59 Sentences With "doctrinal statement" | Random Sentence Generator

This caused embarrassment in the Vatican because it appeared to contradict the catechism of the Catholic church, its formal doctrinal statement.

Belton, a member of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, whose doctrinal statement condemns homosexuality, said he would never vote for Buttigieg because he is gay.

Taylor told the outlet that he was aware that The Firs was a faith-based organization that had a doctrinal statement condemning homosexuality on the website when he applied.

Guelzo, Allen C. For the Union of Evangelical Christendom. p. 284 The Reformed Episcopal Seminary upholds the doctrinal statement adopted by the Reformed Episcopal Church. Two documents comprise the doctrinal statement: the Thirty-Nine Articles, and the Declaration of Principles. The term "Reformed" has various meanings within larger Christian community.

According to the church's doctrinal statement, its purpose is to "present isagogical, categorical, and exegetical Bible teaching" and to "present the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ both at home and abroad."Berachah Church Doctrinal Statement It holds to eternal security and a premillennial pre-tribulation rapture. Under "Church Ordinances", it lists only the Lord's Supper.

The Book of Concord is the historic doctrinal statement of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since the 16th century.Bente, Friedrich., ed. and trans.

Veritas International University has an evangelical doctrinal statement that emphasizes "three legs" of biblical authority: inspiration, infallibility, and biblical inerrancy. In addition to its approach to biblical studies, Veritas maintains a focus on classical theology, apologetics, and Thomistic philosophy.

The camp released a statement that corroborated Taylor's assertion that he had been fired on the basis of his sexuality saying, "It became evident in the hiring process that he did not personally align with our Doctrinal Statement (regarding sexuality in particular). In this case, in order to be consistent to our Mission and Doctrinal Statement, we unfortunately had to withdraw our invitation to this young man, who we truly like, for this summer staff role." Taylor had been a former camper, as well as his mother and her mother before her. This controversy led to The Opportunity Council terminating its more than 25-year-long kitchen lease with The Firs.

White claimed that his policies were in line with past values and Scripture, and were "not a new shift," although many alumni remember Ms. Jean Fisher, Associate Professor of Christian Education, who taught male and female students in the department under Pres. Dixon. In early 2014, White said that university was preparing to codify their complementarian stance concerning gender roles and re-wrote the school's doctrinal statement to reflect that change. Although egalitarian faculty existed, some felt they were no longer welcome. According to 100: Cedarville College, A Century of Commitment by J. Murray Murdoch, Ph.D., the first doctrinal statement adopted by then- Cedarville College made no mention of gender roles or complementarian theology.

Describing the Baptist view on homosexuality is difficult due to the multitude of Baptist organizations, each with a slightly different doctrinal statement. The issue is further compounded by the large number of autonomous Independent Baptist churches which are not part of an organization and have their own doctrinal statements and beliefs.

Every five years the Adventist World Church meets in session to review current issues, add doctrinal statements and clarify church positions. Although a significant restatement of the published beliefs took place in 1980 General Conference session, the church has chosen to leave the doctrinal statement on the Investigative judgment virtually unchanged from its formulation in the 1870s.

Eleanor Nesbitt, "Sikhism: a very short introduction", , Oxford University Press, pp. 22-24 The Mul Mantar is a succinct doctrinal statement of Sikhism. The Mul Mantar has been variously translated, with the interpretation of the first two words particularly contested. These are rendered as "There is one god", "One reality is", "This being is one" and others.

Within Evangelicalism, the terms "doctrinal statement" or "doctrinal basis" tend to be preferred. Doctrinal statements may include positions on lectionary and translations of the Bible, particularly in fundamentalist churches of the King James Only movement. The term creed is sometimes extended to comparable concepts in non-Christian theologies; thus the Islamic concept of ʿaqīdah (literally "bond, tie") is often rendered as "creed".

Visitation Articles in the Entire Electorate of Saxony () are a Lutheran doctrinal statement written by Aegidius Hunnius and other theologians against Crypto-Calvinism on request of administrator Frederick William. They were written in 1592, and first published in German in 1593. Until 1836 all teachers and ministers in Electoral Saxony were required to subscribe also to the Visitation Articles as a doctrinal norm.

