STATEMENT REGARDING WAU KEOUGH 2023 SUMMIT
Washington Adventist University affirms our alignment with the church’s position on LGBTQ+ through its Christocentric vision of humanity as bearing the image of the Creator. We consistently call upon all our students to lead lives that are holy and acceptable to God as we prepare them to reflect God’s love through service to humanity.
In accordance with this understanding, the G. Arthur Keough Summit, convened by the leadership of the Washington Adventist University Fordham Department of Religion on March 17-18, 2023, had the following two primary objectives:
- To acknowledge the realities of the LGBTQ+ community through theological reflection and discussion. While not endorsing the choice to live out their biological orientation, we endeavored to examine and understand their at-risk life and spiritual wellbeing in light of the religious rhetoric that tends to focus on their sexuality while overlooking their humanity.
- To brainstorm on the kind of pastoral care needed for LGBTQ+ persons that will lead them to Christ and encourage them to continue to participate in the life of the church. As primary spiritual caregivers, pastors need insight and tools to foster a nurturing community that includes Christ-loving LGBTQ+ persons as they struggle with who they are in the world.
While recognizing that not everyone is comfortable with this level of conversation, we, nevertheless, accept our responsibility as an academic institution on the frontline of ministry to facilitate such. In turn, we call upon our global church to continue its ministry to the LGBTQ+ community.