Methodist on gay marriage
The Methodists’ same-sex marriage vote was conclusive. So why is it dividing the church?
Methodists in Britain are bewildered, ecstatic or sad at its recent judgment to allow homosexual marriage in church.
The Rev Sonia Hicks, president of the Methodist Conference, was reflecting on the fallout after the vote, which was passed by in favour with 46 against, a larger majority than expected.
She told a Religion Media Centre briefing that the way forward was to work out how people with alternative views could last in the identical church. She said the church had always had opposite convictions “but I don’t see why this should be the one that particularly breaks us”.
In America, the issue of same-sex marriage is threatening to split the Joined Methodist Church, with a breakaway Global Methodist Church organised and waiting to depart whatever the final vote, expected next year.
The Rev Dr Rob Vaughn, who teaches for the United Methodists, specialising in sexual ethics, told the briefing that this issue was the tip of the iceberg for traditionalists who had formed the breakaway organization.
Bishop Karen Oliveto is retiring in a few months as a United Methodist bishop.
Oliveto was emotional saying those words aloud. As the church's first openly gay bishop, her lane was not always certain.
"Every day of my ministry, I've had to wonder, is this the date my ordination will be taken from me?" Oliveto said.
That is, until this year's United Methodist General Conference, the church's global legislative body, voted to overturn every ban on LGBTQ people. The historic changes include a fresh definition of marriage as a lifelong covenant between "two people of faith," rather than solely between a man and a woman, and a repeal of its ban on LGBTQ clergy.
The General Conference also struck down a year-old stance on homosexuality being "incompatible with Christian teaching."
"To hear someone declare, 'we need to repent of the harm we've done.' I didn't recognize my body was waiting for that," said Oliveto.
The changes, which are successful immediately, open new doors for LGBTQ members. One year-old, who wished to go by J.M., is working toward becoming ordained as a deacon in the Unite
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: The Merged Methodist Church
In May , the General Conference voted to remove longstanding bans on the ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy and the celebration of homosexual marriages by clergy and in churches. These changes became fully effective on January 1,
BACKGROUND
The UMC traces its origins to the Methodist movement initiated in the midth century by Anglican priest John Wesley and his brother Charles. The current structure of the UMC was established in through the union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The church is founded on three basic principles:
- Do no harm.
- Do good.
- Practice the ordinances of God, including prayer, Bible reading, worship, and the Lord's Supper.
The global church structure mirrors the United States government with legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The legislative branch, the General Conference, meets every four years to set church policy. Approximately 1, delegates (half lay leaders, half clergy) amass to consider revisions to the Book of Resolutions and the Book of D
Sexuality and the United Methodists
Others, like the Episcopals, Presbyterians (PCUSA), and Lutherans (ELCA) have taken explicit stances in support of LGBTQ inclusion. Of course, individual members of these institutions will have diverse views on the topic, and the stance of an institution does not always reflect the stance of an individual member; The United Method Church (UMC) is a perfect example of this complexity.
The UMC is a global Protestant denomination which has significant membership in North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. While historically originating in the United Kingdom, the largest population of Methodists now lives in the Combined States, where it is the third largest religious group after Catholics and Baptists.
Every four years, the UMC meets at what they call the Methodist General Conference—a democratic body of representatives from across the world which gathers to make church decisions. In , the Conference voted to add language to the church’s law, stating “the perform of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching,” and that homosexual