There also seemed to be a possibility that Emperor Charles V might act to avenge his rejected aunt (Queen Catherine) and enforce the pope's excommunication. The negotiations did not lead to an alliance but did bring Lutheran ideas to England. In 1536, Convocation adopted the first doctrinal statement for the Church of England, the Ten Articles. This was followed by the Bishops' Book in 1537.

Since the founding of the seminary they have used the King James Version of the Bible. The school's foundation stems from an evangelical Baptist tradition and still lists these positions in their existing published Doctrinal Statement. Baptist students and faculty account for the largest denominational group at the seminary. However, many students and faculty are either Non-denominational Christian or come from another protestant denomination.

Cranmer, Ridley and other Protestant leaders did not fully trust Northumberland. Northumberland in turn sought to undermine these bishops by promoting their critics, such as Jan Laski and John Knox. Cranmer's plan for a revision of English canon law, the Reformatio legum ecclesiasticarum, failed in Parliament due to Northumberland's opposition. Despite such tensions, a new doctrinal statement to replace the King's Book was issued on royal authority in May 1553.

This list was refined during the 1890s and formally included in the SDA Yearbook in 1931 with 22 points. In 1980 a statement of 27 Fundamental Beliefs was adopted, to which one was added to in 2005 to make the current list of fundamental beliefs. White is referenced in the fundamental belief on spiritual gifts. This doctrinal statement says: > One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy.

Clearwater Christian College was a denominationally unaffiliated Christian college; however most of their faculty, staff, and students came from various Baptist and independent Bible church backgrounds. The college's doctrinal statement focused on the historic fundamentals of Protestant Christianity. Students were required to attend Sunday services, chapel services, and spend time in Christian service. Small group, student-led devotional times occurred twice a week for prayer and peer edification, for all resident students.

The Methodist Church in Malaysia declares itself to be part of the holy catholic church and affirms the historic ecumenical creeds, which are used frequently in its liturgy and services of worship.The Book of Discipline of the Methodist Church in Malaysia Additionally, the Methodist Church in Malaysia affirms the Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church as its doctrinal statement and adopts the General Rules of the Methodist Societies as a doctrinal standard.

Confession of the Unity of the Bohemian Brethren of 1535 or Brethren's confession is doctrinal statement of the Unity of the Brethren. The confession was introduced to the king Ferdinand I in 1535 and published in Czech in 1536 and in Latin with Martin Luther's preface in 1538. The confession consists of a long apologetic preface and of twenty articles. It represents traditional theological concerns of the Unity, but is inspired by the Augsburg Confession too.

All high school students attend daily chapel services and take a theology or Bible class each year. The school expects all teachers to integrate a Christian perspective into all subject areas. According to the school's admissions office, students need not subscribe to a particular creed or doctrinal statement. The school's official hiring policies do not require faculty to attend a Mennonite congregation, but they must agree to teach in harmony with the Confession of Faith from a Mennonite Perspective.

The controversy had both theological and non-theological roots, some tending back into an earlier period. The union's wartime origin and the church's self-acknowledged complicity in the war were called into question.The UCCJ was formally established in June 1941. While the 1954 Confession of Faith, a doctrinal statement, clarified the postwar church's identity, many cite the 1967 Confession of Responsibility During World War II as recovering the church's integrity, by openly dealing with the church's wartime role.

On December 3, 1942, Mr. and Mrs. Lockman donated a substantial part of their citrus acreage, the Imperial Ranch in La Habra, California, to establish The Lockman Foundation. Imperial Highway was so named after the Lockmans granted an easement through their property for the development of the highway. At the time the Foundation was established The Lockmans and the Board of Directors set forth the doctrinal statement which continues to guide the development of all the Lockman biblical translations.

"Associated Press, "Vatican Upholds Neb. Excommunications", at . The Congregation for Bishops was not issuing a doctrinal statement here but rather a juridical statement saying that Bishop Bruskewitz had acted properly within his own jurisdiction as ordinary of the Diocese of Lincoln. However, Cardinal Re's statement did include strongly worded doctrinal criticisms as well, even to the extent of saying that "...to be a member of this association or to support it is irreconcilable with a coherent living of the Catholic faith.

