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Boesak quits 'anti-gay' church

2008-10-06 08:06

Neels Jackson

Pretoria - Dr Allan Boesak has accused the General Synod of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) of betraying the Belhar Confession, which pledged the church against all forms of discrimination.

Boesak shocked the Synod on Friday evening by announcing that he would step down from all church positions. This followed an accusation during a debate on homosexuality that he was abusing the Belhar Confession.

Boesak told the Synod that, based on Belhar, the church should fully accept gay members, should perform gay marriage ceremonies and allow ministers in gay relationships to serve in the church.

On Saturday morning, Boesak said in his heart the decision was final, but he would not write his letter of resignation before he has spoken to his people.

The more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed that he would change his mind, he said. Boesak spoke harshly about the Synod, although he said their criticism was not aimed at him personally.

He said he confronted the Synod with an issue that they were neither emotionally nor theologically ready to discuss.

Fundamentalist reading of the Bible

The way in which Synod delegates read the Bible is deeply fundamentalist. They could therefore not claim a deeply reformed reading of the Bible, he said.

They could not refute the arguments in the report he presented. Yet some delegates said although they couldn't answer him, they would still vote against him.

Boesak said the Synod has a deep hatred and disgust for gay people. Because he emphasised that one should not talk about gays in the style of Robert Mugabe, delegates had vented their anger and disgust of gay people on him.

He believes the Synod actually wanted a task team that would come up with an anti-gay report.

But if you did that, said Boesak, you would be manipulating the Bible to suit yourself and your own prejudices. Boesak said he is no longer prepared to represent a church that was betraying the Belhar Confession in that way.

- Beeld

Comments have been closed for this article.

