More than 1,000 delegates of the 8.2 million-member United Methodist Church (UMC) gathered in Pittsburgh April 27–May 7 for the denomination’s quadrennial General Conference to discuss church business and plan for the future. But one issue overwhelmingly dominated the meeting — homosexuality.
It’s an issue that is dominating discussions in several mainline denominations, including the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Episcopal Church. But while pro-homosexual advocates continue to advance their agenda in those churches, the UMC seems to be at least slowing the pace in its own.
The Judicial Court of the UMC — the denomination’s highest court — ruled May 1 that UMC law clearly teaches that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.
Compelled to declare
It seemed like an obvious declaration to make. Section 304.3 of the UMC Book of Discipline says, “Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed, practicing homosexuals shall not be appointed to serve in the United Methodist Church.”
But the Judicial Court was compelled to affirm the church statute in the wake of a March ruling of the Presbytery of the Northwest that found Karen Dammann, a UMC minister who is a self-avowed, practicing homosexual, “not guilty of practices incompatible with Christian teaching.”
The Dammann ruling created a firestorm within the denomination that came to a head at the General Conference. Both conservative and liberal delegates came to the meeting expecting an official statement from the church. That statement came in the form of the Judicial Court’s ruling.
Conservatives praised the ruling, saying it upheld biblical truth and church law. “It’s very important because church law has been unchanging for three decades, but increasingly, certain local or regional jurisdictions have been unwilling to enforce church law,” Mark Tooley, a spokesman for the United Methodist Action Program of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, told The Associated Press.
But Tooley warned that the question of homosexual clergy will remain unless the denomination passes legislation to more assertively enforce church law.
Three days after the Judicial Court’s ruling, measures were introduced that would officially acknowledge that there is division in the UMC over the issue of homosexuality. The delegates rejected that measure on a 527–423 vote.
A confusing message
“Jesus clearly said from the beginning of creation God made them male and female,” said Eddie Fox, who spoke against the measure. “We must not give a message which is confusing to the world and to the people of the United Methodist Church.”
A flurry of additional pro-homosexual measures were introduced during the conference, including: adding a statement of nondiscrimination over sexual orientation and gender identity in the church; adding language to allow homosexual marriages or civil unions; and deleting the phrase “fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness” from qualifications for church office.
Those measures were defeated.
And delegates voted to pass several measures affirming the UMC’s objection to homosexuality, including: adding “performing same-sex wedding ceremonies” as a chargeable offense for clergy; and preventing the expenditure of annual conference funds to promote acceptance of homosexuality. (EP)
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