SILVER SPRINGS, Md. — The Seventh-day Adventist Church has reaffirmed its belief that marriage is a “lifelong union between a man and a woman” in response to the current debate over same-sex unions. In a statement released March 9, church officials reaffirmed their fundamental belief that “marriage was divinely established in Eden and affirmed by Jesus to be a lifelong union between a man and a woman in loving companionship.” They also reiterated past statements describing marriage as a “covenant-based union of two genders” and the “only morally appropriate” form of “intimate sexual expression.”
“Homosexuality is a manifestation of the disorder and brokenness in human inclinations and relations caused by sin coming into the world,” the two-page reaffirmation reads. “We hold that all people, no matter what their sexual orientation, are children of God. … However, it is very clear that God’s Word does not countenance a homosexual lifestyle; neither has the Christian church throughout her 2,000-year history.”
The statement was approved by the Administrative Committee, or ruling body, of the worldwide headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is based in Silver Springs.
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