Belief Statement Regarding Homosexuality

We believe that all homosexual behavior is sin, and that all activities other than or short of intercourse are sin when the intent is erotic stimulation.

We believe that the scriptural admonition that “whosoever looks after a woman to lust after her has committed adultery in his heart” can be rightfully extended to cover all sexual sin and that homosexual fantasy and lusting are sin.

We believe that the homosexual identity is sinful. We regard the homosexual identity as a clever deception that often ensnares a person into homosexual behavior and fantasy. We further recognize that individuals assume a homosexual identity based on homosexual behavior and fantasy. Regardless of how the identity is assumed, it remains sinful for the Christian to continue on seeing himself as such. This is against obvious scriptural admonitions to agree with God and see him or herself as a new creature.

We recognize that homosexual identities are based on feelings, the individual must make a conscious decision to relinquish not only his homosexual behavior, fantasy and lusting to God, but also his identity. We believe that in time, with constant yielding to God in these areas, there will there will be a cleansing and renewing in the area of sexual response and feelings.

We believe that Christians who have had struggles with homosexual sin can expect the same freedom and victory over that sin just as Christians have over other sins. We also believe that temptation is a normal experience for any Christian and that believers who have been freed from homosexual sin can expect to be tempted occasionally.

We believe that there is a difference between temptation and experience, temptation and lusting and temptation and fantasy. We believe that temptation is not sin but that yielding to temptation is sin.

We believe that the homosexual lifestyle would rightly be called the “unfruitful works of darkness” and that believers are admonished not to have such fellowship.

We believe that homosexual sin is not a special sin. The scriptural remedies of confession, repentance and faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ are sufficient to cover any homosexual sin.

We believe that God regards homosexual sin as an abomination but that He also regards all sin as such. We believe that God loves the sinner and sent His Son for the purpose of redeeming him from sin.

We believe that there are three biblical options regarding sexuality that are possible for the individual who has had homosexual struggles. These are: abstinence (which would be described as refraining from sexual experience for a period of time), celibacy (which would be described as a commitment to a lifetime or a lengthy period of sexual abstinence, generally for the purpose of service to God), and heterosexual union within the confines of marriage.

We recognize that most believers would experience a time of abstinence while the process of sanctification and regeneration was in its initial stages. We would expect that eventually they would choose between one of the other two options, with the likelihood of either choice being dependent of the call of God rather than by the relationship to past homosexual sin or identity.