Currently in the Church of the Nazarene, individuals are being discriminated against for being involved in homosexual activity. As a Church, we have developed a mission statement that expresses our goal to go into the World and make Christlike disciples. We, as the Church of the Nazarene, should be open to changing our views of homosexuality and be concerned with the intent of making disciples, even if we do not agree with their lifestyle.. This paper will argue from the view of a rule utilitarian, why the Church of the Nazarene should allow those in homosexulity into the church, based through scripture and rule utilitarianism. This paper will not argue that those who practice homosexuality should be considered moral in the Church of the Nazarene,
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Rules, “the laws or regulations prescribed by the founder of a religious order for observance by its members” (Merriam-Webster). Rules, a word that can cause division among individuals in an instant. For the Church of the Nazarene, one rule in our manual that causes division amongst The Church is that of which focuses on homosexuality. Our Manual reads, “Homosexuality is one means by which human sexuality is perverted. We recognize the depth of the perversion that leads to homosexual acts but affirm the biblical position that such acts are sinful and subject to the wrath of God. We be- the covenant of christian conduct 57 lieve the grace of God sufficient to overcome the practice of homosexuality (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We deplore any action or statement that would seem to imply compatibility between Christian morality and the practice of homosexuality. We urge clear preaching and teaching concerning Bible standards of sexual morality” (Section D. Human Sexuality). This statement alone has caused individuals who are members of The Church to judge and look down on those who have expressed interest in the acts of …show more content…
However, there are some who have decided to take a stand and find a way to be involved with the Nazarene Church even when many look down and judge them. There was a Nazarene pastor who had grown up in the church and was considered the “poster child” while in the youth group. Once discovered that he was gay, he was asked to leave his church but continues to stay strong in his relationship with Christ. This same former pastor in the Church of the Nazarene states, “For many gays, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer Christians, it is easy to get stuck here; in the separation. In the emotional rawness of being rejected by people you thought were on your side, but weren’t, or not fully, or are now but not when you needed them. The deeper the cut the longer it takes to heal and so we linger in the separation” (Nazarene
Rules, “the laws or regulations prescribed by the founder of a religious order for observance by its members” (Merriam-Webster). Rules, a word that can cause division among individuals in an instant. For the Church of the Nazarene, one rule in our manual that causes division amongst The Church is that of which focuses on homosexuality. Our Manual reads, “Homosexuality is one means by which human sexuality is perverted. We recognize the depth of the perversion that leads to homosexual acts but affirm the biblical position that such acts are sinful and subject to the wrath of God. We be- the covenant of christian conduct 57 lieve the grace of God sufficient to overcome the practice of homosexuality (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We deplore any action or statement that would seem to imply compatibility between Christian morality and the practice of homosexuality. We urge clear preaching and teaching concerning Bible standards of sexual morality” (Section D. Human Sexuality). This statement alone has caused individuals who are members of The Church to judge and look down on those who have expressed interest in the acts of …show more content…
However, there are some who have decided to take a stand and find a way to be involved with the Nazarene Church even when many look down and judge them. There was a Nazarene pastor who had grown up in the church and was considered the “poster child” while in the youth group. Once discovered that he was gay, he was asked to leave his church but continues to stay strong in his relationship with Christ. This same former pastor in the Church of the Nazarene states, “For many gays, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer Christians, it is easy to get stuck here; in the separation. In the emotional rawness of being rejected by people you thought were on your side, but weren’t, or not fully, or are now but not when you needed them. The deeper the cut the longer it takes to heal and so we linger in the separation” (Nazarene