The White Paper on Human Sexuality

[Anna]

I believe that it was very important for ACOP to develop a white paper on human sexuality to give pastors and leaders a framework from which to minister more effectively to the people in their sphere of influence. A white paper can also give members a road map to reach out to various people groups, reminding them to do all things in love.

Pastors and leaders are facing issues requiring diplomacy, love, truth, compassion, and boldness more than in times past. The white paper gives these leaders tools to have open honest conversations with people struggling with sexual sin. Sexual sin is not a new problem, but the expressions of it, and the overwhelming availability of it on all the media platforms make the issue harder to deal with than before. I believe the ACOP has created a very helpful document to help navigate the muddy waters of sin.

The white paper also reminds us that heart needs to be right with God before we can minister to people in general. Scripture tells us to first take the plank out of our own eyes before we can see to remove the speck from our brother’s eye. Our motives need to be pure with no personal agendas or ideologies.

“Our primary goal is to be a part of Christ's work in building His Church by making faithful

disciples. Faithfulness is not defined by one's sexuality, but by their dedication to Christ in spite

of what obstacles may stand between them and service to God. ” White paper – Human-Sexuality-summarized.pdf, page 9.

The most meaningful affirmation regarding human sexuality in our culture today, I believe, is the first one: “We affirm all people are created in God's image regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, and mental or physical disability” because it reminds us that every person has intrinsic value. When we minister from the point of view that everyone is created in the image of God, we can focus less on the sin and more on the person. This is not an excuse for sin, nor am I saying that sin is acceptable, Jesus did show God’s love and people turned from their sin in response to that love. The love of God can change lives around. In our culture today, with so much social media, love speaks louder than anything else. When people know that God sees them, knows them, loves them, and wants the best for them, they are more likely to respond positively to the Gospel.

[Jaylen]

It was important for ACOP to develop this because our world is increasingly walking away from God’s intended picture for sexuality. Almost no secular person believes you should save yourself for marriage, and almost no secular person believes that being homosexual is wrong. This is why it’s urgent for ACOP to establish exactly what we believe and why we believe it.

[Kimberly]

I believe it is important for ACOP to have a white paper on human sexuality because it is a topic that is becoming increasingly hard to avoid today. Not only is it something that we see everyday in person, but it is extremely hard to find tv shows and movies that don’t portray characters engaging in same sex relationships. It is helpful to have these beliefs and affirmations on hand – so that we may be like minded in how we approach situations where we are speaking around this topic.

I think it is very important to remember the affirmation that we are called to love each other as ourselves. There is a way to disagree with an action while still loving a person. I think that many times non believers feel like Christians miss the point of loving when approaching these topics. If people don’t feel loved still, they likely won’t give Christ a chance. Ultimately we are all sinners, so we should be showing love no matter whether we can pin point what one person’s sin is over our own.

[Deleted User]

[Zach]

It is important to have developed a white paper as it lends credibility to the Fellowship and helps equip and guide those it serves. If the ACOP where to not have a white paper, leaving each church and minster to themselves, that would erode credibility and unfortunately, add more confusion to the body of Christ in attempting to argue or stand from a position of silence. Often in attempts to be loving, the church has been silent, either attempting to avoid the accusation of being judgement, or the very real practice of being judgemental. Being clear is kind, and this type of paper is good leadership to help people who need it to navigate a very difficult topic in a very difficult cultural moment.