New Workshop Tool Helps Congregations Open Conversation with LGBT Adventists
From News Release, March 9, 2016: Can Adventist congregations create safe spaces for positive, healing, informed and authentic conversation on a topic often ignored? A Sanctuary for Conversation: Listening, Loving, and Learning is a three-hour workshop that helps to answer that question. Through this workshop, congregations will be introduced to a model for engaging in conversations that lead to clarity, hope, and healing.
This workshop responds to the Statement on Human Sexuality, from the denomination’s North American Division (NAD). The NAD stated, “The vital and opportune role of the Adventist Church is to educate its members about sexuality and purity within the context of grace.”
A Sanctuary for Conversation also addresses the Call for Peace, from the General Conference (GC). The GC stated, “There needs to be dialogue and discussion in place of diatribe. In particular, Christians should always be ready to ‘reason together,’ as the Bible says.”
The workshop opens with active learning activities and includes interviews with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and parents of LGBT children. Also, a professional psychologist defines terms and answers questions about orientation and gender. Participants will learn better listening skills, statistics about LGBT youth, the difference between acceptance and agreement, and signs of safe and unsafe churches. At the end of the workshop participants brainstorm practical ways to transform their church into a sanctuary for Jesus and for God’s Holy Spirit.
For more information or to purchase copies of the leader’s guide and workbook, visit OpenDialogueResources.org or email OpenDialogueResources@gmail.com.
A Sanctuary for Conversation has been tested with pastors, youth ministries leaders and local churches. Here is some of the feedback from people who were part of the workshop:
“I have grown because of the time I spent listening to the presentations, discussions, and panel. As a result of this workshop, I have taken away an understanding of how to become a better minister to all.”
“The spirit of loving, humble discussion was filled with opportunities to sense and share God’s Holy Spirit.”
“We asked [those who attended] to become more empathetic, not to change their beliefs.” (a presenter)
“During my 27 years in Adventism, I have never seen such a spirit of humility expressed from the leaders of the church. No one came to prove ‘I’m right, you’re wrong,’ or to ‘school’ someone else on their theology. Instead, we all came to learn, be honest, and work together to improve the lives of our LGBT youth.”
“If you want your church to be a true community that is loving and compassionate, then do this workshop—it will make everyone more aware of their humanity.”
Hopefully the gay presenters will not be the three paraded by the denomination around the planet, who having “sown their wild oats” for decades, have suddenly in their declining sexual years, and needing Viagra, have suddenly found “redemption”.
And hopefully the psychologist presenter will not be the one who wrongly states that homosexuals are that way , because their parents sexually abused them when young. She needs to lose her licensure for a totally unscientific and false presentation.
Thank you!!!
“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about,” Oscar Wilde.
Gays and their partisans know this.
I agree. But how will we know? There’s not really any detailed information on the website.
Jay, what specifically would you like to see on the website?
Let’s remember that churches need to be safe places for sinners of all stripes and types, not just LGBTs. If we’re going to minister God’s redeeming grace to LGBTs, we must first experience that redemption, then allow the Holy Spirit to turn us into channels through which that redemptive power can flow to others.
I think it’s wonderful to have conversations with anybody comma but that doesn’t change the fact that the Bible clearly teaches homosexuality is wrong and it for a person to be a baptized member of the community they need to confess and forsake practicing homosexuality. Usually when you make that clear with the militant gays of today the conversation takes a decided downturn. We can be loving and compassionate but we don’t have the authority to change the Bible injury Define it according to today’s compromised morals.
A few years ago, the NPUC/OREGON Conference, hosted a workshop on homosexuality. I did not attend, but I did view some of the videos that were made available.
The content was so medieval, and frankly BIZARRE, I was ashamed to be an Adventist.
With misgiving and acute embarrassment t. I showed them to non-Adventist Ph D psychologists, who proclaimed that one of the presenters should lose her state license to practice, her proclamations were so outlandish and unscientific.
This latest “workshop” I now understand, is diametrically different, it has loving outreach, much understanding, and interviews a wide perspective of Adventist gays/lesbians and their parents.
Hopefully the NPUC and the Oregon conference, will redeem themselves by hosting this new workshop, one of which Adventists can be proud of and not humiliated by!!
I’d love to look over the material for my LGTBQ Adventist support group I minister to. Does anyone know if this workshop included cooperating with SDA Kinship International with the making of this workshop? After all, they hold the largest LGTB+ support group of Adventists around the world. And they support GLTBQ who want to be members in Adventist churches. Without Kinship endorsement it weakens the credibility from many gay Adventists at first glance. Maybe its time the Church starts to work with groups where they can agree and go from there?
So which is it? LGTBQ, LGTB+, GLTBQ or LQBT? Does there have to be a special label? Will there be special programs for reaching out to other so-called minorities? The ones who comprise more than 1-3 percent of our population?
When churches specifically focus on “us” minorities and name us out for a changed approach then churches will become safe places for the rest of us, because we ALL share the same needs.
No, not everybody does…but everyone needs to be shown respect which I don’t believe your comment has.
Bob, Your point is a good one. Casting pearls before swine is hardly a good mission paradigm.
Bob, we are talking about self-assigned gender identities. Notice how the hermaphrodites are excluded? They are universally the outcast. No LBGTQ’H’ + to be found anywhere. I suppose hermaphrodites must ‘overcome’ their assigned sexual identities and self assign one of the approved self-assigned gender identities to be included. This is the unspoken scandal of exclusivity among the LGBTQ+ community. Some people can’t help being sexually misformed – but they had no choice – so there is no inclusion. Too bad, Hermaphrodite lives matter.
My understanding is that this course is the same one that was offered at the 2015 GC in SA, TX,, as well as the preceding pastoral institute, and it was very well received. It is nothing like the Oregon disaster, Rob.
The presenters for A Sanctuary for Conversation are chosen from the local area by the local churches. This workshop is about listening to real people from the area, not a traveling troupe. We have been improving our materials with every presentation and will continue to do so. Obviously the materials need to be examined, and we hope that happens.
Or, of course, people can continue to comment out of misinformation, ignorance, and evil surmising. That’s the choice. Our agenda is literally printed in each workbook.
“Our Agenda: We aim to create safe spaces for positive, healing, informed, authentic conversation.”
Israel’s story is not a hopeful one for Sodomites. What with Sodom and Canaan and abominations and the land spewing out any who do these abominations. Fear and trembling ought to be the proper response of those who hear, understand, and believe God and His law. I’m sure Jesus Christ, the King of Israel, would tell Sodomites, up front and personal, go and sin no more.
What else can a church founded on Jesus Christ say to sinners? Sinners, even sodomites, have a blessed hope, but to continue in sin is to continue in unbelief.
But homosexuals, gays, have an equal right to God’s love, who can deny him/his/her/it equal rights? The church of equal rights had better make a place for those with self-assigned LGBTQ gender identities. Make them an equal place, for sure. That is what the God of Equality demands.
Pandering to the gay community is an eloquent testimony to the spiritual nothingness Adventism offers modern society. When a church like the ICOC was attracting thousands of heterosexual yuppies in Los Angeles, Adventism was just dipping its toes in the frigid waters of homosexual clergy and leadership, while Kinship was moving beyond toleration to acceptance and validation.
Lisa Ling did a series of interviews with the gay community,now on YouTube. They had an agenda. One of the shrill blasts from their trumpet was no more denouncing of homosexuality as sin. Sure, lots of teary eyed recitations of their origins, victimization, persecution but their real agenda is validation from the Christian community.
I prefer the high functioning gays who simply flip off Christianity and live their lives as sinners, Victims? meh.
What conversation?