FAQ | Evangelicalorthodox

Where do you stand on current issues?

The Church must be at one and the same time a place of mercy and healing and a place where God’s standards of purity are upheld. Therefore the Evangelical Orthodox Church affirms:

- All human beings have the right to life from the time of conception until natural death, and, therefore, abortion on demand and euthanasia are sinful and murderous. We also believe this is a complex issue that must be addressed on many levels, and that compassion and mercy must guide our actions.

- God’s creative distinction for mankind is male and female in their sexuality, and that only the marriage between a man and woman was instituted and blessed by God. Furthermore, sexual intercourse outside the context of heterosexual marriage is sinful, and homosexuality is contrary to the essential design of God. We recognize, however, that people sincerely seeking after God struggle with various sexual issues. Therefore, we strive to make our local churches havens of healing rather than places of condemnation and rejection.

- Offices and ministries are available to both men and women in the Church. The offices of bishop and priest are filled by godly men and the office of deacon and deaconess by godly men and women. Many other ministries in the Church are also exercised by both men and women. We oppose the notion that equality of value necessitates equality of function, and we uphold the balance between equality and differentiated order that God established in the beginning.

- The integrity of the family is to be preserved by the sanctity of marriage, and that the best solution to marriage problems is not divorce, but loving care, loving discipline, and self-sacrifice in the context of Christ’s Church. We also recognize that less than ideal choices must sometimes be made without fear of abandonment by the Church.