The Synod of the Reformed Church in the United States has voted to approve a series of official statements strongly condemning same-sex marriage, homosexuality and all other forms of sexual sin.

At the same time, the synod rejected a slate of arguments being offered by homosexual advocates both outside the church and within some other denominations, including the idea that governments or voters have authority to legalize gay marriage.

The actions took place on May 23 at the denominations 267th Synod meeting in Rapid City, S.D.

“The seventh commandment forbids all sexual uncleanness that violates the created ordinance of marriage,” the adopted recommendation of a special committee said.

“Scripture teaches that corrupt actions spring from corrupt hearts, and this by no means excuses sin. Forbidden as contrary to God’s law are homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, transgenderism, bisexuality, pornography and any other sexual sins that take the place of or corrupt the union of man and woman in the holy state of matrimony.

“Not only are the acts themselves forbidden by God, but the very thoughts themselves are condemned,” the statement said, citing Christ’s words in the Sermon on the Mount quoted in Matthew 5:27-30.

The statement said that people do not have authority of “change God’s ordinance of marriage” and to do so is to “usurp the place of God.”

“The political state, therefore, exceeds its bound when it declares to itself the power to redefine marriage as other than one man and one woman,” the statement said.

Those positions were among nine “declarations” drawn from a 60-page position paper called “Promoting a Biblical Sexuality Morality” written by the chairman of the special committee, Rev. Sam Powell, pastor of a Northern California RCUS church. Powell warned the Synod that approving the declarations would likely subject the RCUS churches, members and leaders to persecution, slander, lawsuits and possible violence.

The Synod voted to withhold release of the full paper, which it called a work in progress, until an editorial committee could solicit comments and recommendations for its fine-tuning from the congregations and local church councils of the denomination.

Elsewhere in the declarations, the synod included adultery among sexual sins and condemned, “private violence,” “railing and contemptuous speech against anyone” as worthy of the judgment of God. “The reality of God’s judgment means that we must speak the truth of scripture in love, but not go beyond the scripture itself with abusive speech or violence.”

Among six “errors” the Synod rejected was one claiming that it is possible for a Christian to be a “non-practicing or recovering homosexual.” Powell and other delegates argued that the Christian Gospel is transformative, making “new creatures” out of repentant sinners, and therefore it is erroneous for a repentant homosexual to continue to identify himself or herself as homosexual.

Rev. Dennis Roe, another Northern California pastor, said he has always been disturbed when alcoholics who have successfully become sober continue to refer to themselves as alcoholics or recovering alcoholics. He agreed with Powell that the same should apply to repentant homosexuals.

The declaration against that “error” disputed arguments that there are any gender or sexual categories or identifies other than male and female.

“God created male and female. Men and women can be wise or foolish; covenant breakers or covenant keepers; but they are still male and female. It is recognized in Scripture that all men, even after they have come to Christ, struggle with their particular sins — but they are no longer defined by those sins (I Cor. 6:9-11). There are, therefore, Christians who struggle with same-sex attraction and fantasy, as well as other sins in the thought-life; they are called by God to fight the good fight, confess and forsake their sins, and flee sexual immorality.”

The rejection of errors included one claiming that marriage is “merely a social and legal contract, to be defined by the will of the people. This error denies the authority of God. God Himself has defined marriage and His Word stands forever.”

The Synod declared that the Church of Jesus Christ “must respectfully and graciously decline any demands or requests made by anyone to sanction or perform a ‘marriage’ or civil union that is contrary to the ordinance of God.”

The Synod called on “all who are caught and ensnared in the bondage of sexual sin to confess their sins and come to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and healing.”

In other business, the Synod asked its Judicial Committee to develop objective criteria by which future synods could evaluate colleges and universities for worthiness of financial support by the denomination. The request was said to be necessary in light of recent controversy during the past several synod meetings resulting in the denomination’s removal of support for Dordt College in Iowa.

The college is an independent institution but closely aligned with the Christian Reformed Church, a denomination with which the RCUS Synod severed “fraternal relations” several years ago. The RCUS had found that Dordt’s leadership had taken the college into theological positions contrary to the RCUS’s historic confessions of faith.

The Synod also voted to disband a special subcommittee tasked with continuing dialogue with Dordt in light of a recent change in its leadership. RCUS State Clerk David Fagrey, pastor of the church hosting the 2012 Synod meeting, said, “We’ve dialogued long enough.”

Garry Moes, a former journalist, attended the RCUS synod represent Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary where he serves as Director of Development & Recruiting.

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