Comments on: Pink Mennos Draw Local, National Press http://blog.goshen.edu/mpress/2009/07/02/pink-mennos-draw-local-national-press/ Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:12:02 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Dave HW http://blog.goshen.edu/mpress/2009/07/02/pink-mennos-draw-local-national-press/comment-page-1/#comment-85 Dave HW Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:12:02 +0000 http://blog.goshen.edu/mpress/?p=1159#comment-85 Good article, but it's inaccurate in a few key places. You wrote: "As an initial response to the Pink Menno presence in Columbus, the Executive Board issued a short press release, highlighting the Mennonite Church’s official position on homosexuality. That position is expressed in what is colloquially known as “The Purdue Statement,” a series of standards adopted in 1995. The pivotal statement, officially Article 19 of “The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective,” reads: “We believe that God intends marriage to be a covenant between one man and one woman for life.”" These two paragraphs are confusing and melding two (or more) distinct historical documents. The "Purdue Statement" and Saskatoon "Resolution on Human Sexuality" were passed at the conventions in 1986 (Saskatoon, GC) and 1987 (Purdue, MC), not 1995. The Confession of Faith was approved in 1995, which is what you must be thinking of. That is the document, as you correctly state, which contains Article 19, which is often mentioned as one of the official Mennonite stances on homosexuality. However, the language in the Saskatoon and Purdue statements is more specific and involved. See http://www.ambs.edu/LJohns/Resolutions.htm for the actual statements. Good article, but it’s inaccurate in a few key places.

You wrote:
“As an initial response to the Pink Menno presence in Columbus, the Executive Board issued a short press release, highlighting the Mennonite Church’s official position on homosexuality. That position is expressed in what is colloquially known as “The Purdue Statement,” a series of standards adopted in 1995.

The pivotal statement, officially Article 19 of “The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective,” reads: “We believe that God intends marriage to be a covenant between one man and one woman for life.””

These two paragraphs are confusing and melding two (or more) distinct historical documents.

The “Purdue Statement” and Saskatoon “Resolution on Human Sexuality” were passed at the conventions in 1986 (Saskatoon, GC) and 1987 (Purdue, MC), not 1995. The Confession of Faith was approved in 1995, which is what you must be thinking of. That is the document, as you correctly state, which contains Article 19, which is often mentioned as one of the official Mennonite stances on homosexuality. However, the language in the Saskatoon and Purdue statements is more specific and involved. See
http://www.ambs.edu/LJohns/Resolutions.htm for the actual statements.

]]> By: Phoebe Wulliman Graber http://blog.goshen.edu/mpress/2009/07/02/pink-mennos-draw-local-national-press/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Phoebe Wulliman Graber Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:08:58 +0000 http://blog.goshen.edu/mpress/?p=1159#comment-23 Thanks for reporting on the pink presence! I was hoping I'd find this pink news included in your coverage on this site. I'm watching the events unfold from a distance and this site along with the Pink Menno site have allowed me to keep abreasted on the convention. Thanks for reporting on the pink presence! I was hoping I’d find this pink news included in your coverage on this site. I’m watching the events unfold from a distance and this site along with the Pink Menno site have allowed me to keep abreasted on the convention.

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