Our
Vision Our Philosophy Who
We Are
We
envision a body of Christ in which straight, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual
and trans-gendered members truly exemplify the love of God in their
relations with each other -- loving unconditionally without demanding
proof that others are "worthy" of love. For God loved us
unconditionally, as unworthy as we are.
To
this end we wish to foster understanding and dialogue to help reduce
the fear of homosexuality (homophobia) that is too often evident in
conservative Christian churches and to replace it with an active love
that finds its source in the heart of God.
We
envision our discussion lists as aiding subscribers in recognizing
their supreme value in the eyes of God. And we envision cyber
communities in which persons with different sexual orientations
"bear one another's burdens" and so fulfill the law of
Christ, encouraging each other in our relationships with Christ. [back
to TOP]
As
Christians we subscribe to the Apostles' Creed
and recognize that we are all broken by sin and become whole only by
experiencing the healing love of Christ. We are saved through faith by
His grace alone and not by anything we do or refrain from doing. Thus
we have nothing in ourselves of which to boast, for all that we have
-- whether in possessions, talent, or character -- is from Him.
We believe that the unconditional love of God draws us
to Him and empowers us to change more effectively than exhortation or
condemnation. And we believe it is God's purpose for His church to
exemplify the unconditional love of Christ in a society that is
performance-oriented.
We understand that same-gender attractions are real and not just a
chosen behaviour. Whether they are caused by heredity, pre-natal
influences, environment, or a combination of these factors, they are
an integral part of an individual and are morally neutral.
We believe that God designed sexual expression as a component of
the life-long bond between one man and one woman. And He designed that
our shared, intimate relationships with each other would draw us
closer to Him. But when we look around us and see the many broken
families and other fractured relationships in our society, it is
evident that we have all fallen far from this ideal.
Just as God drew near to people in a fallen society in the past, so
we believe He deals compassionately with us in our fallen condition
today. And so should we treat each other with love and compassion,
because only as we experience human love do we begin to understand the
unconditional love of the Savior -- the only One who can meet the
love-hunger of the soul.
We are not qualified to judge what is sin in another person's life
-- particularly when it comes to intimate human relationships --
because sin is a matter of the heart (James 4:17) and only God can see
what is in a person's heart. God does ask us to witness to the power
of His love in our own lives, and we can thus encourage each other in
drawing closer to Him who is our strength. In faith, we will trust Him
to guide each of us in the way that He knows is best for us.
John the Beloved tells us that God is love.
Nothing we do can put us outside of His love. And we believe that
experiencing God's love transforms our lives from the inside out. Thus
it is our desire to communicate God's Love as Our
Witness through this internet initiative. [TOP]
Who We Are
GLOW is an informal
association of persons interested in addressing the issues surrounding
homosexuality in a manner consistent with the character of God, of
whom His beloved disciple testified, "God is love." (1 John
4:8) We are united in our vision and philosophy
for this list.
Inge Anderson and Ralph
Seland are the founders of the
project, including the web page and the discussion lists. Inge has
been the driving force behind initiating various email
lists (including some private ones not listed on the web page),
the design and implementation of the web page, as well as the
expansion of the ministry. Ralph, who has been much of the inspiration
behind the project, is currently on a leave of absence. Lists are
moderated by moderatorial teams of committed Christian men and women
who are also members of the lists.
Inge Anderson is solely responsible for the overall tone and
current content of the site. Her wide involvement with Christians of various
faiths has given her a vision that reaches far beyond the borders of
her own Seventh-day
Adventist church, to all who long to know that they are beloved by
the Creator who cared enough to become one with us. Inge is fortunate
to have the backing and involvement of her family, with family members
contributing time and effort in suggestions, designing and critiquing,
besides giving up large chunks of their spouse's or mother's
time in the process. Credit goes to personal friends and to over a
hundred individuals involved as silent supporters or contributors
through messages on email lists. This project would not exist without
them. [TOP]
