In the Adventist Church we can no longer talk about LGBT+ people without listening to them!

Open letter* of the Adventist Organization LGBTQ+ Kinship Da-Ch** sent to the managers of the Adventist Church of the seventh day of German language on 4 October 2024, part two. Freely translated by the volunteers of the Gionata project

We noticed that the position called Side B (side B), increasingly widespread in evangelical environments, is also gaining land in the adventist church. This position recognizes that homosexual orientation is a permanent reality in a person's life, but continues to interpret biblical texts as a condemnation of emotional relationships between people of the same sex.

Parallel to this new perspective, more dated and problematic concepts continue to circulate in our churches.

The positive part of the Side B position is that a data now shared by the scientific community is finally accepted: sexual orientation is rooted in a person's personality, both biologically and psychologically, and cannot be changed.

Another positive element is a greater awareness, within our Church, of the difficulties experienced by queer people. However, it remains to be seen if this awareness will lead to real and lasting changes.

It deeply worries us that the Side B position present mandatory chastity as the only way that God has foreseen for believers with a homosexual orientation. This vision tries to reconcile the traditional interpretation of the Bible with the new scientific knowledge, but is still very young in the history of the Church and is based exclusively on a few examples of people who have adapted to it.

As in the case of the ex-gay movement, the risk is that an individual experience is being generalized, making everyone believe that everyone can and must follow the same way. We fear that this position can, over time, lead to the same disappointment and suffering that have characterized the failure of the so -called "reparative therapies".

We are convinced that nobody has the right to deny a person the fundamental need for affection and company. Sexuality is an integral part of an authentic love relationship, and it is also important for the health and happiness of queer people, as it is for heterosexuals. Reducing everything to the sexual dimension alone is a reductive and dehumanizing approach, which risks condemning love between people of the same sex without considering its entirety.

The experience of SDA Kinship International (Sevenh-Day Adventist Kinship International)

SDA Kinship International is a private support organization for queer agremists, active worldwide. It was founded in the United States in 1978 by gay venture believers and has grown constantly over time, also including many heterosexual people who offer their support.

The goal of SDA Kinship is to create safe spaces for queer agremists, encourage them in their faith and offer support in times of difficulty. The organization was born from the experience of many people who have tried, without success, to change their sexual orientation or to live forced heterosexual relationships.

Many have lived for years in fear and hiding, fearing the judgment of their family and the Church.

This has led many to develop mental health problems, to feel oppressed and, in some cases, completely exhausted. Those who have decided to reveal their identity have often suffered marginalization and refusal by their community and family. Some have lost their faith. Unfortunately, others have decided to take their lives.

We receive more and more testimonies of people who have lived this drama, and we are deeply grieved for the suffering they have suffered in our church. This situation must change.

Today, many leaders of the Adventist Church say they want to show respect and compassion for queer people. Some even recognize that there is a problem and that clarifications are needed. But words and good intentions are no longer enough.

Too often we see indifference and silence in front of situations of discrimination. This has undermined the credibility of the leadership of the Church in the eyes of the Queer community. Now it is necessary to move from words to deeds.

The formula "loves the sinner, hates sin"

Often, in discussions on this theme, the phrase is heard: "God loves the sinner, but he hates sin." According to this logic, queer people should be welcomed in the Church, but their love would be considered a shame.

This statement does not do justice to the reality of queer people. It reduces their identity to a single aspect of their behavior. Those who speak of "homosexual lifestyle" or attraction for the same sex as "temptation to sin" did not understand what sexual orientation means.

Without realizing it, this mentality leads to condemning an entire dimension of a person's personality as sinful. For many quers believers, this doctrine has led to authentic despair. They prayed, fasting, asked for help, but they have never been able to change their orientation. Some have come to believe they are intrinsically evil and hopeless.

If a church asks its queer members to renounce love and company of a loved one forever, it must be able to justify this request theologically. He must clearly explain why love between people of the same sex would be so serious as to justify their exclusion from the community and, even, their eternal condemnation. It is not enough to appeal to blind obedience.

In light of the new historical, psychological and biblical knowledge, increasingly Christian - even those with a conservative vision of the Bible - are reviewing their positions. They understand that traditional doctrine is not as clear as it was thought, and that it has caused enormous injustices and suffering.

The time has come to carefully review these teachings, directly involving queer people in the debate. We can no longer talk about them without listening to them.

* On October 4, 2024, the Adventist Organization LGBTQ+ KINSHIP DA-CH present in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, adhering to Sevenh-Day Adventist Kinship International, sent an open letter to the managers of the Adventist Church in German -speaking countries. The goal is to promote a dialogue for a greater understanding of the difficult situation experienced by the agi -agitists and encourage more constructive relationships. The 11 -page letter was written in German and English.

** Sevenh-Day Adventist Kinship International It is an organization founded in 1976 in Palm Desert, California (USA), with the aim of supporting the adventists LGBTQIA+ (lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual and intersex) and their supporters, offering a safe environment for spiritual growth and dialogue.

SDA Kinship Europe is the European section of Sevenh-Day Adventist Kinship International, which is present all over the world with about 5,500 members in 112 countries (December 2024) .. It is not officially affiliated with the Adventist Church of the seventh day but works to promote the inclusion and dialogue within the Adventist Community, providing support to those who try to reconcile their faith with their own identity.

Original text: Open letter from SDA Kinship Dach to the Leaders of the Inter-European Division of Sevenh-Day Adventisms (PDF files)