(Tim: this is seventh in a series of posts [one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven] responding to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's promotion of sodomy at an Indiana University campus forum they sponsored the evening of Monday, March 28, 2011.)
Below is a statement issued privately by InterVarsity yesterday, April 7th, in response to some who expressed their concern over IV's recent forum at Indiana University titled, "Jesus and the End of Homophobia." An individual who received this statement from IV kindly forwarded it to us and we post it here for the record (downloard a PDF). We will have a post responding to this statement in the next day or so...
INTERVARSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP/USA
April 6, 2011
InterVarsity’s outreach ("Jesus and the End of Homophobia") ministry at Indiana University on March 28, 2011
On March 28, 2011, InterVarsity’s undergraduate chapter at Indiana University in Bloomington began a week-long series of meetings designed to begin conversations about the claims and life of Jesus as the antidote to our broken world.
The goal of the chapter’s first event, entitled “Jesus and the end of Homophobia,” was to start a conversation between Christians on campus and members of the GLBT at Indiana University. In conversations about difficult subjects, where there are diverse and strongly held viewpoints, confusion and disagreement can occur, and did in this case. An article about the event appeared first in The Indiana Daily Student with a mouse-over photo caption that created the inaccurate impression that InterVarsity had changed its position on the compatibility of ministry leadership and homosexual practice.
InterVarsity’s historic conviction that the scriptures are authoritative means that we have always believed and taught what the Bible teaches, that God’s design for sexual relations is only between a man and a woman in a marriage relationship. InterVarsity has unequivocally maintained this position. We have maintained this position in today’s campus climate even when it has been costly to do so.
InterVarsity is working with its local staff and student leaders at Indiana University so that there will be much greater clarity and less confusion in the future, and to ensure that there is no uncertainty about InterVarsity’s position on homosexuality.
InterVarsity’s call to the university means that we reach out to every segment of the university including the GLBT community. Our goal is to share how much God loves everyone in and through the Gospel. The March 28 event was co-sponsored by several organizations. The entire week of meetings was funded by the IU Student Association’s Funding Board, under the Funding Board’s criteria. It was not funded by InterVarsity or through funding received from our supporters.
It is unfortunate that InterVarsity’s position was misunderstood and that some who trust InterVarsity were led to question our commitment to carefully handling Scripture and to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The planning and running of the event was not what should have been. The necessary corrections are being made. We are thankful for the students in our chapter at Indiana University and for their willingness to take risks and reach out to the GLBT community on campus for the sake of the Gospel.
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, 6400 Schroeder Road, P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895 phone: 608.274.9001 email: info@intervarsity.org website: www.intervarsity.org
