Posted on 06/10/2018 10:26:48 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A resolution submitted to the Southern Baptist Convention for its annual meeting in Dallas, Texas, has called on the nation's largest Protestant denomination to reject "homosexual identity politics" and state bans on conversion therapy.
Titled "On Ministry and Counseling to Lead People from Homosexuality to Heterosexuality," the resolution, among other things, asks the SBC to "offer loving assistance to people suffering from same-sex attraction, so that they may turn from homosexuality to heterosexuality" and to reject "as heresy any claims that God makes people homosexual."
"... the movement against so-called 'conversion therapy' poses an immediate threat to Christian obedience to the Gospel of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because it is possible that due to lack of support from Christian ministries, some people with same-sex attractions may err in defining themselves as 'homosexual' by nature, and may thereby invite a fatal sin into their hearts," states the resolution submitted by Robert O. Lopez, a professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas.
"... in both Christian and unbelieving political contexts, homosexual identity politics has prompted a dangerous movement to ban so-called 'conversion therapy' or 'reparative therapy,' banned in terms so broadly as to endanger the work of Christian ministries in aiding people with same-sex attraction to turn away from homosexuality toward heterosexuality."
In 2016, Lopez, who was raised by two lesbians, was forced to resign from California State University at Northridge due to LGBT activist pressure.
In comments sent to The Christian Post on Thursday via the group MassResistance Texas, Lopez said that the resolution came partly in response to recent political efforts to ban gay conversion therapy or sexual orientation change efforts.
"We saw that Southern Baptists who want to make a change from homosexuality to heterosexuality are not getting enough help from churches. New laws banning change therapy are likely to worsen the situation," said Lopez.
The resolution comes at a time when more states are moving to ban conversion therapy for minors, with Maryland and Hawaii passing state-level bans earlier this year.
Furthermore, on Thursday the Delaware General Assembly sent a bill banning conversion therapy for youth to the desk of Gov. John Carney, who is expected to sign it into law.
"For young people across Delaware, this legislation provides vital and potentially life-saving protections from the damaging, dangerous and discredited practice known as 'conversion therapy,'" said Sarah McBride of the LGBT advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign.
"While Delaware has made historic progress on LGBT equality, we can and must do more to protect LGBT youth from rejection, stigma and harm." =
God can suffer for people to have weaknesses, but he does not condone sinful actions. If he does give us weakness, it is so that we may be humbled.
Good, good.
When Paul listed off those who cannot enter the Kingdom he immediately followed it with and such were some of you.
To say homosexuals have nothing to repent of is to make God out to be a liar.
To say homosexuals are born that way (rather than acknowledge homosexuality as the sin nature expressing itself) is to accuse God.
To say a repentant person cannot cease to identify as a homosexual (because they now identify as in Christ) and by the power of the Holy Spirit overcome is to make the sin out to be bigger than God.
Homosexuality, is not a weakness, it is a sin, and even worse, is classified as an abomination by God himself. It is not meant, by God, to be suffered with, but to be delivered from the soul of man by God’s salvation. Anything less is a form of unbelief in a righteous, all-powerful, and merciful God
A big AMEN.
Given what God says about homosexuality, you can be assured that GOD does not make homosexuals homosexual. It is a learned personality trait ... and curable if the lost soul wants out of the abomination.
Sin is sin and God NEVER, EVER CAUSES ANYONE TO SIN!
The behavior is, but some people are apparently more likely to develop same gender attraction than others.
Banning Conversion Therapy is like banning Alcoholics Anonymous. But that’s what leftist want.
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As biological entities, there is s light chance of genetic anomaly, like that which produces too much estrogen or too little testosterone in a male. But that is extremely rare in the general population. Homosexuality is a learned behavior.
A huge clue is the incessant effort by sexual degenerates to teach children to be like them. If that does not send warning signs then remaining naive is a choice also made, to enable the continued rise in degeneracy so as to avoid the issues, to the detriment of society..
I did have a long spiel written down but this verse says it all
The bible is a path and Jesus is the light if the church render those teachings moot it's time to find a new congregation to take the straight and narrow path !
Following Christ in a PC world is not easy persecutions are everywhere but reaping the rewards of a good righteous life in the end too me are worth the fight !
Excellent point.
If "homosexuality" refers to intentional thoughts (fantasies or lusts), words (such as identification as in "I am gay, and that's OK" gay pride), or deeds (cooperation in unchaste actions whether alone or with others) --- that is grave depravity.
Even approving of these things is a sin (e.g. straight "allies" of LGBT).
But ... If "homosexuality" refers to a degree of unwanted same-sex attraction to which a person does NOT consent, whether in thought, word, or deed, this is a temptation, not a sin. It is also a disorder, inasmuch as it is a deviation from a healthy male-female sex attraction. God can give us the strength to resist this disordered tendency in thought, word and deed.
I don’t believe bans on conversion therapy will withstand a federal court challenge.
Even at the lower levels, much less the USSC.
This one is cut and dried.
Don’t know why you would direct those words to me, but I do know that BELIEVERS DON’T HAVE Satan’s mark upon their foreheads.
So, in addition to your not knowing God’s Word, I’d say that you are crazy by insinuating that I said that God causes people to sin.
I’ve had a few beefs with the Southern Baptist brand (lifetime affiliation with them) in the past decade, but I might be coming back to them.
II wonder if the real reason behind the resolution being presented is to not be in conflict with States banning conversion therapy and things like it. If the denomination allows it but the liberal States condemn it by law it could bring the liberal police state down hard on the denomination in those Churches that are in liberal States and open up a whole bunch of worms/problems per say legally with those liberal homosexual loving anti-Christian States. It would be easier to ban conversion therapy within the denomination and continue the conversion therapy outside of the denomination legally without denominational strings so as to not bring the denomination in conflict with the liberal States which I’m sure many liberal politicians would love to shut down churches for not compiling with the liberal obscure laws. Basically the resolution protects the liability of the denomination money wise down the road.
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