Word has just emerged that the Nazarene denomination has taken a bold stand against free sex. A Church of the Nazarene court has found Thomas Jay Oord guilty of affirming and advocating for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ members, contrary to the church’s teachings. The church stated in part, “The Church of the Nazarene holds that ‘the practice of same-sex sexual intimacy is contrary to God’s will.’ ”

Last month during Pride Month I wrote (“Gay Nazarenes”) about a book with the intriguing title Why the Church of the Nazarene Should be Fully LGBTQ+ Affirming by Thomas Jay Oord, a pastor of the Nazarene Church, and Lexa Oord (SacraSage, 2023), encouraging the Church to adopt the full practice of same-sex marriage. Since ninety-some leaders of the Church wrote contributions for the book, I took it to represent the official position of the denomination. I was wrong.

I received a letter from Thomas Hogan, Senior Pastor of Amazing Grace Church of the Nazarene in Walla Walla, WA., stating that the “The majority of the denomination does not agree with Thomas Oord who is undergoing a denominational trial because his teachings are not in line with the denomination.” This is good news, especially since I finished my article by calling on my readers to pray for the Nazarenes. Christian orthodoxy cannot afford to lose a church known by its faithfulness to the Scriptures, especially in the light of the growing social power the LGBTQ ideology. For instance, how disappointing it was to see the Olympic games, a celebration of physical health, mock Christianity by imitating the classic painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, including a group of drag queens enjoying the celebratory meal. In French the statement was made very clear and in rhyme: “La scène (the scene) de la Cène (the Last Supper) près de la Seine” (the river in Paris). In French, each key word sounds the same. The irony is that the water in the Seine is polluted, possibly interfering with some of the events. Inevitably, some swimmers are complaining of sickness.

Back to the Nazarenes. Word has just emerged that the Nazarene denomination has taken a bold stand against free sex. A Church of the Nazarene court has found Thomas Jay Oord guilty of affirming and advocating for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ members, contrary to the church’s teachings. The court’s statement is worth repeating:

We, the members of the Regional Board of Discipline, unanimously find to a moral certainty and beyond a reasonable doubt … that Thomas Jay Oord is guilty of conduct unbecoming a minister and of teaching doctrines out of harmony with the doctrinal statement of the Church of the Nazarene.” The Church of the Nazarene holds that “the practice of same-sex sexual intimacy is contrary to God’s will.

This is encouraging since many churches are giving in, such as the Open Way Church in Vancouver, Canada. Their Pastor Beth, who is “gay married” to another woman, invited pastor Carolina Glauster to preach in a Zoom service. Glauster is a Lutheran pastor who leads Mount Olivet Lutheran Church while also being in a proudly and open polyamorous relationship, having a “partner” and a “metamour” (the partner of your partner/ lover of your lover.) Inevitably there’s a bunch of openly practicing polyamorous men and women in this church. Naturally, Pastor Beth makes a point to gush over this relationship and polyamorous lifestyle, inviting any congregants who think they might want to explore this type of thing to get in touch with her.

Biblical Christians in many denominations can give thanks to God for the courage of fellow believers in the Nazarene Church and for their example to be followed throughout our movement. Certainly, we should love homosexuals, but we cannot endorse their sexual practice. As human beings created in God’s image, we are male and female, as the Scripture clearly states (Gen 1:27). In our sexuality, God calls us to bear witness to an increasingly unbelieving world.

Dr. Peter Jones was director of truthXchange, a communications center aimed at equipping the Christian community to recognize and effectively respond to the rise of paganism. Used with permission.