The Gordon statement in question uses the term \u201chomosexual practice.\u201d\u009d Does that cover everything, including handholding by same-sex couples?<\/b><\/p>\n
Gordon has never been a place that has a master list of dos and don\u2019ts. The wider question being asked is, Does Gordon theologically treat same-sex sexual union as sin? The answer is yes. We don\u2019t see a place in the Bible where God appears to bless same-sex sexual union. The language of homosexual practice is really speaking to the arc of a relationship that leads up to sexual consummation.<\/p>\n
We take seriously the challenges of our brothers and sisters who have same-sex attraction. We uphold the idea that same-sex attraction is not to be acted upon in the life of the Christ follower. Some within American evangelicalism and even within the Gordon community don\u2019t share that conviction. But that is the theological position of the institution.
OneGordon, a group that supports LGBT persons connected to Gordon, has a public campaign to drop \u201chomosexual practice\u201d\u009d from Gordon\u2019s life and conduct statement. Is there anything the college and OneGordon agree on?<\/b><\/p>\n
It\u2019s my hope that we can learn from each other. The theological positions of a Christian college are not determined by popular vote or advocacy. I appreciate the heartfelt concerns and desires expressed by members of the Gordon family in the OneGordon group who really want the college to change its position. [But] if a change were to occur, it [wouldn\u2019t be] because there were so many signatures on a petition.<\/p>\n