Thomas Jay Oord: My Heresy Trial

Dr. Thomas Oord is under investigation from the Nazarene Church for heresy. If found guilty he will lose his credentials and standing. What is the charge? LGBTQ+ affirming.
The conversation explores the challenges faced by Thomas Jay Oord, a Christian theologian, as he advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion within the Church of the Nazarene. It delves into the theological, social, and personal aspects of this advocacy, highlighting the tensions and complexities within the church and society at large. The conversation delves into the evolving understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, the impact of personal experiences, and the intersection of faith, science, and love. It also explores the challenges faced by the Church of Nazarene and the broader implications for denominations. Thomas Jay Oord's commitment to love and the pursuit of justice is evident throughout the discussion.
Preorder his Defense here: shorturl.at/9FXkw
Order his book that got him in hot water here: shorturl.at/GBYh1
Find us on the WEB! - liminalliving.simplecast.com/

[@jacquedegatineau9037]

Update: On July 28th the board of discipline arrived at a unanimous verdict of "guilty". Oord's credentials were withdrawn.

[@liminalliving]

Thank you for the update.

[@CarolForsberg]

Dr Oord,
You are very brave and I appreciate the clarity and heart that you display while modeling a truly loving attitude towards LGBTQ+ people. I think it will be a relief for people to evolve into an inclusive attitude towards queer peolpe because, as you said, a loving attitude
is so important in a spiritual life. As long as we're excluding people from this love, the world suffers.
I do recommend that you take a close look at the current medical practice of giving children
hormones and puberty blockers and surgeries. The cases of true gender dysphoria are actually quite rare. Children are very vulnerable and malleable, and the forces of social media as well as peer influence have turned the transgender process into a fad .There are many transgender young people who regret their actions and seek to detransition now. Also parents whose children were secretly groomed by activists were denied the right to be actively involved with their child's process. It's a very complex issue deserving attention and thought. In England the National Health Institute closed down their Children's Gender Clinic because tons of parents are suing them. I will send you references in another. comment.

[@07triman]

I appreciate your comments of support for LGBTQ+ as well as acknowledging the complexity of hormone treatments in kids. I have a former coworker whose son was quite short. They put him on hormone blockers to give him a chance to grow more. (I guess growth typically slows during puberty?) I fear that the laws being passed now don't reflect the complexity of the situation.
While I fear kids making gender transition choices before they are able to make that informed decision, I have also heard from people who as adults are grateful for the gender care they did receive as a teen. As you say, it is complicated.

[@davidgoldsmith8371]

I assume that Dr. Ord is familiar with a paper written by Dr. J. Kenneth Grider. He was a well established Nazarene theologian and wrote a well documented paper showing that queer was not a choice. The paper was never presented due to pressure by the Church of the Nazarenes leadership. That paper helped me to conclude that acceptance and affirmation were both correct and necessary for Christianity!

[@liminalliving]

I will pass this info along and look for that paper myself. Thank you