Dianne Hildyard 10/6/2008 8:40:13 AM
Mr Boesak, if you believe that Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life and NO ONE comes to the Father except through me" then you have to believe that the sin of homosexuality and lying and stealing and murder etc is an abomination to God. You can't pick and choose what you believe. I suggest you actually read the bible instead of using "religion" as a source of income.
Biggs 10/6/2008 8:46:08 AM
What Boesak wants is that he expect a guy Pastor in church one day.God greated Adam & Eve not Adam & Steve.There is nothing written in the bible about guy marriages oh no we can't accept this.He support the goverment's decision, I will not be suprise if he support arbortions.
Tina 10/6/2008 8:55:44 AM
In the Bible God clearly states that practicing homosexuality is a sin. How can he then say the church is discriminating against them? It is wrong and the church cannot allow any form of homosexuality! To marry a gay couple in church, you might as well let someone murder a fellow church goer during the morning sermon. It is sin and although God forgives ALL sin you must repent.
Bible Christian 10/6/2008 9:03:36 AM
Where does the Bible speaks of the Belhar Confession? I know about a Nicean Council and its outcome though. I assume Mr. Boesak would rather represent a "church" with "a form of godliness, but deny the power of the Gospel to transform a life." 2 Timothy 3:5 God said; "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." Gen 1:28 Can a gay couple do that? I pray that the "churches" will go back to representing the Word of God... instead of man made doctrines.
American History X 10/6/2008 9:05:04 AM
Remember to not be judgemental - none of us can afford it, nor can he.
Blikkies 10/6/2008 9:09:56 AM
Boesak should rather concider what God says about these things as opposed to the Belhar Confession. How has this man lost his way so much wher is is more concerned about the opinions of man than the opinions of God- No loss to the church, they are certainly better off without having that type of mindset in the church- Unbelievable
Francois Human 10/6/2008 9:11:22 AM
I also believe that gay relationships are against the Word of God. God will however decide Himself how he is going to deal with the matter. Remember to keep your eyes trained on God and not on people. God has many more answers than people and people misleed people wheras God is trustworthy. God will one day deal with every human being, do not get pulled into debates where God is the One that will make the decisions.
kobus spies 10/6/2008 9:27:16 AM
Dr Boesak is a textbook example of: "doen aan ander wat jy aan jouself gedoen wil hê" He also demonstrates to us that every right (prviledge) inmplies a responsibility. he will now experience the "pleasure" of standing alone
Kenko 10/6/2008 9:32:12 AM
was written long ago as the Word of God, the only truth. Since then people has rewritten and translated the Bible so often, so many changes were made, that the original word is long lost. So Belhar Schmelhar. I don't care what any "enlightened" cleric says, but to any normal being the thought of gay love is repulsive. Gays are flaunting their "love" and keep pushing it up our noses, and demand more acceptance than what normal people can expect. It's wrong, finish and klaar.
petty 10/6/2008 9:33:24 AM
Do you anti-gay Christians honestly believe that God in his infinite wisdom cares what two people of the same sex get up to in their bedroom. I really hope God isn't that petty or we are all in trouble.
Wayne 10/6/2008 9:33:51 AM
I don't think that we need to listen or worry about anything that this person (boesak) says. It is probably another one of his ideas that he has to "struggle" with, just like his accounting. He does not not belong anywhere near a church or people with any morality.
double standards 10/6/2008 9:34:33 AM
I am always astonished at how people focus on ONE sin (homosexuality) and conveniently remain quiet about something much more prevalent such as divorce. The 10 Commandments are explicit about divorce and do not even mention homosexuality but where are the voices agains divorce? Divorces are causing much more hurt to many more people than homosexuality, so why don't we hear such strong voices against the sin of divorce. Please, be consistent - double standards are giving Christianity a bad name!
Charl Retief 10/6/2008 9:35:51 AM
Please go and read Romans 1:18-32. Things cannot be stated more clearly than what the Apostle Paul writes there. ALL OF US ARE IN TROUBLE AND STAND GUILTY BEFORE GOD. ALL OF US NEED JESUS CHRIST TO SAVE US.
Jacques van Rensburg 10/6/2008 9:40:01 AM
If I be judged by God or human, may it be because the mistakes I make are the mistakes of love, rather than judgement.
Gert van der Linde 10/6/2008 9:42:00 AM
At last, a man of God who practices what he preaches - we cannot persist in perpetuating the lie that homosexuality is a sin or a sicknes. My Bibe tells me in John 3:16 that " For God so loved the world that God gave God's one and only Son that whoever believes in God shall not perish but have eternal life." Still looking for the clause that excludes gay people from this all covering blessing!
Ivan 10/6/2008 9:58:02 AM
Boesak, I am sad to say that you have lost your way. Of course the church must accept homosexuals as human beings and love them unconditionaly, but the deeds can never be anything else than sin. Repent Allan Boesak !
Wayne 10/6/2008 10:07:52 AM
I truly respect Dr Boesak for standing by his principles and beliefs. When the masses are calling for the blood of anyone who is different from them, be it foreigners, blacks, whites or gays; it takes only one person to turn the tide. History remembers men like him, while the rest will be as dust!
mell 10/6/2008 10:10:15 AM
Thanks for stepping down the church does not need someone you cannot step up for The Word of God
Agnostic 10/6/2008 10:11:29 AM
The bible was written thousands of years ago by old discriminating sexists, who had fundamental views.They believed in slavery and that woman should obey there husbands. How can we then take their hatred of gay people seriously unless we wish to support their pro slavery, sexism views as well, we cannot pick and choose what to believe from this so called "word of God". funny how most people in this comments section are flaunting there hatred for gay people who are supposed.
Bible Christian 10/6/2008 10:22:24 AM
Mr Gert van der Linde, the "whosoever believes" do not include everyone because there's True-believers, Make-believers and Unbelievers. However there will be an ELECT group who will not be deceived. God will be the judge, but THEY will judge the earth with God. Therefore God placed His fivefold ministry, true men of God, here on earth for the perfecting of the TRUE saints. And "whosoever believes" the unadulerated Word of God will be saved. I love ALL Christians.
herrie 10/6/2008 10:44:58 AM
The NG-church does not hate the gay, thief or murderer, and neither does the God of the Bible. Its message is there to warn people first of all of the results of their sins. If they continue in their sins, they wil pay a dear and costly price, in this world and also hereafter. It is a message of hope, love, truth and forgiveness. May God open the eyes of people(especially clerics), of their own mortality. The Bible says that for every idle word people spoke, they will give account for.
Francois Nel 10/6/2008 10:54:32 AM
The Bible preaches love, no more, no less. Only God may judge. I, like Dr Boesak, can't see anythning in the Bible against homosexuality, especially if you look at the much vaunted verses that the Bible bashers like to reference. Read what is said just before and after these verses, and it becomes very clear that to hate gays or even gay sex, was not the intention. Hate is never the intention of the Bible, and if hate is what you are feeling, then go on your knees and pray for forgiveness.
Bible Christian 10/6/2008 11:06:29 AM
To Petty... God said; "Be fruitful." and "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret." Eph. 5:11 I pray that Satan's works, shackles and chains will be broken and that all TRUE gay/lesbian Christians will be set free. God bless you my dear friends and remember He careth for you and He knows and listens to the intent of your hearts.
Sam 10/6/2008 11:09:20 AM
So 'Bible Christian', you love all CHRISTIANS. Is that to the exclusion of all others - including other religions? This is the biggest problem I have with so-called Christians. They seem to be the group that discriminates against most people in the world, when yet, Christianity is supposed to be about tolerance, and loving your neighbour as you love yourself. Most Christians give Christians a bad name.
Jack 10/6/2008 11:09:47 AM
I take my hat off to you for taking a stance against the church on the gay issues. However the Dutch Reformed Church did apologize in front of the whole congregation for being judgmental against gay people and for the first time as a believer and congregation member I feel a sense of belonging and comfortable in church. No human may judge as it is only the gay individual that would have to answer to God on judgment day.
batsi 10/6/2008 11:30:48 AM
We need to teach what God want us to teach,not to please other people in order to make them happy.You may say who are we to judge but there is a different ie when we say we don't want foreigners in our country that is to judge because there is no scripture that say people shoud stay on their different countries,but gay and lesbian is against God's creation of human kind cause God created adam and eve finish and klaar not Eve and Eva or Adam and Odom so please we just heard enough of this madnessl

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