{"id":58794,"date":"2019-11-08T14:36:40","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T20:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/?p=58794"},"modified":"2019-11-08T17:12:01","modified_gmt":"2019-11-08T23:12:01","slug":"bgs-statement-on-human-sexuality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/bgs-statement-on-human-sexuality\/","title":{"rendered":"BGS statement on human sexuality"},"content":{"rendered":"

In light of diverse reactions and some confusion in response to the most recent issue of Holiness Today<\/a> dealing with human sexuality, the Board of General Superintendents affirms that the Church of the Nazarene has not changed our position on human sexuality and marriage. Let it be clear that the Board of General Superintendents affirms in its entirety the action of the 2017 General Assembly as found in Manual<\/em><\/a> Paragraph 31. Above all, let us continue to be a people marked by holy love, full of compassion, so that we may be a people of grace and truth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eug\u00e9nio R. Duarte
David W. Graves
David A. Busic
Gustavo A. Crocker
Filim\u00e3o M. Chambo
Carla D. Sunberg<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

31 Human Sexuality and Marriage<\/a>:<\/strong> The Church of the Nazarene views human sexuality as one expression of the\u00a0holiness<\/a>\u00a0and beauty that\u00a0God<\/a>\u00a0the Creator intended. Because all humans are beings created in the image of God, they are of inestimable value and worth. As a result we believe that human sexuality is meant to include more than the sensual experience, and is a gift of God designed to reflect the whole of our physical and relational createdness.<\/p>\n

As a holiness people, the Church of the Nazarene affirms that the human body matters to God. Christians are both called and enabled by the transforming and sanctifying work of the\u00a0Holy Spirit<\/a>\u00a0to glorify God in and with our bodies. Our senses, our sexual appetites, our ability to experience pleasure, and our desire for connection to another are shaped out of the very character of God. Our bodies are good, very good.<\/p>\n

We affirm belief in a God whose creation is an act of love. Having experienced God as holy love, we understand the Trinity to be a unity of love among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are made with a yearning for connection with others at the core of our being. That yearning is ultimately fulfilled as we live in covenanted relationship with God, the creation, and loving one\u2019s neighbor as one\u2019s self. Our creation as social beings is both good and beautiful. We reflect the image of God in our capacity to relate and our desire to do so. The\u00a0people of God<\/a>\u00a0are formed as one in\u00a0Christ<\/a>, a rich community of love and grace.<\/p>\n

Within this community, believers are called to live as faithful members of the body of Christ. Singleness among the people of God is to be valued and sustained by the rich fellowship of the church and the communion of the saints. To live as a single person is to engage, as Jesus did, in the intimacy of community, surrounded by friends, welcoming and being welcomed to tables, and expressing faithful witness.<\/p>\n

Also within this community, we affirm that some believers are called to be married. As defined in Genesis, \u201ca man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.\u201d (Genesis 2:24) The marriage covenant, a reflection of the covenant between God and the people of God, is one of exclusive sexual fidelity, unselfish service, and social witness. A woman and a man publicly devote themselves to one another as a witness to the way God loves. Marital intimacy is intended to reflect the union of Christ and the Church, a mystery of grace. It is also God\u2019s intention that in this sacramental union the man and woman may experience the joy and pleasure of sexual intimacy and from this act of intimate love new life may enter the world and into a covenantal community of care. The Christ-centered home ought to serve as a primary location for spiritual formation. The church is to take great care in the formation of marriage through premarital counseling and teaching that denotes the sacredness of marriage.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Scriptural story<\/a>, however, also includes the sad chapter of the fracturing of human desire in the\u00a0Fall<\/a>, resulting in behaviors that elevate self-sovereignty, damage and objectify the other, and darken the path of human desire. As fallen beings, we have experienced this evil on every level\u2014personal and corporate. The principalities and powers of a fallen world have saturated us with lies about our sexuality. Our desires have been twisted by sin and we are turned inward on ourselves. We have also contributed to the fracturing of the creation by our willful choice to violate the love of God and live on our own terms apart from God.<\/p>\n

Our\u00a0brokenness<\/a>\u00a0in the areas of sexuality takes many forms, some due to our own choosing and some brought into our lives via a broken world. However, God\u2019s grace is sufficient in our weaknesses, enough to bring conviction, transformation, and sanctification in our lives. Therefore, in order to resist adding to the brokenness of sin and to be able to witness to the beauty and uniqueness of God\u2019s holy purposes for our bodies, we believe members of the body of Christ, enabled by the Spirit, can and should refrain from:<\/p>\n