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Christianity Today, July, 2009 |

What to Do about Unbiblical Unions

African churches seek a better response to polygamy than in years past as western churches address new same-sex marriages.

Susan Wunderink | posted 6/25/2009 10:09AM

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Dealing with same-sex couples in the church will require Western church leaders to sit down and discuss a united response, said Azumah and Kombo.

"The bottom line is, whatever the church needs to do, be it in discipline or theology, the church should not lose the human face," said Azumah. "There's always flesh attached to the Word. Jesus was full of grace and truth. When we're dealing with gay people or polygamists, our church should be undergirded and guided by grace and truth."

Related Elsewhere:

See Christianity Today's earlier op-ed by John Witte Jr,, "Can America Still Bar Polygamy?"

News coverage, editorials, and op-ed pieces on same-sex marriage are available in our special section.

More coverage of Africa and African countries is available on our site as well.

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July 2009, Vol. 53, No. 7

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Perplexed

Posted: June 30, 2009 8:18 PM


Robyn, certainly those of us in the Wesleyan tradition would say - as Wesley did - that communion is a means of grace.

Robyn

Posted: June 30, 2009 3:31 PM


Communion is not a MEANS of grace. It's symbolic of the grace that we have already recieved. I do agree, however, that polygamous converts and their families must be welcomed and treated with respect as full and equal members of the church without regard for past sins. Perhaps the various sexual relationships could end, but without severing the familial connections.

Perplexed

Posted: June 30, 2009 12:40 PM

This evening I am taking part in a discussion with Gay and Lesbian students on why Christianity is good news for them. Am I going under false pretences? I find the tone of many of the coments to be quite bizarre. They justify a patriarchal practice which reduces women to being chattals, on the gounds that the religious texts of a nomadic society thousands of years ago are ok with it while condemning even the most committted and caring same sex relationship. Whay is there scope for pastoral sensitivity (or is that simply realism) in the former case while the latter is simply forbidden? I won't get into what biblical texts might or might not say about homosexuality, no one ever changes their mind anyway. However it is worth remebering that when the Bible discusses any form of sex it is almost invariably in the context of power and the abuse of power. Why are so many Evangelicals so adamant re homosexuality?

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