The Methodist Church in England now claims that ministers should avoid using the terms “husband” and “wife” because it conveys an assumption that is not “the reality for many people”.
You may use words you consider to be inclusive, but find that someone corrects you. Be open to listening to the reasons they give you for not using the word or phrase you have used and understand that their thoughts are as valid as your own. [Moral relativism.]
Human relationships come in many varied expressions. There is infinite variety in the way that God’s creation is expressed in human life. This is worth bearing in mind as we speak and write. Terminology such as ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ may sound inoffensive but it makes assumptions about a family or personal life that is not the reality for many people.
The words ‘parent’, ‘partner’ and ‘child’ are a good place to start. ‘Carer’ is a neutral yet understandable way to refer to the primary carer of a child, who may or may not be their parent.
The denomination made the statement in its “Inclusive Language Guide”, which is updated every six months to advise congregations how to “repent of any hurtful language” when addressing groups which have been “marginalized and/or demonized by common culture”. After all, common culture often uses common sense and we can’t have that.
Mental Madness
In sections addressing ‘gender identity’, the guide claimed that “using a person’s chosen pronouns is helpful as it honors their identity”, noting that those of “different genders may choose to use a gender-neutral title such as Mx”.
It added: “Language such as ‘brothers and sisters’, while intended to be inclusive and friendly, doesn’t take into account our non-binary friends”. This could be hurtful.
The guidance encourages congregations to “share your own pronouns in conversation”, and directed them to liberal LGBT activist groups Stonewall and GLAAD for further information.
In 2021, the governing body of the Methodist Church in Great Britain voted to redefine marriage, conduct same-sex weddings and affirm cohabitation.
Representatives at the church’s annual Conference consented “in principle to the marriage of same-sex couples” by 254 votes to 46. The Conference also endorsed “informal cohabitation”, equating it to marriage.
Observations
You might be thinking, what does this have to do with the Seventh-day Adventist Church?
The SDA church structure is loosely patterned after the Methodist Church, and like the Methodists of 25 years ago we are experiencing significant pressures from LGBTQ advocates inside the church. Those LGBTQ tensions caused the Methodist Church to split over the last three years, with a liberal majority taking control of the church structure, and about 7000 congregations leaving the United Methodist body and forming a more theologically conservative Global Methodist Church.
It should be noted that the United Methodist Church first ordained women in the 1960’s. The same liberal hermeneutic that they used to justify WO opened the door to homosexual acceptance and ordination beginning in about 2015.
The politically-correct language used in the Methodist Inclusive Language Guide is making it’s way into the Seventh-day Adventist Church, indicating that we are being taken the same direction as the United Methodists—by liberal Adventists, of which we have a heavy infestation in North America and Europe.
At the 2023 GC Annual Council, language was recommended to be adopted by our church (see item #2 below). I am happy to say this this agenda item was dropped. It will come come up again, as it is the nature of liberalism to keep pushing its agenda.
At the 2023 NAD Year end meeting, politically correct language was amended in the NAD Policy (see item #1 above). They are on the same track as the United Methodists.
I believe we have lost the NAD on the issue of homosexuality. Their promotion of the non-Adventist book Guiding Families is a clear signal that they intend to shift towards affirming LGBTQ+ instead of calling it to repentance.
Their wholesale support for ecclesiastical feminism has left them (the NAD) with no barriers to the LGBTQ tsunami. Both share the same ethical trajectory, as recently tweeted by the current president of SDA Kinship,
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