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‘Coming Out’ Ministries

By María José Morán

This week I was able to rekindle a conversation with Michael Carducci, co-director and founder of “Coming Out” Ministries. 

Michael started this ministry years ago after experiencing struggles with a homesexual lifestyle and meeting many people who had numerous sexual struggles within the Adventist church. 

 “‘Coming Out’ Ministries is not only about the homosexual,” said Carducci, co-director and founder of the ministry. “Coming Out is talking about the biblical coming out of sin and into God’s marvelous light.”

Having interviewed Carducci for several articles, I was able to continue to learn and educate myself about the ministry and the people that it helps. 

According to the organization’s website, the ministry focuses on helping “churches, schools, and organizations who are seeking answers and education” regarding sexuality. 

The Ohio-based ministry presents its film, “Journey Interrupted,” to students and different churches around the country and even around the world. The film follows the stories of five individuals who are struggling with their sexual identity or sexual addiction. It presents the events that exposed them to the Gospel and helped them embrace God’s plan for their lives.

Personally, it is always a blessing to continue to learn about a topic that I am not very familiar with. It is particularly interesting to see this topic from a completely different point of view such as generational differences in the Seventh-day Adventist church. 

Although I was very surprised by some of the findings during this interview, I was also baffled by how little I actually know about the LGBTQ+ community and about how much more work I have to do to be understanding of their circumstances and life experiences, regardless of age, race, and gender. Definitely a good reminder of how to love those who are different from us just as Christ has loved us. 

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LGBTQ Disagreements

By María José Morán

“I believe that gays can go to heaven.” A very bold statement I made to my parents that inevitably started a discussion. 

I have never been the kind to hide my opinions. I have also never been the kind to sit on my hands when I feel strongly about something. My beliefs are important to me. 

I knew this statement would start a discussion with my parents in which we would be able to exchange viewpoints. This was definitely the case. 

By the end of the conversation, we were able to reach some middle ground: Homosexuals can go to heaven if they are not engaging in a sexual lifestyle. The reason we came to this conclusion was based on some very brief research that we did on what the Bible had to say about this topic. 

I was actually surprised by how easy it was for me and my parents to agree on this topic. This is not to say that my parents or I look down on this topic or people dealing with this issue. Simply, I thought that our different perspectives based on the different times that we grew up in would be stronger and harder for each other to understand.

I guess this really short discussion with my parents taught me two main things that are valuable to me today. One, it is important and almost crucial for families to have real conversations about difficult topics such as sexuality and the LGBTQ community. Whatever reaction or opinion you think they might have, might be proven wrong. 

The second thing that I learned is that generations are not necessarily as different as we think in every issue. Sure, there are some significant viewpoint differences that are worth noting, however, not everything needs to be or is an argument. Maybe if we spent some more time looking for common ground and exploring our similarities it would be easier to progress on different issues.

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A timeline on modesty as told by Ellen G. White

By María José Morán

Modesty continues to be a controversial topic. While, sure, it is not the most trivial of issues, it is one several people have mixed opinions about. Modesty controversies, however, have been present for a long time, at least within the Adventist Church. 

If we go back to the 1800’s and analyze some of Ellen G. White’s writings, we see a strict and strong emphasis on modesty. More specifically, women’s modesty. Several of her writings, in fact, reflect that. In some cases, the examples mentioned are a response to church members’ letters, and some are just her interpretation of modesty according to the Bible. 

As presented on the timeline, there are some very specific “requirements” such as the statement that anything above the knee is deemed too short, and the ideal length is around eight or ten inches above the floor. 

Ellen White also presents strong resistance about what was commonly known as the “American Costume.” According to the Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection at the University of Missouri, the American Costume is part of the dress reform, which started in 1824. This movement was intended to empower women, to a certain extent, through their clothing. This is when a lot of clothing layers were removed for women’s comfort. As a consequence, women started to wear short dresses that eventually became widely accepted to what we know today. 

In her writings, and throughout the years, Ellen G. White expresses her opposition to the shortened length of the skirt. On several occasions, such as in Testimonies for the CHurch in 1868, Ellen G. White emphasized the importance for the Adventist Church and for the Seventh-day Adventist woman to stand out from secular practices. 

In some of her later writings, however, Ellen G. White expressed that no “sisters” were convicted of the Seventh-day Adventist dress reform. An example is shown in 1885 in Manuscript Releases vol. 5 she expresses that although this is not the tradition, it would “have proved a blessing.”

The interesting fact about this timeline is the mindset change seen throughout Ellen G. White’s writings. Although the writings are not necessarily drastic in nature, it reflects the eventual acceptance of a certain kind of dress. These writings have impacted the way in which we currently address the issue of modesty.

Quoted Works: 

  • Review and Herald, 1867
  • Testimonies for the Church, 1868
  • Manuscript Releases, 1885
  • Letter to Brother J.H. Haughey, 1897
  • Child Guidance, 1904
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María José Morán – Kneeling is not just for praying

By María José Morán

The image is still vivid in my head. It was a Saturday night, and my family had just finished a short worship service to close the Sabbath. I cannot remember what kind of argument my parents and I had had over how difficult it was for me to find modest clothes that fulfilled every single requirement my parents had. 

My name is María José, and I was born in the beautiful country of Honduras, which might explain why my parents were so strict. I have lived all over Central America due to my dad’s job in the Adventist Church and have gotten to live a variety of experiences because of it. These experiences have ultimately contributed to who I am today– a journalism student in search of her purpose in the world and in the church. 

Despite all my bizarre experiences in the church, my love for God and the Seventh-day Adventist Church is stronger than ever. This love leads me to explore “unresolved” issues in my mind. Who has God called me to be? What is my role within the church? How do my talents and beliefs fit in the church? Do they fit in at all? 

Well, in order for me to fit in the church as a young lady, my parents emphasized the concept of modesty a lot. So one night, with the intent of making a statement, my parents asked me to kneel, so they could point out the length of the skirt I was wearing and emphasize whether it met the requirements or not. Something about that moment stuck with me forever. Did Jesus really care that much about the length of my skirts? Or the length of my sleeves? If he didn’t care, why did my parents care? I felt like I loved Jesus, but did he love me less because my skirt did not reach below my knee? 

Years of this back-and-forth debate over modesty constantly reminded me of all the things I disagreed with my parents about. Were we convicted of different things? Did older people understand more things than younger people? Was I missing an important part of Biblical theology? 

Over a decade later, my parents and I still disagree on the nitty-gritty of many things. From topics such as modesty, worship, and even homosexuality and the LGBTQ+ community, we still cannot see eye-to-eye on many Adventist “details.” However, I am now an adult, and my relationship with the Lord has only strengthened with the passing of the years. 

It is true that God convicts everyone of different things, and we all have personal beliefs and practices because of it. But, if my parents have been the ones who raised me, and they passed down their beliefs to me, why then do I have viewpoints that strongly contradict theirs? 

After years of pondering over our differences, I have reached a simple yet complicated conclusion. Our core beliefs are the same, but our beliefs on some doctrines are different. This has led me to believe that because we are the same in so many ways, our differences boil down to generational differences. 

These generational differences are what I am determined to research. How come we all serve and love the same God, yet disagree in the ‘nitty gritty’ of things?