LGBTQ+ lifestyle against biblical principles, says Nagaland Baptist Church Council

DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has released a statement affirming the church’s opposition to the LGBTQ+ lifestyle.

In the statement on Tuesday, NBCC General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Zelhou Keyho, stated that the LGBTQ+ lifestyle is unacceptable according to biblical principles, and underscored the church’s responsibility to stand firm on issues that challenge its faith and morality, rooted in unchanging biblical standards.

“We are not against the people who struggle with an LGBTQ+ lifestyle. Love the person but hate the sin should always be our approach. We also cannot criminalise and stigmatise them. The church’s position is simply to state that our lifestyle is against the teachings of our faith and practice,” read the statement.

Expressing concern over society’s shift towards measuring everything by personal happiness rather than God’s holiness, Keyho asserted that Jesus Christ is the only true hope for all people, regardless of their sexuality.

The role of the church, he said, is to become a community of grace and show love and understanding to those whose orientations are different without being judgmental but not endorsing and advocating their behaviour.

He went on to state that societal definitions of accommodation differ from biblical teachings, which prioritise the love of God and the message of redemption.

Refuting the notion that societal changes liberate the church, he instead, asserted that these changes have compelled the church to take biblical morality and ethics more seriously, and “awakened the church to the fact that we must be more compassionate to those who struggle with their orientation without condemning them.”