Proclamation!

Proclamation of Christian Love and Justice for All

Whereas: The undersigned members of the Contemporary Faith Class of Travis Park United Methodist Church, inspired by the Christ-like spirit of its ministry, are offended and saddened by the exclusion of gay and lesbians from full participation in teaching, ministering, and leadership positions in the Christian Church, and from its sacrament of marriage, and

Whereas: It is our understanding and unshakeable faith that our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ brought to this world an unqualified and inclusive Gospel of God’s love and acceptance of all peoples, regardless of race, gender, economic and social status, or any other condition, and

Whereas: We are convicted by God’s Holy Spirit within us to know that discrimination against gays and lesbians, whether they be Christian or not, is antithetical to the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, and therefore, anti-Christian, and

Whereas: There is no biblical scripture, authoritative for Christians, that supports discrimination against gays and lesbians, especially those who live in committed monogamous relationships, and that any scripture which has been believed to apply is either inapplicable to God’s people today or the result of uninformed and un-Christian interpretations, and

Whereas: we as committed Christians can no longer suffer in silence this corruption of Christ’s Good News and the great harm that corruption has done and continues to do to our non-heterosexual brothers and sisters, our Christian Church, our community, our nation, and our very souls, now therefore,

We Proclaim: That this Contemporary Faith Class is, in and of itself a Reconciliation Church of Inclusiveness within a church, which lovingly and unconditionally welcomes all of God’s peoples, regardless of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, economic and social status, or any other condition.

We therefore pledge to actively challenge, within the United Methodist Church, the Christian community, and society at large, all forms of discrimination against gays and lesbians, and to support all oppressed peoples in the realization of God’s Love and Justice in their lives.