{"id":120412,"date":"2020-01-27T12:25:54","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T17:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/gay-rights-dispute-is-pulling-apart-the-united-methodist-church-after-decades-of-argument\/"},"modified":"2020-01-27T12:25:54","modified_gmt":"2020-01-27T17:25:54","slug":"gay-rights-dispute-is-pulling-apart-the-united-methodist-church-after-decades-of-argument","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/gay-rights-dispute-is-pulling-apart-the-united-methodist-church-after-decades-of-argument\/","title":{"rendered":"Gay Rights Dispute is Pulling Apart the United Methodist Church, After Decades of Argument"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gay Rights Dispute is Pulling Apart the United Methodist Church, After Decades of Argument<\/b>
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Image by adonisbluemusic<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Methodist Church, the largest mainline Protestant denomination<\/a> in the United States, is headed toward a divorce.<\/p>\n

In early January, mediators from across the United Methodist Church proposed a separation plan<\/a> to split the church into two separate denominations, with one that will allow same sex<\/a> marriages and “practicing” LGBTQ clergy. <\/p>\n

Members of the General Conference, the church’s legislative body, are expected<\/a> to pass the proposal in May. If a split occurs, it will be the result of nearly 50 years of failure to resolve the United Methodist Church’s ambiguous position on sexuality. <\/p>\n

The origin of the debate<\/h2>\n

The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968 by the union of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church. <\/p>\n

At that time in the United States, the civil rights movement<\/a> and the nascent gay liberation movement<\/a> were both underway. The new United Methodist Church, like many institutions in American society, grappled with the changing American culture, particularly with respect to sexuality. <\/p>\n

For much of the 20th century, American society did not approve of homosexuality. As historian Robert O. Self<\/a> noted in his book<\/a>, “as late as 1968 homosexual acts remained a felony in every state except Illinois, New York, and New Jersey.”<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, by the 1970s LGBTQ Americans made themselves visible both in public spaces and in the church, asserting their rights and dignity<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In 1972, the United Methodist Church adopted into its “Book of Discipline,” or established laws and doctrine, a clause which recognized<\/a> homosexuals as “persons of sacred worth…entitled to have their human and civil rights ensured.” But there was a caveat: The church did not “condone the practice of homosexuality” and considers it “incompatible with Christian teaching.”<\/p>\n

Embracing civil rights for LGBTQ Americans without condoning homosexuality in the church was an attempt at compromise.<\/p>\n

As my research<\/a> on the church’s position on sexuality has shown, the newly unified<\/a> denomination did not want to split up after just four years. <\/p>\n

Sexuality – a divisive outlier<\/h2>\n

In 1972, liberals in the church introduced a statement in favor of civil rights<\/a> for the LGBTQ community. Their aim was to officially support the civil rights of persecuted gay<\/a> and lesbian<\/a> people. <\/p>\n

Though seen by the more moderate and conservative members of the newly united church as radical, their statement was in keeping with many of other liberal Methodist policies. <\/p>\n

The denomination – pre-unification with the United Brethren Church – was among the first to ordain women<\/a>, recognizing womens’ right to preach in 1956. Methodists have supported access to contraception and abortion<\/a> since 1972. <\/p>\n

The church’s very first Book of Discipline opposed slavery, stating it to be “contrary to the golden law of God,” although this was never enforced in the American South.<\/p>\n

Likewise, Methodists have been critical of aggressive foreign policy. The church referred to the war in Vietnam as a “crime against humanity<\/a>” in 1972. <\/p>\n

Still, conservatives, who in 1972 represented a slim majority<\/a> of the church’s membership, defended their position on sexuality. They agreed to the civil rights statement only on the condition that homosexuality be declared incompatible with Christianity.<\/p>\n

Building an ambiguous legacy<\/h2>\n

The path to schism continued into the next decade. <\/p>\n

The 1980 United Methodist General Conference was a good one for gay<\/a> rights, as sociologist Amanda Udis-Kessler<\/a> has documented<\/a>. The delegates voted down a measure to ban gay<\/a> clergy and called on the government to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in federal agencies and the military. <\/p>\n

Then, in 1984 the church banned homosexual acts among clergy<\/a>, essentially forcing LGBTQ ministers to either become celibate or quit. <\/p>\n

At their next meeting, in 1988, the United Methodists nevertheless adopted a policy of welcoming “all persons regardless of sexual orientation.” <\/p>\n

By popular demand, that year the church also authorized the first concerted effort to study sexuality among Methodists. A committee chaired by Rev. Nancy Yamasaki, a pastor and church administrator, interviewed ministers and parishioners to document experiences and opinions about sexuality and its Biblical interpretation.<\/p>\n

When their report<\/a> was released in 1992 it argued that the Bible did not speak to sexual orientation at all.<\/p>\n

Among other conclusions, the report determined that sexual orientation is not a choice made by adults or a personal failing. It also concluded that gay<\/a> couples<\/a> practiced monogamy at roughly the same rate as straight couples<\/a> and were every bit as happy.<\/p>\n

In light of these results, a majority of the committee wanted the church to acknowledge that it could not “responsibly maintain the condemnation of all homosexual practice.” <\/p>\n

The church accepted that the 1992 report was the product of a valid and fair study but refused to adopt its recommendations. <\/p>\n

Global ministry<\/h2>\n

Church policy on LGBTQ inclusion changed little in the 1990s and 2000s<\/a>, though the church’s demographics did.<\/p>\n

Americans may have drifted toward full inclusion for LGBTQ people, yet since the 1960s fewer have attended mainline churches<\/a>. For the United Methodist Church this trend really accelerated in the 1990s and 2000s<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Methodists are very diverse, with members from across the political spectrum<\/a> and the world, particularly in Africa<\/a>. Today, nearly half of nearly 13 million Methodists live<\/a> outside the United States. <\/p>\n

In May 2020<\/a>, when church leaders meet to approve their split, 56% of delegates to the General Conference will be from the United States, 32% from Africa, 6% from the Philippines and about 5% from Europe. <\/p>\n

International delegates to the General Conference disproportionately oppose LGBTQ inclusion in the church<\/a> and have demonstrated “overwhelming support<\/a>” for maintaining the church’s traditional ban<\/a> on same sex<\/a> marriages. <\/p>\n

“If the bans were eased, the church in Africa would cease to exist,” Rev. Jerry Kulah of Liberia told the media<\/a> in 2019. <\/p>\n

Rev. Forbes Matonga, a General Conference delegate and pastor at the Nyadire Mission Center in Zimbabwe, said last year that support for same sex marriage would cause Africans to leave the denomination<\/a>. <\/p>\n

With opinions on sexuality now evenly split<\/a>, the church can no longer keep everyone satisfied. In May, Methodists on both sides of the divide will have the opportunity to realize a church that reflects their own values.<\/p>\n

[ You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.<\/em> You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter<\/a>. ]<\/p>\n

Scott T. Vehstedt<\/a>, PhD Candidate in American History, American University<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The post Gay Rights Dispute is Pulling Apart the United Methodist Church, After Decades of Argument<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Gay Rights Dispute is Pulling Apart the United Methodist Church, After Decades of Argument<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n