This doctrinal statement was itself based on the Augsburg Confession of 1530. The five principal doctrines were the Bible and ecumenical creeds, baptism, penance, the Eucharist and justification. The core doctrine in the Ten Articles was justification by faith. Justification – which was defined as remission of sin and accepting into God's favour – was through "the only mercy and grace of the Father, promised freely unto us for his Son’s sake Jesus Christ, and the merits of his blood and passion".

KCA is founded upon Evangelical Christian values, and requires staff and families to adhere to its doctrinal statement and student handbook. The school uses American curricula and seeks to provide a supportive and academically challenging educational environment. KCA athletes compete with other international schools in Kyiv, primarily Pechersk School International and Kyiv International School, as well as other specialized Ukrainian schools, like "Lyceum No. 100." On February 25, 2005 the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) awarded accreditation to Kyiv Christian Academy.

Mullins helped prevent a split in the denomination through the development of a consensus doctrinal statement called The Baptist Faith and Message, adopted in 1925, which has been updated several times as the convention has turned steadily more conservative in recent years.Mullins, E.Y, The Axioms of Religion, George, Timothy and Denise, editors. Nashville, TN: Broadman, 1997. Shortly before his death from a paralyzing stroke, Mullins was named president of the Baptist World Alliance, in recognition of his important role in international Baptist life.

Evangelism, raps (devotionals, or informal Q&A; meetings, usually following sermons, but also held at various times throughout the week, most notably during lunch hour), and informal Bible study are also considered important acts of worship. The organization has a 10-point Doctrinal Statement available on its website. The organization limits the pastorate and/or homiletic role to men due to a literal interpretation of I Tim. 2:12, but allows women to lead in just about any other capacity.

In the progressive and liberal Church of the Brethren, significant emphasis is placed on social issues. In the Brethren (Ashland) and Grace Brethren groups, significant emphasis is placed on exegesis of the Bible. Several of the groups maintain a larger "Doctrinal Statement" or treatise, but only for the purpose of clarifying their Biblical position. Most Brethren groups maintain that the Bible is the sole authority and will revise their statement of faith if they perceive any difference between it and sound Biblical doctrine.

Yet, mid-way through his tenure, President Brown experienced controversies regarding the lack of collegiality among Bible professors and the allegiance to the school's doctrinal statement, leading to the terminations of some professors, most notably, David Hoffeditz and Michael Pahl. As a result of ongoing problems, President Brown announced his resignation in October 2012. In January 2013, Inside Higher Ed characterized the university as being in the midst of an "ongoing, tangled doctrinal controversy." Vice President for Student Life Carl Ruby resigned in January 2013.

Later, they also added the belief in a personal devil. The majority regrouped in 1921 and organized the Church of God (General Conference) (CoGGC) publishing a new magazine The Restitution Herald, published in Oregon, Illinois. Five congregations (three in Ohio and one each in Kentucky and Indiana) rejected these doctrinal additions and stood for the old Geneva Statement of Faith, now publishing The Restitution from Cleveland, Ohio. The minority congregations maintained ties, and in 1966 four of the then six churches adopted a uniform doctrinal statement.

This was widely reported in the press, and members of an unrelated Independent Fundamental Baptist church picketed the church in protest. Two years later, the Southern Baptist Convention revised its doctrinal statement, the Baptist Faith and Message, to explicitly state that women are not permitted to be pastors. Her move to First Baptist Church of Decatur in 2007 provoked further controversy and media coverage. It resulted in the church's being expelled from the Georgia Baptist Convention, the state branch of the Southern Baptist Convention.

In the fall of 1947, a handful of editors met at the convention of the National Sunday School Association and began to talk about an association of evangelical editors. Dr. James DeForest Murch, editor of United Evangelical Action, took the lead and called together a pro tem committee in Chicago on May 6, 1948. Thirty-five editors met at the Congress Hotel in Chicago. They officially organized the Evangelical Press Association, adopted the doctrinal statement of the National Association of Evangelicals and wrote the statement of purpose printed above.

In 1950, Jackson left the Missionary Baptist denomination and started the Baptist Missionary Association of America, formerly the North American Baptist Association. Jackson, however, was never the president of the Baptist Missionary Association of America, but he was elected one of two vice-presidents in 1955, and was given the honor of preaching the annual message on two occasions. In 1951, Jackson preached the annual message for the association meeting in Laurel, Mississippi, while his friend, Gerlad D. Kellar presided. Jackson also drafted the original Doctrinal Statement of the association.

