Whereas, All persons are created in God’s image and are made to glorify Him (Genesis 1:27; Isaiah 43:7); and

Whereas, God’s design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:6) which designate the fundamental distinction that God has embedded in the very biology of the human race; and

Whereas, God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of lifelong, monogamous marriage or celibate singleness (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:9-12); and

Whereas, The Fall of man into sin and God’s subsequent curse have introduced brokenness and futility into God’s good creation (Genesis 3:1–24; Romans 8:20); and

Whereas, the effects of this fall often manifest themselves in the area of human sexuality; and

Whereas, many sexual activities such as, but not limited to, adultery, fornication, incest, polygamy, homosexuality, transgenderism, bisexuality, cross-dressing, pedophilia and bestiality are inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and the Church (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:22-23; Deuteronomy 22:5; Romans 1:26-27); and

Whereas, lascivious behavior, the creation, viewing and/or distribution of pornography and efforts to alter one’s gender are incompatible with a true Biblical witness; and

Whereas, many of these sexual identities and activities are practiced, promoted and celebrated as good, healthy and praiseworthy in our culture; and

Whereas, those who engage in such activities will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10); now, therefore,

Be it resolved, That we grieve the reality of human fallenness which can result in such psychological manifestations as homosexuality and gender identity confusion and point all to the hope of the redemption of our bodies in Christ (Romans 8:23); and

Be it further resolved, That we love our neighbors who identify as a part of the LGBTQ community, seek their good always, welcome them to our churches, and, as they repent and believe in Christ, receive them into church membership (2 Corinthians 5:18–20; Galatians 5:14); and

Be it further resolved, That we extend love and compassion to those whose sexual self-understanding is shaped by a distressing conflict between their biological sex and their gender identity; and

Be it further resolved,  That we oppose efforts to alter one’s bodily identity (e.g., cross-sex hormone therapy, gender reassignment surgery) to refashion it to conform with one’s perceived gender identity; and

Be it further resolved, That we oppose all cultural efforts to validate claims to transgender identity; and

Be it further resolved, That we oppose all cultural efforts to redefine marriage as anything other than a lifelong, monogamous relationship between one man and one woman; and

Be it further resolved, that we afford compassion, love, kindness, respect and dignity to every person. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individuals, including those in the LGBTQ community, are to be condemned and are unacceptable and incompatible with Scripture and the doctrines of the church; and

Be it further resolved, That we applaud and encourage our brothers and sisters who struggle with gender identity issues or same sex attraction, but who have chosen holiness and God’s design instead (Romans 3:23; 1 Corinthians 6:11); and

Be it further resolved, That we applaud and encourage our brothers and sisters who have been called to the good gift of celibate singleness in holiness and service to God (1 Corinthians 7:7-8, 27-28); and

Be it further resolved, That we exhort Advent Christians everywhere to uphold the dignity and sanctity of marriage and the family by striving to live and serve in such a way that their marriages, families and homes are a true reflection of Christ and his Church; and

Be it finally resolved, that this resolution be made available to all Advent Christian churches, regions, conferences, ministerial committees associate members and campgrounds, and that those bodies be encouraged to adopt this resolution.