Affirmation Scotland is a group within the Church of Scotland

Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....

 seeking full inclusion of the LGBT

LGBT

LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...

 communities within the Church.

Background

Affirmation Scotland calls for a Church characterised by grace

Divine grace

In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...

, compassion

Compassion

Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...

 and inclusion

Inclusion

Inclusion may refer to:- Metallurgy :*Inclusion , a type of metal casting defect*Inclusions in Aluminium Alloys, solid particles in liquid aluminium alloy- Social inclusion of persons :...

. While specifically seeking the affirmation and dignity of lesbian

Lesbian

Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...

 and gay

Gay

Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

 Christians within the church, it also seeks a progressive Church in a wider theological sphere, inspired by the Spirit of God, that is semper reformanda – always reforming, always in accordance with a critical understanding of the Word of God.

One of its most prominent supporters has been Professor George Newlands

George Newlands

George McLeod Newlands is Emeritus Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow.- Background :George Newlands is a Scottish liberal Christian theologian...

 of Glasgow University.

Services

Affirmation Scotland offers a ministry of care, hope and advocacy to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (lgbt) Christians, their families and supporters. It also seeks to contribute to the debate within the Kirk

Kirk

Kirk can mean "church" in general or the Church of Scotland in particular. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.-Basic meaning and etymology:...

on human sexuality from a progressive perspective.

Affirmation Scotland seeks to:

• create safe places and times for gay people and their friends to meet for worship, fellowship, and support.

• organise events that promote an inclusive church.

• provide resources to the Kirk and the lgbt community promoting the belief that God welcomes into God’s family all people regardless of gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

• speak out for the dignity and place of gay Christians whenever this is under attack.

• respond appropriately to approaches by the media for comment on issues related to the Kirk.

• be a presence – reminding the Kirk in a consistent way that the lgbt community has always been and is present within the Kirk.

External links

• Affirmation Scotland Homepage, retrieved October 22, 2006