"Representatives of the United Methodist Church turned back attempts to liberalize its policy on homosexuality Wednesday. Almost 1,000 delegates to the church's General Conference rejected a committee proposal, leaving in place the position that the practice of homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching."
"The General Conference, which meets every four years, is the only assembly that can set policy for the 7.9 million-member church. It includes delegates from all 50 states and 66 overseas regional jurisdictions.
"However, delegates did adopt a resolution by a 3-to-2 margin opposing homophobia and 'heterosexism.'"
[For the full article, see here.]
The last line is probably the most damning of this whole policy regarding LGBT people of the United Methodist Church. The opposition to homophobia and heterosexism only passed by a 3-to-2 margin! What an indictment against that denomination!
And it's important to underscore that the Methodist Church is one of the so-called "liberal" denominations within the institutional Church!
Despite the fact that there are "Reconciling Churches" within the Methodist denomination, the fact is that there really isn't any desire for full and equal sacramental rights exhibited by most of the leaders and representatives of that denomination; the logo for the Methodist Church that reads, "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors" is nothing but a sham!
These hearts, minds, and doors seem to be open to all who are seemingly heterosexual but, except for some Reconciling congregations, those hearts, minds, and doors are slammed shut for God's LGBT children.
If these representatives who just met yesterday in Fort Worth, Texas had even a scintilla's worth of understanding of the Gospel message, they would not have voted the way they did, and every clergy person within that denomination would be hanging their heads in shame.
To say that most of the institutional Church is nothing short of a disgrace when it comes to civil and sacramental rights for minorities is a gross understatement.
Church leaders such as these offend all LGBT people; they offend the pastors within and without the Methodist Church who are Godly men and women who are truly embarrassed by this state of affairs; they offend all Christians worthy of the name; most importantly, they offend God Himself!
6 comments:
*sigh* All I can do at times like this is to remind myself that this mortal life - and the revilement that my queer brothers and sisters and I receive during this life - is temporary. The Kingdom of the Lord is forever!
You're absolutely right! Yet we still keep on fighting until they shove six feet of dirt in our faces! All LGBT Christians and allies are to make it abundantly clear that these phonies don't deserve any credibility, and that they certainly don't speak for our God of grace and love, and we're to do it in any and every venue possible.
I was once grateful that the dominant community of straight culture and its legal arms just let me live. Then I became grateful for mere tolerance. That was many years ago.
Now I refuse to give any support,no matter how much I may appreciate certain aspects of an institution, to churches who will not treat me like an equal! The Methodists, along with so many other groups, have once again lost the gifts of its gay members and potential members. They have also lost my money and my acceptance.
You, who are typical of rejecting denominations, are simply not good enough for me anymore.
Britt Alkire,
Carmichael, CA
Amen, Britt! The Methodists, Roman Catholic Church, and all other denominations who in any way don't embrace all of God's children aren't worthy of them. And that embracing includes the partaking of all sacraments of the church, including that of marriage.
I've left churches for lots of reasons. If you don't agree with a churches policies, why not leave? One can always start one's OWN church--especially nowadays. Personally, I'D like to participate in the sacrament of marriage at some point myself. Us straights seem to have trouble finding someone!!
Hi savvyd: I think that people who stay in any institution, particularly a voluntary institution such as a church, that doesn't affirm them as human beings fully entitled to civil and sacramental rights, is a masochist. If one is in a leadership position in a denomination or church, such as Gene Robinson in the Episcopal church, he/she may conceivably be able to "work from within," but for the person in the pew, it's a delusion to think that he/she can change church and/or denominational doctrine. Those churches are toxic to the spirit and an offense against God, and no one is doing God any favors by being exposed to any group of people who accept him/her on the condition that he/she be inauthentic. One's attendance in such churches merely gives that church, its clergy, and the denomination with which it's affiliated, a credibility that it doesn't deserve.
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