Religious Leaders Call for consistent sexual ethic
Excerpted from a United Church of Christ press release, January 18, 2000

Cleveland - More than 900 religious Americans - including leaders in the Protestant, Anglican, Unitarian Universalist and Jewish traditions - have endorsed a "Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing."

The signers include the Rev. John H. Thomas, president of the United Church of Christ. The declaration was organized by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS).

Rev. Thomas made this statement concerning the declaration:

"Good morning. My name is John Thomas. I am president of the United Church of Christ. I am here today representing the General Synod of our Church which for 25 years has taken positions consistent with those of the Religious Declaration. I also speak out of the context of my work as Ecumenical Officer of the United Church of Christ where, for eight years, I grew very aware of the way contentious debates over sexuality divide our communions with one another. I also speak from the experience of 17 years in parish ministry where these questions took on very personal implications for members of my congregations.

"In far too many religious communities, issues related to human sexuality have become a battleground. We consume our energy staking out positions rather than helping our people and the society at large develop a moral, just, and healing approach to sexuality. I welcome this Religious Declaration as a pastoral word to our faith communities, and as a prophetic word beyond those congregations of our conviction that human sexuality is above all a gift from God, and that we are called to be responsible and joyful stewards of that gift.

"We are called to responsibility because the expression of our sexuality is one of the most intimate dimensions of our lives and is easily and often distorted by exploitation and abuse. We are called to joy because sexuality offers us one of the most profound means of expressing love, nurturing companionship, and reflecting the character of the divine-human relationship. Those of us who have signed this Religious Declaration, representing a wide range of faith groups and religious traditions, are a witness to what I believe is a great yearning in our society, a yearning for human sexuality to be liberated from its captivity to commercial exploitation on the one hand, and partisan religious debates on the other, in order that we can once again use our sexuality as a way of honoring with joy and integrity the God who created us as sexual beings.

"This Religious Declaration presses the United Church of Christ and its congregations to be more intentional in providing opportunities for life-long sexuality education for our members, in creating settings for theological and Biblical reflection on the complex moral issues, and encourages us to be bold advocates for the rights of all persons to express their sexuality in responsible, caring, and faithful relationships. Many of our congregations are already doing this educational and prophetic task; more need to take on this responsibility.

"Beyond this very important goal, I hope the Religious Declaration will encourage us all to move beyond the acrimonious debates that so often dominate our reflection on sexuality, and seek common ground in an ethic lifting up personal responsibility and social justice as valued and mutually supportive commitments. If we are able to do that, our religious communities may be able to offer the hope of reclaiming sexuality from narrow legalism and crass exploitation, returning it to its rightful place as the gift of the creator, a sign of holiness and a reflection of the companionship we are invited to share with God."