CLEVELAND — In a major setback for pro-gay activists, the United Methodist Church voted decisively May 11 to retain policies prohibiting homosexuals from ordination, banning same-sex union ceremonies and describing homosexuality as “incompatible with Christian teaching.”
The votes were overshadowed by an emotional protest that brought the denomination’s top decision-making body to a standstill and resulted in arrests of at least 27 people including two church bishops.
One of the church’s most divisive statements calls the practice of homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching,” and has served to mold the church’s doctrine on such related issues as ordination and same-sex unions. Delegates voted 628-337 to retain the statement.
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