|
Guidance for Consideration The following statement was given by Presiding Evangelist Danny A. Belrose during the Saturday morning
legislative session and is provided here for the information of the Conference.
From the day a pubescent farm boy knelt amid a leafy grove of trees to seek divine direction, we have been a people probing and
pursuing God's will and way. It has been, and will continue to be, a quest in which we seek not so much to possess Truth as to be possessed by it--to rejoice in it, to weep in it, to turn toward it, more often than not
at the expense of our own will. For all too frequently our "will and way" is not God's "will and way." At various junctures on our journey of discipleship, liberal and conservative thinkers have stood hand-in-hand at
the threshold of tomorrow equally assured that the beckoning horizon mirrors their vision of "what is right!"
We have teetered here before--ears straining to hear Truth's confirming voice in prophetic utterance,
eyes proof-texting Holy Writ, and prayers proffered to soften intractable hearts that do not feel what we feel, understand what we understand, or follow the God that we follow. And yet, despite passionate polarization,
we have been willing to let God be God. In response to the pervasive influence of the Holy Spirit, we have seen shadows of disagreement merge and slip over thresholds poised before baptisms in polygamist cultures,
priesthood exclusivity, close Communion, and the very name by which this movement bears its witness of God's will and way.
The church always pauses at the brink of vital issues that cry for the gospel's response.
And so it should. Unresolved concerns call for the faithful to listen, to dialogue, to pray, and to unify our very best efforts to discern what is right. The church pauses now, pondering its response to homosexuality.
"Trust God's Spirit" has been our constitution! It must continue to be so¾for this mandate is the very heartbeat of discipleship. We have been reminded that trust dampens the fires of urgency: "Trust my Spirit
to sustain and uphold you. Do nothing in haste, but continue to trust in the enduring promises of the One in whose name you have been given life" (Doctrine and Covenants 159:7).
Dear friends, we have wisely and
faithfully responded to this counsel in our action to defer legislative resolution of the matter of homosexuality. Notwithstanding, many continue to agonize over this question, and passionate voices crying "for" and
"against" will continue to echo in our midst. May we speak with tenderness of heart. May we listen compassionately. May we be community. May we hear the voices of sisters and brothers both liberal and conservative
without prejudice. May the fervor of competing pleas not drown out those silent saints who continue to seek understanding and guidance. And may we not be governed by fear. Perfect love casts out all fear, and we are a
community created and purchased by Love.
May we remember that whenever the church kneels in the grove of indecision, it does so as an act of faith. A willing suspension "of unbelief." A willingness to be
surprised. A willingness to open our hearts and minds to new understandings, new revelation, and new life for liberals and for conservatives alike. We are in this together. We kneel in the grove together. We seek God's
will and way, together.
Dear friends, during the past few months this matter has weighed heavily upon me. I care deeply for the church, as do you. I empathize with those whose passions cry out at both extremes of
this issue. I agonize with the silent saints in the middle for whom the voice of certitude is mute. I pray for guidance for the leadership of the church at all levels.
I have considered the obligations of the
office to which I am called and have sensed a need to respond to this moment in the life of the church. I have experienced the promptings of the Spirit in what I have said and that which I am about to say. In deepest
humility, I offer for your consideration words of guidance and blessing for the church:
The time has come for the church to lay aside personal agendas and differences that vitiate the cause to which we are
called. We have allowed ourselves to be engulfed by an issue far less important than it is. The church's mission is not to define human sexuality. Our mission is to serve the souls of men and women and boys and girls.
Our mission is to express Christ's community on earth--to reach out in joyful witness and to share generously of God's blessings.
We have permitted a question swaying primarily on the European and
English-speaking stage to choreograph the dance of a World Church in nations where this question is not being asked. We have not claimed it--rather it has claimed us. We worry that its final outcome will divide the
church asunder, unaware that lack of patience is also a source of division. In response to divine counsel the time has come for us to "listen" and learn from each other as led by the Spirit--committing ourselves to
pursue Truth in ways that no longer separate brothers and sisters nor sap the energies of the church.
We have been blessed with sacred text, yet some have sought confirmation in lieu of guidance in its words.
Conservatives and liberals alike rest their cases on "facts": the former assured by "facts" quoted; the latter by "facts" contextualized. Neither side convinces the other. The time has come for the church to free itself
from literalism and factualism and to hear the sacred story in ways that honor the past, enlighten the present, and create God's future.
We have allowed the sweep-second hand of culture to pressure our process of
discernment. The time has come when the church must forsake deadlines that anticipate resolution of this question at each emerging World Conference and allow God to bless the church in God's own way, in God's own time.
We have permitted legalism to overshadow legitimacy. Priesthood's authority has never been measured by whom God calls but by ministry actualized. Its value is neither greater nor less than its blessings offered
and received. Many serve humbly, sacrificially, and with great devotion in the priesthood, while others passively continue to carry but its name. The time has come for the church to delve more deeply into the meaning,
purpose, and accountability of priesthood focused less on the letter of the law and more on the spirit of blessing it brings.
Many contribute willingly and joyfully to the cause of the kingdom. However, some
conflicted by the issue of homosexuality have chosen to withhold their gifts or to mete out their stewardship in perceived measurement of the church's faithfulness. The church is reminded that God's generosity is
neither transactional nor held in abeyance and we who are greatly blessed are called to a corresponding responsibility. Generosity serves only grace; it gives for "the sake of giving"--it moves us from minimums to
maximums, from obligation to opportunity. The Great Commission must ring loudly in our ears and spill out freely in acts that heal the bruised and brokenhearted, bring justice to the oppressed, mend severed
relationships, and renew purpose to life.
The gospel upholds the inestimable worth of all persons. The ground is level at the foot of the cross and none stands outside the grace of its shadow. We are called to
find the face of Christ in those of different colors and different persuasions--to hear Christ's voice in those who think differently and live differently. We are called to embrace those whose understanding of life is
both less than and greater than our own, and whose image of the Divine cries to be seen and set free. Brothers and sisters, the time has come for the church to trust the Holy Spirit to bring harmony to all within the
circle of God's love. As we do so, we need not fear the future. Though some may choose to go their own way, the church's response to homosexuality shall neither divide nor destroy the church if we let God be God. "Trust
my Spirit to sustain and uphold you . . . continue to trust in the enduring promises of the One in whose name you have been given life." Amen. |
