Originally published in iol news
The general synod of the Dutch Reformed Church will be asked by its Western Cape moderator to consider accepting homosexual relationships and pastors, Beeld reported on Thursday.
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Western Cape moderator Dr Frits Gaum said the proposals were the collective plea of 26 church parishioners, among them Gaum’s own son, Laurie.
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The issue was “a very divisive one in churches all over the world”, but the general synod should consider the request “in a sober, scripture-guided manner”, Gaum said.
In the proposal, the 26 request that a significant section of church policy, announced in 2007, should remain unchanged. This included the decision that only the union between a man and a woman could be regarded as a marriage.
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However, the 2007 policy also states the church will not accept homosexual relationships as an alternative to marriage.
The new proposal asks the general synod to accept there could be a permanent and unique relationship between two people of the same sex.
In 2007, the church also ruled that gays could become pastors, on condition they led celibate lives. Gaum said he would ask the church to drop the celibacy clause.
If we have a compass, and grab hold of the needle to point it in the direction of our choice… we are sure to end up at quite another destiny. The church is there to help people to overcome sin, not to accept sin as the norm. Let’s all get rid of sin in our lives and live life God’s way!
This is how evil makes its way into the congregation.
The photo in the article is not of Frits Gaum, but of Laurie Gaum.
Thanks. I have corrected the caption.
Sad. Tragic.The NGK has always been a church that tried to be theologically sound. To go soft on homosexual practice is theologically irresponsible, because it blasphemes the nature of the Godhead. His image is expressed in “male and female” (Genesis 1:27), and when they condone “male and male” or “female and female” as substitutes, they mess around with the very nature of God.
The church are the followers of JESUS and therefore we who are His cannot condone sin in our lives or others. We reach out to sinners by preaching the Gospel to them as was preached to us when we were in darkness. If the NGK church condones or accepts falsehood then those who are true believers should come out of this community.
…no point in quoting the obvious scriptures, they would have been obliterated long ago. But It does reminds me of CIA, NSA or any other security agency where they release documents to the public but blackout the parts they deem ‘too sensitive’…just hope (and pray) that God has the grace to fit into the sodomites agenda or there will be one bliksem of a ‘hissy fit’, lots of sulking and pouting…sis tog yulle ! This is exactly what happens when people are not followers of Christ but ‘fans’. Fearing man above God. The difference here is the sodomites don’t tremble (James 2:19)Gaum has the gall and audacity to ask/plead/tell the ‘church’ to drop the celibacy clause. What pathetic case of ‘wanting the cake and eating it as well’ There are not many times I feel like ‘tossing my cookies’ but this is one of them. God have mercy !
All very interesting, particularly the responses. To add fuel to this fire, may I recommend Steve Chalk’s article in one of the UK’s top evangelical magazines, which can be found at http://www.christianitymagazine.co.uk/sexuality/stevechalk.aspx? This evangelical leader caused a huge stir around the world when his article was published on the 17 January this year.Chalk does not subscribe to actively gay pastors and leaders, nor would he convince me even if he had tried. But I am thoroughly convinced that it is the kind of responses found here that has efeectively shut the church’s doors to gays, and ensure that we never reach them for Christ. What ever happened to our commission to reach the lost, heal the sick, bring freedom to the captives and the oppressed, and to bring sight to the blind? Has it ever occurred to us that we have done a pretty miserable job of reaching the gays ? As some-one once said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Oh, and by the way, our famous ‘love the sinner but hate the sin’statements just don’t cut it antmore, the world has seen through our empty words.
Sonja What you say is true. Maybe your reaction to previous responces by people who give an opinion might not be accepted as a loving repremand. Over years I have seen the power of sowing and reaping. For every action there is a reaction. Guiding others from any wrongdoing is a matter of love. What they do with your loving advise is there responsibility.
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It has been clear for many decades what is considered SIN.although we as Christians still differ on matters like smoking drinking, and being overweight, even playing innocent computor games with violence and killing in it. But one sin is clear, same sex activity. Remember Sodom and Gomorra. People, participating in any clearly Biblical sin should not trying to change that truth that it is sin. May God give us that is hooked by another kind of sin the same grace and desire to stop sinning. But to make it legally and accepted as rightfull action, is not right and that is why all believers has a greater jon than ever before to reach out to those living in sin. You must hear the testimony of a gay person that was set free from that sinfull nature. He has true joy in the Lord.
I was a lesbian. I became reborn while I was dying of a drug overdose. 3 weeks later I went to a camp and there I asked a guy if it’s ok to be lesbian and he was honest with me. He said that our Heavenly Father does not want me to be gay. And that was all it took for me to decide right then and there, if I can’t be gay then I will be celibate. After that Abba changed me. Today I’m married to the most beautiful man and we have a beautiful son. So my opinion is that gays should be allowed in churches but it must be made clear that it is a sin and that it is not God’s will for them. They must not be allowed to get married or hold hands or become part of the leadership. It is of utmost importance to tell them to live a celibate life. We cannot persuade anyone of anything, only Y’shua can but we have to pray for them. They need deliverance (too long to discuss here) – they won’t find it on the streets and there’s many lies told to them that they believe (also too long for this) but they need the TRUTH to be set FREE. Y’shua came for the sinners, not the saints.
Frits Gaum is not moderator of any synod. What else is misrepresented or untrue in this article, I wonder?
Thanks for pointing out this error in this report which was carried in many SA news services. In fact, according to Wikipedia, Frits Gaum is an “emeritus-predikant” of the NGK, founder-director of Bybelkor (now Bybel-Media) and a former Western Cape Moderator.