Theologically, The Master's Seminary is conservative and fundamentalist, affirming biblical inerrancy, a Reformed view of soteriology, and a Dispensational, premillennial position in eschatology. They have a thorough doctrinal statement, which covers the major aspects of their beliefs in a systematic fashion. The belief system is incorporated in the instructional tenets of their programs, emphasizing intense study of the Biblical languages in preparation for expository preaching. In 2017, the seminary faculty worked with John F. MacArthur and Richard L. Mayhue to produce a volume of systematic theology entitled, Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches (EFCC) is an association of around 120 independent local churches in the United Kingdom, each practising congregationalist church governance. The EFCC was founded in 1967 by those evangelical Congregationalists who did not want to lose their independence with the formation of the Congregational Church of England and Wales and the subsequent formation of the United Reformed Church in 1972. The EFCC is an Affinity partner. The EFCC churches share a common doctrinal statement, called the Basis of Faith, which is Reformed and Evangelical.

In 1956, Dollar co-founded the Southwide Baptist Fellowship,> as well as authored the doctrinal statement adopted by the fellowship. In his final years, he taught and preached at the Lighthouse Ministries in Lakeland, Florida. The final 2006 edition of his book, A History of Fundamentalism in America contains a large portion of the original 1973 scholarly work that the author wrote, the first historical reference book on the movement, and nine chapters of observations concerning the three decades since that publication. The volume represents the final research and writing of one devoted to Fundamentalism.

Oldest extant manuscript of the Nicene Creed, dated to the 6th Century The actual purpose of a creed is to provide a doctrinal statement of correct belief or orthodoxy. The creeds of Christianity have been drawn up at times of conflict about doctrine: acceptance or rejection of a creed served to distinguish believers and deniers of particular doctrines. For that reason, a creed was called in Greek a σύμβολον (symbolon), which originally meant half of a broken object which, when fitted to the other half, verified the bearer's identity.Liddell and Scott: σύμβολον; cf.

A fresco depicting the First Council of Nicaea The long-term effects of the Council of Nicaea were significant. For the first time, representatives of many of the bishops of the Church convened to agree on a doctrinal statement. Also for the first time the Emperor played a role, by calling together the bishops under his authority, and using the power of the state to give the Council's orders effect. In the short-term, however, the Council did not completely solve the problems it was convened to discuss and a period of conflict and upheaval continued for some time.

The Church of England's break with Rome inaugurated a period of doctrinal confusion and controversy as both conservative and reforming clergy attempted to shape the church's direction, the former as "Catholicism without the Pope" and the latter as Protestant. In an attempt "to establish Christian quietness and unity", the Ten Articles were adopted by clerical Convocation in July 1536 as the English Church's first post-papal doctrinal statement. The Ten Articles were crafted as a rushed interim compromise between conservatives and reformers. Historians have variously described it as a victory for Lutheranism and a success for Catholic resistance.

Wycliffe USA bases its philosophy on Townsend's Protestantism which regards the intercultural and multilinguistic spread of Christianity as a divine command. Protestantism, including this organization, adheres to the principle of sola scriptura and regards biblical texts as the authoritative and infallible word of God.Wycliffe Global Alliance doctrinal statement Wycliffe USA is based in Orlando, FL, but partners with many organizations and churches around the world to help facilitate the work of Bible translation. It is the largest of the many independent Wycliffe organizations that together are part of Wycliffe Global Alliance, which has its headquarters in Singapore.

Most parish clergy kept their posts, but it is not clear to what degree they conformed. The bishops thought that Catholicism was widespread among the old clergy, but priests were rarely removed because of a clergy shortage that began with an influenza epidemic in 1558. The Elizabethan settlement was further consolidated by the adoption of a moderately Protestant doctrinal statement called the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. While affirming traditional Christian teaching as defined by the first four ecumenical councils, it tried to steer a middle way between Reformed and Lutheran doctrines while rejecting Anabaptist thinking.

ACCC was founded in 1941 under the leadership of Carl McIntire. Membership in the American Council of Christian Churches is available to denominations and individual Christians, who are admitted by a 3/4 majority vote. Agreement with the purposes and doctrinal statement are required and membership is specifically denied to those who have affiliations with The ACCC has remained small in comparison to the National Association of Evangelicals and the National Council of Churches. This is due in part to its strong separatist stance, and in part because separatist denominations will often not participate in "cross-denominational" organizations.

