STATEMENT ON HOMOSEXUALITY

T he basis for this official statement of The Christian and Missionary Alliance is section [c] of its Statement of Faith:

"The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice."

SCRIPTURAL BASIS:

The Old Testament reveals God’s original design to make human beings in His image, male and female. Each person’s completeness is realized in relationship to one who is alike in nature but opposite sexually (Genesis 2:10-24), unless a person is given the gift of celibate singleness (1 Corinthians 7:1, 7-8).

In the New Testament, Jesus confirms the heterosexual creation of human beings: God made them male and female (Matthew 19:4). Throughout Scripture heterosexual families consisting of a father, mother, and their children (unless they are unable to bear children) are the norm of society. The New Testament reinforces the teaching of heterosexual love and sexual relations within marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33, Hebrews 13:4, 1 Corinthians 7:1-5).

Alongside this clear biblical teaching on God’s design for heterosexual marriage are found specific instructions that prohibit homosexual conduct, for example: Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13). Homosexual conduct is detestable because it is out of harmony with the purpose for which God created human beings.

The New Testament states: They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion (Romans 1:25-27). Worshipping the creation more than the Creator not only alienated human beings from God but also distorted their heterosexual identity as created by God. Homosexual conduct is one evidence of the universal human rejection of God’s supreme glory and, like all forms of sexual behavior that violate God’s original design, it is sin.

The New Testament further states: Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

But the same passage of Scripture strongly affirms the liberating power of the Christian gospel from all former sinful patterns of life, including homosexual behavior and inclinations: And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11-12).

POLICY:

The highest standards of life and conduct are enjoined upon those who serve in official and ministerial capacities in the Church of Jesus Christ and upon those who are received as members of local churches. Homosexual conduct is incompatible with Christian teaching and cannot be condoned. Therefore, persons who engage in homosexual conduct and/or relationships may not be accepted as candidates for ministry, issued licenses, ordained or consecrated as ministers, or appointed to serve in The Christian and Missionary Alliance. Neither shall they serve in church ministries, nor shall they be issued membership in an Alliance church. Likewise, in conformity with this Statement and the C&MA’s Statement on Marriage–Divorce–Remarriage which states that "In no case ought any person to enter into any so-called ‘marriage’ with a person of the same sex," no licensed worker may, under any circumstances, sanction, bless, conduct, or officially participate in a civil or religious ceremony that would result in a marriage or civil union of persons of the same sex.

The Christian and Missionary Alliance encourages its churches and members to treat persons who engage in homosexual conduct and/or relationships with compassion and to extend the gospel of repentance, forgiveness, and transformation through Jesus Christ to such persons without reservation.