages of different authors on a particular subject in order to understand the full range of the subject in the passage under study and in the Bible as a whole. In this way, the full range of the topic can be grasped in the examined section and in the Bible as a whole.
Since the book Queergedacht was written in German and is therefore aimed primarily at a German-speaking audience, the leadership of the Inter-European Division asked various Adventist theologians with German as their mother tongue to write responses to the articles published in the book. The Board of the Inter-European Division is very concerned about the hermeneutical approach used in the book Queergedacht, which ultimately undermines the reliability of the Bible as our ultimate guide for faith and practice.
It is our goal to provide an understanding of the themes and biblical passages analyzed in Queergedacht based on a hermeneutical approach that allows the Bible to interpret itself. We are convinced that such an approach leaves no room for the approval of homosexual practices. At the same time, we follow God's command to love all people regardless of their sexual orientation and to support them in their desire to live according to God's will.
00-EUD-Intro-Evaluation_QG.pdf
01-02-EUD QD Chapter 1-2 Schneeweiss.pdf
01-EUD The Gretchen question of biblical interpretation_Winfried Vogel.pdf
05-EUD Queergedacht - Chapter 5 Bojan Godina EUD.pdf
10 EUD Queergedacht - Chapter 10 (Martin Pröbstle).pdf
11-EUD Queergedacht - Chapter 11 (Martin Pröbstle).pdf
14-EUD Queergedacht - Chapter 14 (René Gehring).pdf
23-EUD Queergedacht - Chapter 23 (René Gehring).pdf
A-EUD QD Topic forced celibacy Schneeweiss.pdf
15-EUD Queergedacht - Chapter 15 (Martin Pröbstle).pdf
22-EUD Queergedacht - Chapter 22 (René Gehring).pdf”
Observations
“We are convinced that such an approach leaves no room for the approval of homosexual practices.” Hear, hear.
“At the same time, we follow God's command to love all people regardless of their sexual orientation and to support them in their desire to live according to God's will.” It is true that the Bible calls us to demonstrate love to others, especially fellow believers (Galatians 6:2; Romans 12:10; Ephesians 4:32; John 15:13; Hebrews 13:1-2; John 13:34-35 and 1 Peter 2:17) our neighbors, and even enemies (Romans 13:10; Galatians 5:14; 1 John 4:11;Luke 6:27). The Bible says truth is very important, it also says it must be spoken in love (Ephesians 4:15, 25). The truth is that homosexuality and LGBTQ+ moral sin will cause people to be eternally lost (Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Romans 1:26-27; Jude 7; 1 Timothy 1:10).
Speaking the truth in love is not as much about having a gentle demeanor as it is about the way that truth and love go hand-in-hand. Because we love one another, we must speak the truth.
Importantly, we are also called to love those who do not know Christ. The best way we can show love is to share with them the truth of the gospel, and the gospel require us to repent of sin, not celebrate it. Apart from Christ, people are dead in their sins and destined for destruction in hell (John 3:16–18; Romans 6:23). But in Christ they can receive new life and eternal salvation (Romans 10:9–15; 2 Corinthians 5:17). This is a message we must share. Peter wrote,
“In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
We share the everlasting gospel because we love the people for whom Christ died. We speak God’s truth because of His love and in a way that clearly and unapologetically communicates both truth and love (1 John 4:10–12).
Love speaks the truth. For politically-minded liberals, the highest point of political maneuvering is not doing anything about a problem, it's not fixing anything, it's not achieving a concrete objective, it's just having endless dialogue. Beware the endless conversation, or dialogue.
Responding to the deceptive Queergedacht book is one thing, our church must respond to the brazen LGBTQ+ pastor in northern Germany by removing his credentials. If we don’t, additional LGBTQ+ pastors will start popping up in western Adventism. We saw this already in the WO rebellion.
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“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (Ephesians 4:22–25).
Pastors in Hanseatic Conference Issue Letter in Support of the LGBTQ Agenda
This is an existential moment for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and we call on leaders to act in the spirit of Hezekiah, not Eli. In other words, lead.
Read moreThe Unpleasant Timeline of the LGBTQ+ Problem in SDA Germany
The departure of German Adventism from God’s creational distinctions began with ordaining women in 2012. Today, they are determined to defend and enshrine homosexuality as the next candidate for unbiblical ordination.
Read moreInter-European Division Issues Statement on The LGBTQ Problem in Germany
We’ve had too much dialogue already. We already know what the Word of God says regarding male and female sexuality.
Read moreApostate Adventism is Determined to Keep Pace With Apostate Protestantism
This lavender graduation is needed to prove that we are not legalists. Plus, God likes it when we construct our own moral reality. Afterwards, we go home and thank God that we are not like those smug Pharisees.
Read morePetition Calls For Adventists to Apologize to LGBTQ+ Community
Every one of the aforementioned signers, first agitated for WO and now LGBTQ. Both positions were arrived at by rejecting the biblical creational binary; both WO and LGBTQ+ use the same ethical trajectory.
Read moreAndrews University Adds LGBTQ+ Group to The Official University Faith App
The point is, this change should not have been made to the University Faith app, because it conditions every single student user on campus to view homosexual sin as a normalized alternative.
Read moreInter-European Division Weighs in on German Bisexual Pastor, May Remove His Credentials
We consider that his open rejection of the official position of the worldwide church disqualifies him for pastoral ministry.
Read moreAlGore Says Technology Can Track Climate Offenders So Activists Can Hold Them Accountable
Translation: You are guilty of existing and must pay for it. If carbon credits are the coin of the realm for this organized green religion, violent rape is the currency of its chaos.
Read moreBiden Administration Proposes Monitoring All Transactions In Your Bank Accounts
Some Adventists will defend this proposal, due to seeing themselves as democrats first and believers second. Some will object to this proposal due to seeing themselves as republicans first and believers second. Neither of these approaches satisfy me.
Read moreProgressive SDA Podcast Host Fired After Coming Out As Queer During A Live Program
After Turner’s July 31 podcast was over, Kendra Arsenault announced on air that she was bisexual and identifies with the LGBTQ ‘community.’
Read moreNew Interim Lead Pastor Listed On Redlands SDA Church Website
As of 7 pm Monday evening, there is no mention of pastor Kris Loewen on the Redlands SDA church website. He has been replaced by interim lead pastor Alger Keough.
Read moreTexas Conference Gender-Neutral Bylaws Proposal Violates NAD & GC E-60 Policy
Dan Jackson issued an apology letter on January 31, 2012 to NAD constituents and the SDA world church. They subsequently changed their E-60 policy back to ‘ordained’ (men) only.
Read moreSocial Justice is a Conduit For Apostasy: Panel Discussion at Takoma Park SDA Church
He says we must tolerate differences, but we must “not tolerate” what he scornfully derides as fundamentalist proof-texting (using Scripture verses to establish a viewpoint).
Read moreGhanian Actress 'Ellen White' Leaves SDA Church Over Earrings
“If you are acting in movies they want you to wear earrings and now I am unable to stop,” Ellen Kyei White explained.
Read moreRyan Bell Is What Ultimately Happens When An Adventist Turns SJW
We have a responsibility to protect the Advent Message from the distractions of the world, preserving its divine distinction from the corrosive influence of a pagan culture.
Read moreIf The Light In Adventism is Darkness, How Great is That Darkness
“If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness” (Matthew 6:23).
Read moreSeminary President Says She Doesn't Believe in Heaven, or The Resurrection
The pervasive idea of an abusive God-father who sends his own kid to the cross so God could forgive people is nuts.
Read more