The organization's theological position is self-described as Wesleyan–Arminian.Pillar of Fire Church: Doctrinal Statement in Brief, accessed August 31, 2006 The central beliefs of the Pillar of Fire are as follows: biblical inerrancy, Trinitarianism, the physical resurrection of Jesus, the consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit, the "universal depravity of the human race", the necessity of "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ", belief in "justification by faith and in Christian perfection, or entire sanctification, as a second definite work of grace", the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the dead, and premillennialism.

The Free Grace Alliance formed in November 2004 with an emphasis on international missions. Although the new organization was officially formed for a "different reason," the FGA split from GES in 2005 when most of the prominent leaders (including the chairman of the board) within GES rejected the change in the content of saving faith being taught by Zane C. Hodges and GES changed its doctrinal statement regarding the content of saving faith. A FGA statement of non-association with GES was made in 2009. The FGA holds annual conferences, and numerous local churches and Christian ministries are associated with the FGA as members or affiliates.

At this conference, Coke ordained Francis Asbury as co-superintendent according to Wesley's wishes. Asbury had been serving as general assistant since Rankin returned to England. The German-born Philip W. Otterbein, who later helped found the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, participated in Asbury's ordination. The conference adopted Articles of Religion prepared by Wesley (and adapted from the Church of England's Thirty-nine Articles) as a doctrinal statement for the new church, and it also received an abridged version of the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer provided by Wesley, titled The Sunday Service of the Methodists; With Other Occasional Services.. For the original service book, see .

Both in the 1992 draft and in the 1993 official document, a distinction had been drawn between sources of external military danger and immediate military threats. This distinction disappeared in the most recent doctrinal statement, which was first publicised in draft form in October 1999, and then finally approved by Presidential decree in late April 2000.Text of Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation, approved by a presidential decree dated 21 April 2000, via BBC Monitoring Service, Caversham Park, Reading. While numerous changes were made to the document between its draft stage and final form, the section on external military threats remained virtually the same.

The Articles of Religion are an official doctrinal statement of Methodism. John Wesley abridged the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England, removing the Calvinistic parts among others, reflecting Wesley's Arminian theology. The resulting 25 Articles were and are found in the Books of Discipline of Methodist Churches, such as Chapter I of the Doctrines and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and paragraph 103 of the United Methodist Church Book of Discipline. They have remained relatively unchanged since 1808 by Methodists worldwide (save for a few additional articles added in later years in both the United Methodist tradition and Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection).

The beliefs of Greater Grace are outlined in its doctrinal statement and detailed in booklets written by Carl H. Stevens. Worship is non- liturgical but is generally structured as follows: (singing) announcements, worship (singing), offering, opening prayer, sermon, closing prayer/benediction/alter call,(singing) closing announcements. Songs are usually contemporary, but classical hymns are also sung on account of the wide range of ages among members. An "offering song" is also sung during the taking of the offering, which is often sung by a member of the congregation who is not a regular member of the worship team, or by one of the churches choirs.

In 2004, Gaines was elected president of the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference, and was the keynote speaker at the SBC annual meeting in Nashville. He served with his predecessor at Bellevue and three-time SBC president, Adrian Rogers, on a committee charged with revising The Baptist Faith and Message. The document, which is the primary doctrinal statement for all SBC agencies, including its six seminaries and International Mission Board, was adopted by the SBC in 2000. On March 9, 2016, Dr. Johnny Hunt announced he would nominate Gaines to be President of the Southern Baptist Convention at the upcoming SBC annual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri.

Instead it ordered that the opening chapter of the Air Corps manual be a doctrinal statement developed by the G-3 that "left little doubt" that the General Staff's intention was "to develop and employ aviation in support of ground forces." The Air Corps Board, on the orders of Arnold, developed a secret study for "defense of the Monroe Doctrine" that recommended development of long-range, high altitude, high-speed aircraft for bombardment and reconnaissance to accomplish that defense.Futrell (1989), pp. 89–90 The War Department, seeking to stifle procurement of the B-17 while belatedly recognizing that coordinated air-ground support had been long neglected, decided that it would order only two-engined "light" bombers in fiscal years 1939 through 1941.

