Southern Baptists Condemn Transgenderism as 'Contrary to Gods Design'
- Updated Jun 11, 2014
The Southern Baptist Convention voted at their annual meeting Tuesday against the “moral validation” of transgender people.
The proposal says “God’s original design (is) to create two distinct and complementary sexes.”
“Gender identity should be determined by biological sex and not by one's self-perception – a perception which is often influenced by fallen human nature in ways contrary to God's design,” the draft said.
The resolution encourages transgender people to “trust in Christ and to experience renewal in the Gospel.”
Christian blogger John Shore criticized the proposal, writing that it calls people “crazy” and “delusional.”
Christian blogger and author Rachel Held Evans also criticized the vote. In a tweet, she said, “To those condemned by the Southern Baptists today: There are people & churches ready to welcome you with the open arms of Christ.”
The vote comes just after President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary condemned suggestion that there is a “third way” between rejecting or accepting homosexuality.
“There is no third way. A church will either believe and teach that same-sex behaviours and relationships are sinful, or it will affirm them. Eventually, every congregation in America will make a public declaration of its position on this issue. It is just a matter of time (and for most churches, not much time) before every congregation in the nation faces this test," he writes in a blog post.
Publication date: June 11, 2014
