Welcome to Affirmation Scotland
Affirmation Scotland is a network in The Church of Scotland of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (lgbt) Christians, their friends and supporters. It was formed in 2006 in response to the issue of ministers and deacons being able to conduct ceremonies to mark civil partnerships without fear of censure. Affirmation Scotland (AS) seeks the affirmation and dignity of lgbt Christians within the church, but also a progressive Church in a wider theological sphere, inspired by the Spirit of God, that is always reforming in accordance with a critical understanding of the Word of God.
What we believe
VISION
Affirmation Scotland’s vision is to affirm and celebrate
Christ’s call to inclusion, generosity and hospitality, and
to see all Christians welcomed and affirmed within the
Church, regardless of sexual orientation. Membership of AS
is open to all who support this vision – clergy or laity,
gay or straight, members of the Church of Scotland or those
from other traditions.
Affirmation Scotland seeks to offer a ministry of care, hope
and advocacy to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (lgbt)
Christians, their families and supporters. We will also
contribute to the debate within the Kirk on human sexuality
from a progressive perspective.
THEOLOGICAL CONVICTION
- We affirm that Christian theological reflection is above all about God. The written word found in Scripture points beyond itself to the word incarnate: God among us. All that the church does is about God, or it is nothing. The church is the Church of Jesus Christ, or it is nothing. The Gospel is the good news that the triune God took flesh and came among us for our salvation.
- We affirm that God is the one who loves in freedom, not as the world loves. We further affirm that God’s love extends equally to all people.
- We affirm that in God’s self-giving to humanity in the incarnation in Jesus Christ we find the ultimate expression of divine hospitality. God’s greatest gift to us, the source of all our giving, is the Gospel. Central to the Gospel are generosity and hospitality. Christian hospitality is hospitality to the stranger. ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’ Jesus was with the lepers. Jesus made himself an outcast and died for the outcast – this was courageous hospitality. We affirm that this is the essence of the Gospel and we pledge ourselves to support those who are at risk, wherever and however we are able. We are called to tell the world that there are no outsiders.
- We believe that God has brought reconciliation out of conflict. We maintain a quiet faith that God will quite certainly gather up all the broken and hurting fragments from all sides into his all-encompassing love, however long it takes.
- We affirm our commitment to an ever more open, generous, inclusive, hospitable and truly evangelical Church of Scotland.
- We affirm that the Church has been and is richly blessed by the transparent Christian witness of lesbian and gay ministers and laypeople over a long period. The Church should rightly be humbled by their integrity, encouraged by their faith, and awed by their Christ-like generosity, often in the face of daunting adversity.
- We affirm the need to speak boldly in support of those who feel unable to speak for themselves, in the church and in the world.
- We affirm with gratitude to God the profound contribution to the mission and discipleship of the Church made by lesbian and gay people today, and we look forward with confident hope to that time when all discrimination will be past, and the peace, love and justice of the Kingdom will be established among us.
- We welcome assurances that none of us in the Church wishes to be homophobic. That is a step forward. But however sincere the protestations of compassionate and unconditional love, a theological position that states that homosexuality is sinful gives a green light to those who believe that God will punish lesbian and gay people because of who they are. Pronouncements have consequences.
- We remember with sorrow that the literal imitation of Biblical injunctions has caused mayhem in history and may do so again. We do not forget that some of the most oppressed gay Christians are evangelical Christians, who may have to hide their identities with huge attendant anxiety.
- We affirm the need to maintain the unity of the Church. We affirm the need to be in unity with the outcast and the marginalised. We believe that neither orthodox nor evangelical are the property of a particular section of the Church.
ACTION
We plan to affirm the place of lgbt Christians in the Church of Scotland by doing the following:
- Creating safe places and times for gay people and their friends to meet for worship, fellowship, and support.
- Organising events that promote an inclusive church.
- Providing resources to the Kirk and the lgbt community promoting the belief that God welcomes into God’s family all people regardless of gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
- Speaking out for the dignity and place of lgbt Christians whenever this is under attack.
- Responding appropriately to approaches by the media for comment on issues related to the Kirk.
- Being a presence – reminding the Kirk in a consistent way that the lgbt community has always been and is present within the Kirk.