Cherry Hinton Baptist Church
Points of agreement and disagreement with regard to some aspects of sexual ethics
as agreed on 14th November 2023 at the church members’ meeting
as being an accurate representation of the church
Note: Some points have specific Biblical references, other points are based on an overview of the Bible.
We agree that all humans are created in the image of God, and that God blessed us encouraging us to be fruitful and increase in number (Genesis 1:27-28). And that when a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, the two become one flesh and that what God has joined together, no person should separate (Matthew 19:5). We agree that marriage is ideally a lifelong, exclusive loving commitment. We also agree that some marriages are so harmful that in some circumstances separation occurs.
We agree that there is a sexual way of a couple relating to each other which is to be celebrated (Song of Songs).
We agree that adultery is wrong (Exodus 20:14), and that there is a way of “looking” at another person which is adulterous (Matthew 5:28).
We agree that we can relate sexually towards others in harmful ways. We believe that such sexual immorality includes rape, promiscuity, prostitution (1 Cor 6:15), adultery, incest (1 Cor 5), bestiality, the use of sex to humiliate, control or hurt another person (including your spouse), the use of sex to obtain favour.
We agree that God loves and is concerned for all human beings, whatever their sexuality and we repudiate all attitudes and actions which victimise or diminish people whose affections are directed towards people of the same sex. We are encouraged many Christians now recognise and deeply regret the hurt caused by past and present failures in their responses to those who experience same-sex attraction. We agree that holding a conservative biblical position is not in itself a hatred of homosexual people.
We agree that our calling as the body of Christ is to be a place both of radical inclusion (which means that we are all included, despite our lifestyles being in varying degrees far from the ideal Gal 3:26-28) and of radical transformation (which means that we all grow in holiness, and that we all seek God’s guidance about how we live Romans 12:1, 2Cor5:17). We believe that we are called to be channels of grace and love.
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Some within our church believe that all same sex genital activity is wrong and that those who experience same sex attraction are called to a life of celibacy (just as those who have opposite sex attraction who have not found a marriage partner are called to a life of celibacy). They do so on the basis that all of the passages in the Bible which mention same sex genital activities are all negative (Gen19, Lev18:22, Lev20:13, Rom1:26-27, 1Cor6:9, 1Tim1:9-10), and that there is no mention in the Bible of anything supporting same sex genital activity. They believe that male/female joining is part of the essence of marriage without which it is not a marriage.
Some within our church understand that biblical teaching leads them to believe that God delights in the lifelong, exclusive loving commitment of two people expressed in same sex marriage or a civil partnership, which includes sexual intimacy.
Some within our church believe that, the same sex genital activities which are condemned in the Bible fall into categories of rape, promiscuity, prostitution, adultery, the use of sex to humiliate or hurt another person and the use of sex to obtain favour. They note that there are 6 Old Testament references to male cult prostitutes (Deut 23:17, 1K14:24, 1K15:12, 1K22: 46, 2K23:7, Job36:14), and they also believe it is significant that sexual immorality is included in the Acts 15:20 list of what Gentile Christians are asked to abstain from alongside “the things polluted by idols, and from what has been strangled, and from blood” (where idolatry seems to be the common theme). To some this seems in character with a God who permits things to take place which were not part of the original plan, e.g. wearing of clothes (Genesis 3:7), eating meat (Genesis 9:3), having a king (1 Sam 8:7).
Some believe a mixture of the above.