Affirming theology
Serious error
The teaching that the church should bless same-sex marriages and same-sex sexual relationships as faithful before God.
Also called: LGBTQ-affirming, LGBT-affirming, same-sex marriage blessed, revisionist sexual ethic
What it means
Affirming theology teaches that committed, monogamous same-sex relationships can be holy and that the church should celebrate and bless same-sex marriages. Churches holding it usually also ordain people in such relationships.
Its advocates often begin from compassion. They see the pain many gay and lesbian people have suffered, sometimes at the hands of churches, and they want the church to be a place of welcome. They usually argue that the biblical texts addressed exploitative or idolatrous practices, not loving committed partnerships, or that the Spirit is leading the church to a new understanding.
The church in every age and tradition has held otherwise, and so do the Westminster and 1689 confessions. Rejecting affirming theology is not a rejection of people who experience same-sex attraction. Many such believers live faithfully by the historic ethic, and they deserve a church that honors their costly obedience and surrounds them with family.
What Scripture says
God created humanity male and female and blessed them, the foundation of marriage.
Jesus defines marriage by God's creation of male and female becoming one flesh.
Paul describes same-sex relations, both female and male, as contrary to nature.
Paul lists men who practice homosexuality among the unrighteous, and announces washing in Christ.
Paul names same-sex practice among things contrary to sound doctrine and the gospel.
What is wrong with it
Every passage of Scripture that addresses same-sex sexual activity treats it as sin, and every passage that speaks of marriage presents it as the union of a man and a woman. Jesus himself grounded marriage in creation, not in culture. Paul's argument in Romans 1 rests on God's design in creation rather than on the abuses of his day, and his terms in 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1 echo the Levitical law's broad prohibition.
To bless what God calls sin is not kindness. It tells people that God approves of what he does not, and withholds from them the call to repentance and the hope of new life that the gospel offers to every sinner alike.
How it undermines the truth
It undermines the authority and clarity of Scripture, by setting aside its plain teaching in favor of present experience. It undermines the doctrine of creation, in which male and female are a gift that marriage honors. It obscures the picture of Christ and the church that marriage is meant to display. And it reshapes the gospel, which calls every person to turn from sin, into a message that affirms people as they are.
How it can harm a church
A church that adopts affirming theology leaves its members without the truth they need about God's design for their bodies and relationships. It can lead people into patterns of life that Scripture says exclude from the kingdom, without warning them. It also isolates believers who experience same-sex attraction and are seeking to live faithfully, implying their obedience is needless.
Historically, churches that have taken this step have often moved away from Scripture's authority on other matters too, and many have divided.
This page describes a teaching, not the faith of any person who holds it.
Where it comes up
Confessions: WCF 24.1; LBCF 1689 25.1
On this site: Marriage & sexuality
Related terms
Historic sexual ethicHistoric orthodoxy
The teaching, held by the whole church through its history, that marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman and the only right place for sexual intimacy.
Third wayFlagged as a concern
The stance that a church will not take a position on same-sex marriage and sexuality, treating it as a matter on which members may disagree.
Gender transition affirmationSerious error
The teaching that a person's inner sense of gender, rather than their bodily sex, defines who they are, so that the church should affirm social or medical transition.
Sufficiency of ScriptureHistoric orthodoxy
Scripture contains everything we need to know for salvation, faith, and life, so nothing needs to be added to it.