1.
What is your biblical stance on being gay
and Christian?
The
love and grace of God are available to all
persons through Jesus Christ. Our Creator
does not hold human distinctions, such as
race, gender or sexual orientation, relevant
to happiness in this life or salvation in
the next.
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2.
How can you justify your biblical stance?
In
the Bible, there is no record that Jesus
Christ condemned homosexuality. Instead,
Jesus always showed concern for people no
matter who they were. An example included
the Samaritan woman at the well who was
living with a man who wasn't her husband.
Today, some Christians teach that we come
to God "just as we are," yet most
of them exclude homosexuals and other sexual
minorities from church fellowship. We ask
why. God does not hold sexual orientation
as a factor in salvation. Evangelicals Concerned
has many reasons for advocating this position.
Read our page on Homosexuality
and the Bible for detailed questions
and answers about this subject.
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3.
Are you a church?
Evangelicals
Concerned is not a church, but a network
of friends who encourage and affirm gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT)
Christians in their faith. The organization
primarily supports evangelical Christians,
though all are welcome to attend Evangelicals
Concerned activities.
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4.
Are you affiliated with a denomination?
Since
Evangelicals Concerned is a non-denominational
support ministry, our activities generally
do not reflect any one religious tradition,
but may take elements from several. All
Evangelicals Concerned activities are intended
to be safe for everyone, without regard
to church affiliation.
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5.
What is the purpose of Evangelicals Concerned?
Evangelicals
Concerned responds to the needs of gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT)
evangelical Christians primarily through
nurturing fellowship. It is a ministry providing
a safe place for gay and lesbian evangelical
Christians to deal with issues of reconciling
and integrating their spirituality and sexuality.
ECWR
hosts conferences, local groups, and Bible
studies, and provides education through
newsletters and on-line resources. We foster
an atmosphere for spiritual growth and provide
a safe place and personal support for all
who are on their journey of faith.
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6.
What are your regular meetings like?
Evangelicals
Concerned activities are intended to be
safe for everyone. Our regular local meetings
usually consist of Bible studies and topical
discussions relating to Christian living,
growth and maturing. These events usually
take place in people's homes, although some
meetings occur at churches, universities
or other venues. Prayer requests are frequently
taken. Dress is casual.
The
number of people attending varies from small
to large. Some groups precede the main meeting
with singing and worship. Since Evangelicals
Concerned is a non-denominational support
ministry, worship generally does not reflect
any one religious tradition, but may take
elements from several.
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7.
Do you have social events? What are they
like?
Regular
social activities: Our chapters typically
sponsor potlucks, parties, hikes, athletic
activities, dinners, retreats and other
activities of various kinds to encourage
beneficial Christian fellowship. An Evangelicals
Concerned activity is intended to be a safe,
fun place for everyone. The organization
does not condone use of drugs, excessive
drinking or sexual activity at its events.
Contact
your ECWR
group for information about specific
local activities.
Annual
conference: We also organize an international
conference every summer in various locations
around the United States, called ConnECtion.
Activities for men and women at this conference
include workshops, casual get togethers,
worship, and touring. Additionally, a retreat
for women is held just before ConnECtion.
Personal support is available at the conference
and the retreat for those requesting it.
To read some personal observations about
some of our events, read our Event
Summaries.
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8.
Do you have an Evangelicals Concerned group
in my area?
We
have groups meeting all over the United
States and Canada. View our Local
Groups page to find a group.
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9.
Can you refer me to a gay-affirming church
in my area?
Your
best way to find out this information is
to consult your local gay telephone directory
(printed and on the internet). Various Web
sites list gay-affirming churches. Check
out our Links
page for more information.
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10.
What do you mean by "evangelical?"
"Evangelicals"
are usually in agreement with the traditional
Christian gospel as presented in the Bible.
Evangelicals emphasize salvation by faith
in the atoning death of Jesus Christ, a
personal relationship with the Savior, the
authority of Scripture, and the importance
of teaching as contrasted with ritual.
There
are several branches of the evangelical
Christian world:
Progressive.
This movement emphasizes reading scripture
by taking into account the history and culture,
authorship, literary genre, and the meaning
of the words as the original reader would
have understood them. This movement strives
to place each scripture into its context.
Fundamentalist.
This branch emphasizes the literally interpreted
Bible as fundamental to Christian life and
teaching.
Charismatic
or holiness. This usually fundamentalist
movement emphasizes the gifts of the Holy
Spirit given to individual Christians for
the good of the church. Some charismatics
additionally stress the importance of speaking
in tongues (other languages).
Apocalyptic
or adventist. This branch emphasizes that
the second coming of Christ, the end of
the world, the general resurrection and
final judgment are near at hand.
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11.
I've had bad experiences with evangelicals
in the past. Why do you want to call yourselves
"Evangelicals Concerned?"
Many
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered
(GLBT) people identify with evangelical
beliefs, even though they no longer accept
the homophobic aspects. Evangelicals Concerned
seeks to encourage and affirm GLBT evangelicals
in their faith, regardless of denominational
affiliation. No other non-denominational
ministry does this.
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12.
Are you affiliated with P-FLAG or other
gay/lesbian groups? Do you support them?
Evangelicals
Concerned is an independent ministry, and
is not affiliated with other groups. We
are not exclusive. ECWR encourages fellowship
among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered
(GLBT) and non-gay Christians and is dedicated
to ensuring that no GLBT Christian suffers
because of who they are.
