C. Christopher Smith - How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church

Conversations about human sexuality and marriage are some of the most divisive that churches face today. In these conversations, we would do well to remind ourselves often of our unity in Christ and to find common ground on which those of diverse perspectives can agree. One of the earliest things that Grandview Calvary Baptist Church (Vancouver, BC) did in its conversations on sexuality was to create the following statement of common ground. I have included it here to stir our imaginations about how such conversations might move forward.

Common Ground to Stand On

In our discussion and discernment between 2009 and 2010, we gained some common ground. While we recognize that not every person in the church was able to adhere to the following beliefs, the council (pastors and deacons) at that time and the committee holding this process sought to develop and affirm some common ground that we could build on in our sexual ethics and practice.

Here are some truths we seek to affirm:

1. We are all created in the image of God, giving each of us inherent value and dignity.
2. Our sexuality is an integral part of our bodies and personhood. While our culture can reduce sexuality to having sex, sexuality has to do with how we relate to the world, with our longing for intimacy and being known, and with our need for human companionship.
3. Sexual desires are complex in origin and experience. A homosexual orientation may occur as a result of a combination of genes, prenatal hormones, and early childhood environment (as well as wounding in some cases). We acknowledge that discussions concerning the complex origin of sexual desires are sometimes hurtful and often unprofitable. We seek to be diligent in not judging or excluding one another based on who we desire or are attracted toward.
4. The historic teaching of the church is that the act of genital sex is ideally held within the covenant relationship of marriage between a man and a woman. The act of covenant is given to us in order to protect us from harm, in order to nurture bonds that take us deeper into the meaning of Gods love, and in order to create a family where others can be welcomed and nurtured. A healthy sexuality is expressed in celibacy or covenantal commitment and in a community of love and accountability.
5. All of us are tainted by the fallenness of separation and resistance to God and Gods ways, making us less than whole in our sexuality. Heterosexual and homosexual people are both tainted by this fallenness. For example, there is no evidence that homosexual people have a higher risk for abusing children than heterosexual people do. We live in a culture that idolizes autonomy (doing our own thing apart from any authority or guide) and this plays itself out in our cultures resistance to the Biblical aims and boundaries around sex.
6. It is very difficult to change ones orientation from homosexual to heterosexual.
7. All those who respond to Gods love in Christ are being redeemed and restored. Because the fullness of that restoration awaits the new creation, we live with imperfection and loss as well as joy and hope.
8. Our theological views and commitments around same-sex attraction and sexuality are important but not part of the essential teachings of the church (such as the divinity and humanity of Christ, the resurrection of Jesus, the hope of a new world, etc.).

Introduction: We Are Conversational Bodies