The Synod of the Evangelical and Reformed Church of Honduras, located in the Suyapa Neighborhood of the city of San Pedro Sula, Cortez, proclaims the following before the United Church of Christ (UCC, according to its acronyms in English) of the United States of North America.
WHEREAS: the United Church of Christ of the United States of North America, holds policies and the Christian philosophy to openly and affirmingly give all local congregational rights to homosexuals, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people without considering these practices as an offense and sin before God.
WHEREAS: the United Church of Christ resolved for the first time to give holy ordination to a homosexual in 1972.
WHEREAS: the United Church of Christ resolved to give holy ordination to the first lesbian in 1976.
WHEREAS: the United Church of Christ has become a Christian denomination in the United States that promotes marriage among people of the same sex, resolution that was approved by its General Synod on July 4, 2005, when nearly 80% of the delegates (884 to 1050) voted to support same sex marriage, and which was confirmed by the General Synod of the 2007.
WHEREAS: the Evangelical and Reformed Church of Honduras, recognizes that the Word of God was inspired by the Holy Spirit, through its holy prophets and apostles, which constitutes it as the authoritative norm of faith and of conduct.
WHEREAS: the Evangelical and Reformed Church of Honduras understands and teaches that the Word of God does not accept these types of sexual deviations, but rather censures and condemns them.
WHEREAS: the United Church of Christ of the United States of North America and the Synod of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Honduras have maintained a fraternal relation of exchange and mutual work for many years, and for which we have thanked the Lord.
THEREFORE:
1. We affirm that the Evangelical and Reformed Church of Honduras does not share nor is in agreement with the resolution approved by the Synod of the United Church of Christ of the United States of North America regarding the promotion of marriage among people of the same sex.
2. We affirm that the Evangelical and Reformed Church of Honduras does not share the position of the United Church of Christ of accepting as members in full communion of the local churches homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender, considering their sexual orientation completely normal and accepted by Scriptures and by God.
3. We affirm that homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgender are immoral, serious sins and oppose the law of nature, in addition to considering the comparison between heterosexual and homosexual marriage as being in serious error.
3. We affirm that the Evangelical and Reformed Church of Honduras keeps its doors open to the homosexuals, lesbians, bisexual and transgender that they may have a personal salvation encounter with the Lord Jesus and, abandoning this way of life, may join the community of redeemed sinful men and women who give testimony to newness of life.
4. We affirm that the Evangelical Reformed Church of Honduras is aware of the need for a ministry of love and acceptance to homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender, thus we reject and avoid any type of discrimination, violence and marginalization of people and individuals.
5. We manifest to the United Church of Christ of the United States of North America our concern for the benefit and continuity of our relationship, caused by their last resolutions around the viewpoints aforementioned; this is thus due to the fraternal, historic relationship of work and of gratitude that have united us and have forged strong ties of friendship, love and communion between both churches; therefore we desire to see how they could be preserved in spite of our differences.
SAN PEDRO SULA, CORTÉS
AUGUST 15, 2007