Coalition of Evangelical Christians Releases Predictably Awful 'Manifesto' on Sexuality

Evangelical christians: not down with “homosexuality.” Did you know?

In case it wasn’t abundantly clear already, a summit of 150 evangelical Christian leaders released a manifesto detailing their beliefs on “human sexuality.” No surprises here: members of the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) affirmed their beliefs that “homosexuality immorality” is a sin and, of course, that marriage can only be defined as between a man and a woman.

Their manifesto, which was released on Tuesday and swiftly shot to the top of Twitter’s trends, has been dubbed “the Nashville Statement” after the Tennessee city where their bigoted conference was held. (Nashville’s mayor, Megan Barry, would like everyone to know that the manifesto was “poorly named” and “does not represent the inclusive values of the city and people of Nashville.)

CBMW’s 14 point proclamation is predictably horrible and riddled with prejudice. It’s structured as a set of beliefs that the organization either “affirms” or “denies.” Here’s sampling of the manifesto’s nauseating declarations:

We deny that adopting homosexual or transgender self-conception is consistent with God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption.

We deny that an enduring pattern of desire for sexual immorality justifies sexually immoral behavior.

We affirm that it is sinful to approve of homosexual immorality or transgenderism and that such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness.

And so on and so forth. CBMW’s co-founder, John Piper, described the group’s articles as a “Christian manifesto concerning issues of human sexuality” that “speaks with forthright clarity, biblical conviction, gospel compassion, cultural relevance, and practical helpfulness.” I’ll give Piper conviction, but compassion? I think cruel discrimination is more fitting description of CBMW’s manifesto.

Oh, they also consider premarital sex a sin, which means the dating pool in hell must be enormous! Sweet.