![]() In what scenario has it ever been effective to try and change someone’s mind by feeding them insults? By threatening them with a form of punishment that is nonexistent according to their worldview? This attitude is silly, degrading, and unproductive. With regard to educating people about their disruption of “God’s heavenly plan,” it is entirely unproductive to tell an atheist that a God they do not believe in is going to condemn them unless they change their sexual orientation. First, it contributes to a harmful echo chamber and only serves to repel non-believers and skeptics from the church. In addition to the perplexing inclusion of intersex and asexual individuals in his statement, Wilson’s tweet is damaging with regard to its treatment of the entire LGBTQIA+ community. ![]() This instance of verbal carelessness and inaccuracy is disturbing, particularly when considering that it stems from a church leader who presides over the General Conference of more than 21 million church members. Instead, he attempted to brush aside whole groups of people without completely understanding who he was dismissing, and his words are a compulsive reaction to a broad political movement that makes many fundamentalist Christians uncomfortable. So why are these two groups included in Wilson’s tweet? The likely answer is that, in an attempt to denounce the LGBTQIA+ movement as a whole, he did not take the time to fully consider the implications of using this entire acronym. The closest instance that most scholars can point to regarding this topic is in Corinthians 7:32-35, where Paul states that remaining unmarried can be a blessing, because it allows the believer to dedicate themselves fully to the work of God. But why are “intersex” and “asexual” individuals a part of this conversation? With regard to intersex individuals, is being born with the biological traits of both men and women “in direct opposition to God’s law”? Does this mean that anyone with any sort of physiological or genetic abnormality is an abomination on this earth? Should we plead that they change their biology so that they can make it into heaven?įurthermore, the topic of asexuality is scarcely–if at all–mentioned in the Bible. The mention of these first five categories is not a surprise given the church’s history. In naming the complete acronym of “LGBTQIA+,” Wilson’s tweet includes the following groups: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, queer, intersex, and asexual individuals. There are two primary issues that I take with Wilson’s statement: his language is careless, and his words reflect an overarching disinterest in connecting with anyone who is not already a fundamentalist Christian. What I would specifically like to focus on–and where I hope that we can find common ground–is the fact that pronouncements such as Wilson’s October 9 tweet are doing more harm than good. I am not going to spend the following paragraphs arguing about whether or not being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community is a sin, as this has already been extensively covered by the Human Rights Campaign, the author John Pavlovitz, and the Reverend Elder Don Eastman, among others who thoughtfully object to this aspect of Wilson’s claim. These are my words-the reflections of a devastated young adult who grew up in the Adventist church. The following article is not reflective of Andrews University’s stance as a whole, or that of the student body, or even of this newspaper. Whatever your stance on this topic–whether you identify as religiously conservative, liberal, or are internally conflicted about this issue–there is a strong case to be made that Wilson’s words were universally harmful, and reflect an attitude that must be reformed within the church. We must make a conscious choice, even though unpopular, to speak up for Bible truth and not simply go along with societal trends.” This statement was part of his 2021 Annual Council Sermon, “Trust God’s Prophetic Word in the Coming Impending Conflict.” Like many people, I found Wilson’s words regarding the LGBTQIA+ community to be exceptionally divisive and unproductive. ![]() On October 9, Pastor Ted Wilson, the president of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, tweeted “Adultery, fornication, and LGBTQIA+ are in direct opposition to God’s law and heavenly plan for human sexuality. ![]() The Last Word A Response to Ted Wilson's Statement on the LGBTQIA+ Community
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