Relationships Matter: Affirmations Commentary Theological commentary on the evangelical affirmations on the Bible, sexuality and same-sex attraction Thanks to the Evangelical Alliance Theology Advisory Group for their foundational work on revising the Affirmations, and to their chair (during the relevant period), Dr David Hilborn, for facilitating that process and drafting this commentary, which represents the collective effort of a number of Evangelical Alliance staff and advisers over a significant time span. A number of same-sex attracted voices have also been involved in writing and editing this material.
Clarity, confidence and compassion Relationships are crucial to what it is to be human. The biblical story of creation in the opening chapters of Genesis depicts humans being made in the “image of God” (Genesis 1:26–27). Firstly, the God who creates them is One who Himself lives in harmonious communal relationship as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Secondly, He forms humans for relationship by making them “male and female”. More specifically, He intends that they should relate to each other in their differences as men and women, and as unique individual persons – but also that they should form communities and societies with one another as they worship and serve Him, and as they relate creatively to the world He has made (Genesis 1:27–30). It is through these relationships that the immense love of God for us is learned, lived out and passed down through succeeding generations. Despite this, the church has frequently struggled to respond to the cultural challenges that relationships can present. In particular, changing views and values around sex, sexuality, gender, marriage and family have been especially prominent in western cultures over the past half century or so. This has had a profound impact on churches in those cultures and, to some extent, beyond the western world too. This commentary builds on previous reports concerning same-sex relationships produced by the Evangelical Alliance in 1998 and 2012, both of which sought to articulate an authentic evangelical view of sexuality.1 British social attitudes have continued to change since those publications were issued – most notably with the legal redefinition of marriage in different parts of the UK between 2013 and 2020 to include same-sex couples.2 Attitudes have also shifted across the church since the 2012 report, with more sustained and widespread efforts being made to redefine Christian teaching and practice concerning sexuality, sexual relationships and gender. This shift has predominantly entailed moves to affirm lesbian and gay male partnerships, but the affirmation of transgender and queer identities has latterly become more prominent as well. In some cases, the main terminology used to describe these various characteristics, relationships and identities has changed. While maintaining the same substantive evangelical convictions that were expressed 1
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