The founders of the fellowship did not intend to create a denomination and originally had no creed or doctrinal statement. However, in response to several doctrinal issues, the most important being the Oneness teaching, the AG felt the need for agreement on central doctrines and to reassure evangelical Christians of its adherence to orthodox belief. Oneness Pentecostalism rejected Trinitarian theology, instead identifying the Jehovah of the Old Testament with the Christ of the New. Furthermore, Oneness adherents believed that Christians, regardless of a previous baptism, should be baptized in the name of Jesus, rather than in the name of the Trinity. By 1915, it was adhered to by many in the fellowship, including founders such as Goss, Opperman, Hall, and Henry G. Rodgers.

Dallas Theological Seminary sums up the general consensus of free grace theology in Article XI of its doctrinal statement, in reference to assurance: :We believe it is the privilege, not only of some, but of all who are born again by the Spirit through faith in Christ as revealed in the Scriptures, to be assured of their salvation from the very day they take Him to be their Savior and that this assurance is not founded upon any fancied discovery of their own worthiness or fitness, but wholly upon the testimony of God in His written Word, exciting within His children filial love, gratitude, and obedience (Luke 10:20; 22:32; 2 Cor. 5:1, 6–8; 2 Tim. 1:12; Heb. 10:22; 1 John 5:13).

In 1993, the seminary's president Albert Mohler came into office re-affirming the seminary's historic "Abstract of Principles", part of the original charter of Southern created in 1858. The charter stated that every Professor must agree to "teach in accordance with, and not contrary to, the Abstract of Principles hereinafter laid down" and that "a departure" from the principles in the Abstract of Principles would be grounds for resignation or removal by the Trustees. Mohler, following these instructions, required that current professors affirm, without any spoken or unspoken reservations, the Abstract of Principles. Professors were also asked to affirm the Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M;, the doctrinal statement of the SBC), since Southern is an agency of the SBC and the SBC mandated affirmation of the BF&M; as a requirement for continued employment.

The pastor of a PCG church in Harlan County, Kentucky (1946) First called the Pentecostal Assemblies of USA, the PCG was formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1919 by a group of Pentecostal ministers who had chosen not to affiliate with the Assemblies of God and several who had left that organization after it adopted a doctrinal statement in 1916. John C. Sinclair, an early Pentecostal pastor in Chicago, and a former Assemblies of God presbyter served as the first moderator. The Pentecostal Assemblies of the USA was dissolved in 1922, and the organization resumed under the name Pentecostal Church of God. In 1927, the denominational headquarters relocated to Ottumwa, Iowa; in 1933, to Kansas City, Missouri; in 1951, to Joplin, Missouri in 1951; and in 2012, to Bedford, Texas.

Delegates from the various factions had met at Haguenau in 1540 and at Worms in January 1541 but the latter session of the Imperial Diet was adjourned by the Emperor Charles V as the Diet was preparing to meet at Regensburg. The subject for debate was to be the Augsburg Confession, the primary doctrinal statement of the Protestant movement, and the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, a defence of the Confession written by Philipp Melancthon. On 15 December 1540 a secret conference took place between Johann Gropper, canon of Cologne, and Gerhard Veltwick, the Imperial secretary, on the one side and Butzer and Capito, the delegates of Protestant Strasbourg, on the other. The two sides agreed their positions on original sin and justification, but the promise made by the Catholic party at Haguenau, to negotiate on the basis of the Confession and Apology, was withdrawn.

Most of the Anglican Communion does not approve of homosexual activity, with the exception of the Episcopal Church, the Scottish Episcopal ChurchBBC:Kirk's General Assembly moves towards allowing gay marriage, 25 May 2017 and the Anglican Church of Canada, which is facing a possible exclusion from international Anglican bodies over the issue. Conservative Quakers, those within Friends United Meeting and the Evangelical Friends International believe that sexual relations are condoned only in marriage, which they define to be between a man and a woman. Confessional Lutheran churches teach that it is sinful to have homosexual desires, even if they do not lead to homosexual activity. The Doctrinal statement issued by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod states that making a distinction between homosexual orientation and the act of homosexuality is confusing: However, confessional Lutherans also warn against selective morality which harshly condemns homosexuality while treating other sins more lightly.