ECWR
acknowledges, whenever possible, the ministry
of individuals and organizations who share
this vision. Likewise, ECWR respects the
goals and missions of other ministries and
does not seek such support from other organizations.
ECWR does not actively promote other organizations
by giving or selling its membership list
to any other organization nor does ECWR
allow other organizations to use ECWR events
or publications to advertise or solicit
membership.
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13.
Are you political? What is your stand on
gay rights, such as marriage rights for
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered
people?
Evangelicals
Concerned is an independent ministry whose
primary mission is to support gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered people in their
faith. Our members support various positions
(including no position) on social and political
issues. Since political discussions can
tend to divide people, however, the Evangelicals
Concerned board of directors does not advocate
any particular position in the political
arena.
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14.
Do you use inclusive language in your meetings
and publications?
The
Bible reveals that God is not limited by
gender but is all encompassing. Following
this example, activities of Evangelicals
Concerned are intended to be safe places
for everyone. Additionally, all ECWR written
materials strive to be absent of biases
with regard to gender, age, physical ability,
sexual orientation, race or ethnicity. We
encourage individual members to use inclusive
language and be sensitive to their own biases
and prejudices. ECWR has a statement
on inclusive language.
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15.
What does your organization teach? Do you
have any set doctrines? Are members required
to adhere to them?
Evangelicals
Concerned does not have a fixed group of
beliefs to which members and friends must
adhere. ECWR fosters an atmosphere for spiritual
growth and provides a safe place and personal
support for all who are on their journey
of faith.
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16.
I've been involved in an ex-gay ministry,
but I've not seen any change in my sexual
desires. Do you have anyone I can talk to?
Several
of our members once were part of ex-gay
ministries. Read about some people in our
group who were ex-gay.
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17.
I want to study the scriptures with regard
to homosexuality (or bisexuality or other
sexual minority). Do you recommend any books
or have a list of books I can read?
Our
resource center has many books, articles,
and recordings available on these subjects.
For current ordering information, please
email our office manager at ecwr@ecwr.org.
You might also check out our Web
page covering questions and answers
about the Bible and sexual minorities.
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18.
What books or other resources can I obtain
from your resource center?
For
current ordering information, please email
our office manager at ecwr@ecwr.org
or check out the recommended
books page.
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19.
Do you have a newsletter?
Evangelicals
Concerned publishes a free quarterly newsletter,
called thECable,
and an email newsletter, the EC
Gram. You might want to subscribe or
to look at back issues.
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20.
Do you have a list of Web links that I could
use to research homosexuality and the Bible?
Check
out our Web links page.
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21.
What would I gain from becoming an ECWR
member?
Annual
membership dues are $24.00. You receive
the following benefits from membership
in ECWR:
- thECable newsletter four times a year.
- Record and Review newsletters four times
a year.
- Discounts on registration fees for
conferences and retreats.
- Advance notification of events, activities
and conferences.
- Satisfaction in knowing that you support
an active ministry that brings hope to
GLBT
Christians like you worldwide.
To
become a member, check out our membership
page.
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22.
Do you have conferences or retreats?
Evangelicals
Concerned sponsors and organizes an international
conference every summer in various locations
around the United States, called ConnECtion.
Activities at this conference include workshops,
casual get togethers, worship, and a preconference
women’s retreat. Personal support
is available at the conference to those
requesting it. (You might want to read about
this year's
conference.)
Also,
Evangelicals Concerned chapters sometimes
organize regional retreats away from the
city in various locations. These retreats
have activities that are similar to ConnECtion.
Contact a a local
chapter or check out our seminars
page.
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23.
Do you have activities just for women?
A
women's retreat is held just before ConnECtion
each year. (For specific information on
this year's women's retreat, Click Here.
Evangelicals Concerned chapters sometimes
organize women's activities as well. Contact
a a local
chapter.
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24.
How can I meet other gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered
people who are Christians?
The
best way is to attend activities designed
specifically for GLBT Christians. Why not
attend one of Evangelicals Concerned's activities?
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25.
How can we start an Evangelicals Concerned
chapter in our area?
Why
reinvent the wheel? Let us help. Evangelicals
Concerned offers information on setting
up a local chapter and training sessions
for local leaders. Please contact
our regional office by email or phone.
We'll connect you with someone trained to
help local groups get started.
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26.
We have an independent gay/lesbian Bible
study in our city. Is there any advantage
to being affiliated with Evangelicals Concerned?
Yes.
Being connected to a larger fellowship can
be important for many reasons. For example,
our Web site www.ecwr.org receives thousands
of visitors every month. If your Bible study
becomes part of ECWR, you will immediately
receive a powerful and no-cost way to connect
to potential members.
Evangelicals
Concerned has over 20 years of experience
in running local chapters. Evangelicals
Concerned assists all chapters with the
necessary tools, such as brochures, reading
materials and study guides. ECWR carries
liability insurance for meetings and activities,
which is a free service to all Evangelicals
Concerned chapters. The organization provides
scholarships to those needing assistance
to attend ConnECtion, our annual conference.
Upon
request, ECWR can send resource materials,
study guides or guest speakers to your meetings
(subject to availability). Additionally,
we can advise or train your local chapter
leaders, provide time-tested leadership
materials, and schedule a leadership seminar
in your area.
At
the same time, your chapter is your group.
Each ECWR chapter governs itself and retains
its particular flavor, management style
and activities. No one will tell you how
to run the group or what to believe. Evangelicals
Concerned exists to support, not dictate.
Please
contact the
regional office by email or phone.
We'll connect you with someone trained to
assist local groups.
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