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The Nashville Statement mentions that approving of homosexuality is also a sin Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) released a controversial statement on 29 August (Tuesday), which focuses on "biblical sexuality". The Nashville Statement , which was signed by over 150 evangelical leaders, lists the numerous ways the Bible prohibits "homosexual immorality and transgenderism" and disapproves of same-sex marriages.

The document was released following a meeting of scholars, pastors, and other leaders on 25 August at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission's annual conference in Nashville.

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"The spirit of our age does not delight in God's good design of male and female. Consequently, confusion reigns over some of the most basic questions of our humanity," Denny Burk, president of CBMW explained of the reason behind the statement. "The aim of The Nashville Statement is to shine a light into the darkness – to declare the goodness of God's design in our sexuality and in creating us as male and female."

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission described it as "an urgently needed moment" since the "Sexual Revolution cannot keep its promises".

Comprised of 14 affirmations and denials, the document focuses not only on homosexuality, but also on expectations of a heterosexual marriage, which it states should be a "procreative, lifelong union", and is more than a "mere human contract".

The Nashville Statement:

- Denies that God has designed marriage to be a homosexual, polygamous, or polyamorous relationship.

- Denies any affections, desires, or commitments ever justify sexual intercourse before or outside marriage.

- Denies the divinely ordained differences between male and female render them unequal in dignity or worth.

- Denies that physical anomalies or psychological conditions nullify the God-appointed link between biological sex and self-conception as male or female.

- Denies that adopting a homosexual or transgender self-conception is consistent with God's holy purposes in creation and redemption.

- Denies that sexual attraction for the same sex is part of the natural goodness of God's original creation, or that it puts a person outside the hope of the gospel.

- Denies that the approval of homosexual immorality or transgenderism is a matter of moral indifference about which otherwise faithful Christians should agree to disagree.

- Denies any obligation to speak in such ways that dishonor God's design of his imagebearers as male and female.

- Denies that the grace of God in Christ is insufficient to forgive all sexual sins and to give power for holiness to every believer who feels drawn into sexual sin.

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The Church of Scotland has voted to allow ministers in a gay marriage to serve iStock

- Affirms that God has designed marriage to be a covenantal, sexual, procreative, lifelong union of one man and one woman.

- Affirms that God's revealed will for all people is chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage.

- Affirms that God created Adam and Eve distinct as male and female.

- Affirms that those born with a physical disorder of sex development are created in the image of God and have dignity and worth equal to all other image-bearers.

- Affirms that people who experience sexual attraction for the same sex may live a rich and fruitful life pleasing to God through faith in Jesus Christ, as they walk in purity of life.

- Affirms that it is sinful to approve of homosexual immorality or transgenderism.

- Affirms the grace of God in Christ enables sinners to forsake transgender selfconceptions and by divine forbearance to accept the God-ordained link between one's biological sex and one's self-conception as male or female.

Since its release, The Nashville Statement has received widespread criticism from the LGBTQ community and its supporters. Many have taken to Twitter to quote the New Commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you" and to point out that the CBMW statement would only work to create more discord and alienate people from the Christian Church.