Uganda Union Mission Releases Statement about Anti-LGBTQ Law
21 June 2023 |
According to the Adventist News Network, the Uganda Union Mission (UUM) has released a statement in response to the global conversation regarding the current anti-homosexuality law in the country.
While reiterating UUM’s commitment to the GC votes policies on sexuality, it appears to decry forms of persecution, violence, and bigotry, but adds that they may be “as a result of our biblical belief that all who have been created in the image of God need to come into conformity with God’s Holy Word.” The rest of the statement shares the continued mission to preach the three angels’ message and the grace for those who repent from their sins, sharing that UUM does not “seek, nor advocate, the imprisonment or killing of individuals engaging in LGBTQ+ practices.”
According to the author, Pr. Moses Maka Ndimukika,
It is important to note that the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Uganda has never met to consider the new law regarding homosexuality and therefore does not have any action regarding it. As an individual, I participate in various committees and boards outside the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and these bodies often promote projects and policies for the Ugandan society. However, even I do not speak for the church in such circumstances unless our church representatives discuss and come to conclusions, and no such process has occurred regarding this law.
This would deny the church’s (and Ndimukika’s) active involvement in the law, despite the Monitor’s record of Ndimukika participating in the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) described as “vowing to do everything possible to have the anti-same-sex Bill returned to Parliament, as one of the measures to tackle homosexuality, especially in schools.”
The statement ends by saying,
We believe that the Bible teaches that all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity have fallen short of the glory of God and need to surrender to the Creator’s design for human identity and relationships as revealed in the Bible. We also believe and rejoice in the fact that all who are willing to trust in God’s loving design and plan for their lives will find and share the peace and joy that is only found through an acceptance of the sacrificial love of Christ and following His Word in practical ways of living through complete reliance on God’s justifying and sanctifying righteousness.
The original statement can be viewed at the Uganda Union’s site here.
