Personal Comments on LGBTQ+ Participation In A Denomination…

A Church Has to Make a Choice: Culture or God’s Word…

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender life are really not addressed much in the Bible, yet today these topics are so controversial that one would think that every other page of Scripture is devoted to these subjects.  “The story of the Bible is not the story of God giving a lecture on same-sex marriage or trying a case before the Supreme Court.  Although homosexuality is one of the most pressing and painful controversies of our day, it’s not what the church has been singing and praying about for two thousand years [Kevin DeYoung*].

From time to time I will stop and write a personal post about this issue because it is touching my life in such a direct way.  My church is struggling with decisions about the future.  But before we ponder the future, let’s provide some context by looking at the past.  The United Methodist Church took a position against homosexuality in the Book of Discipline** in 1972.  That position does not recognize or celebrate same-sex marriages and considers the practice of homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching.   Practicing homosexual pastors are not to be ordained in the church and same sex marriage rites are not to be performed in the church.  Since 1972, a lot has changed.

In 1987 an openly lesbian Methodist minister was defrocked for violating the Book of Discipline.  In 1996 an openly gay man was ordained as a minister in the church.  In 2004 an openly lesbian minister was acquitted by the church governing body and allowed to be a pastor in her specific regional conference.  In 2016 an openly lesbian woman was elected bishop in the western district of the UMC.  In 2021 an openly gay pastor was elected and consecrated as a pastor in the United Methodist Church [Western Jurisdiction].

A United Methodist pastor spoke to me about this weak stand the church has made about homosexuality since 1972, crumbling under the pressure of American culture to accept LGBTQ leaders within the church, failing to enforce its own rules (The Book of Discipline), 1972.

The Public Religion Research Poll conducted in 2020 put 76% of Americans in favor of LGBTQ rights.  The US News and World Report poll done in 2020 show 72% of Americans saying homosexuality should be accepted.  In a poll conducted by the political website The Hill, 80% of Americans say they support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people.

A lot has changed.  In 1994, the LGBTQ acceptance percentage was 46 percent.  In 2002 it was 51 percent.  Acceptance of LGBTQ people has grown over time and it continues to grow.

Has the United Methodist Church handled this issue well? 

It has not.

The pandemic has muddled the whole process.  The last General Conference of the UMC was held in 2019 in St. Louis Missouri, a special session dedicated to the church policies on LGBTQ+ issues.  With much heated discussion, that conference affirmed the 1972 Book of Discipline traditional stance on marriage (even though segments of the church have violated that 1972 Book since its inception).  The pastor I referred to earlier says “why have a Book of Discipline if you don’t enforce it?”  Good point.

The 2020 General Conference was cancelled due to Covid-19 and rescheduled until 2022 [that one was also cancelled due to Covid-19].  The next General Conference will be held May 3, 2024.  At that time many project that the Conference will overturn Book of Discipline statements regarding LGBTQ+ participation.  The 1972 segment of the Book of Discipline will be rewritten to reflect changing American cultural values.  At this point, the rewriting is a projection, not a reality.  The rewriting is a guess, not a certainty.  Will this happen, leaving some more traditional Methodists unhappy with the way the church is going?  All one can say is possibly. Some who can “read the tea leaves” are sure that this is going to happen and they have pushed to break away from the United Methodist Church in advance of the General Conference, 2024.

It this solely about LGBTQ+ issues?  Some say that it is, but some point to other issues like dissatisfaction with church organizational structure and UMC ownership of church campus property ***.  However, the issue that is getting the most press is the LBBTQ+ issue.  This Sunday my congregation is going to have to make a decision about which Methodist organization to affiliate with****.  To date, my church has chosen to disaffiliate from the UMC but no decision has been made about choosing a new affiliation. 

A member of the “transition team” came to my house the other day to share materials about various directions my church could go.  I took the materials and said thank you and I will participate this Sunday as the new direction is discussed. 

Let us not lose sight of where the Body of Christ is on this issue.  The Bible does not spend much time at all on this issue.  God has many more things to talk about other than LGBTQ issues.   However, when the Bible does address the same-sex lifestyle, it is not supportive of this, with several scriptures condemning same-sex practices.  Let’s be direct.  The Bible states that same-sex unions are sinful. 

Should Christians be spending so much time on this one single issue?  Probably not, for God does not spend much time on it.  God might intend for us to deal with more weighty issues, more basic to human life.  God may want us to open His Word and study passages not related to same-sex relationships.  Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the Bible is not about this issue.

But here we are…

The United Methodist Church finds itself in the middle of  a culture war.  Some say it is more of a “culture skirmish” because of the 40,000 local churches in the UMC and related denominations, the vast majority will not choose to disaffiliate.  They will remain under the UMC umbrella, whether the church decides to incorporate LGBTQ+ rights regarding pastors and marriage within the church or not. 

Let us not lose sight that St. John Studies is a blog that is devoted to discussing Christian living literature and now I am trying to look at an author who supports LGBTQ+ rights, an author who supports traditional Biblical marriage and an author who takes a middle position.  Kevin DeYoung is the author I am writing about now and last week he elaborated on how woman is a natural complement to man, a “Divinely” designed complement.  His views are not the only ones discussed on this blog.  From February 2, 2023 until April 28, 2023 I blogged on Peter Gomes’ book entitled The Good Book.  Gomes was the pastor at Harvard from 1970 until his death is 2011, a staunch advocate for civil rights, gay rights and religious pluralism.

Let us not lose sight of what God says about this issue.  Let us not lose sight of how little of the Bible is devoted to this issue.  How the United Methodist Church has handled this topic has forced members to choose between endorsing a lifestyle ban for its clergy and a marriage rite ban for its members and what God says in the Bible regarding that lifestyle.  What could have been a private set of beliefs has become public because the United Methodist Church has handled this issue as it has. When that happens, people take sides. People get angry and upset and a “united” church is no longer united.

Let us not lose sight…

*Kevin DeYoung  What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?

**The Book of Discipline is a fundamental book that outlines the law, doctrine, administration, organizational work and procedures of the church.  It is revised every four years by the General Conference.

***An example of organizational structure concerns is UMC Bishop power [appointed for life and with massive power over local church pastor assignment].  The local church is owned by the United Methodist Church and apportionment payments must be made to the church in general every year.

****Global Methodist Church, Free Methodist, Wesleyan Church, Nazarene Church and Congregational Methodist Church.