Demonstrators at the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla. silently display their desire for full inclusion in the church. United Methodist News Service photo/Kathleen Barry
[Religion News Service] United Methodists concluded their General Conference May 4 without voting on gay clergy or same-sex marriage, a surprising end to a disappointing week for gay activists.
On May 3, the nearly 1,000 delegates gathered in Tampa, Fla., soundly rejected two motions that would have amended the United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline, which calls the practice of homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.” After those votes, protesters flooded the convention floor, briefly shutting down the conference.
Conference planners, evangelical leaders and gay and lesbian advocates met later that day and determined that there was little use in holding additional contentious debates on homosexuality, according to several sources. Proposals to ordain gay clergy and bless same-sex unions held little chance of passing, the parties agreed, and so were pushed to the back of the agenda, essentially assuring that they would not be debated.
“Leaders of the demonstration were told that the legislation was postponed to avoid more harm to LGBT people and their supporters,” the Love Your Neighbor Coalition said in a statement. “The United Methodist Church had an opportunity to offer love, grace, and hope,” the coalition said. “Sadly, we did not take that opportunity.”
The UMC’s policy remains that ministers cannot marry same-sex couples and churches cannot host same-sex weddings. Clergy in same-sex relationships are likewise banned.
Leading up to General Conference, which convenes every four years, gay advocates had argued that momentum favored their cause. About 1,200 United Methodists clergy have agreed to break church rules and marry same-sex couples, surveys show young Christians favor expanding gay rights and other mainline Protestant denominations have adopted gay-friendly policies in recent years.
But the UMC, which is the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the United States, is shrinking in the U.S. while growing in Africa and Asia, where conservative views on homosexuality predominate.
The conservative Institute on Religion & Democracy credited African delegates for upholding UMC’s “incompatible” stance on homosexuality. “Delegates from Africa, comprising about 30 percent of the total, were decisive in votes … on wording that sought to soften the church’s position,” IRD said in a statement.
Still, Mark Tooley, a United Methodist and IRD’s president, called the cancellation of votes on gay clergy and same-sex marriage “very surprising.”
“This, to my knowledge, has never happened before in the 40 years that we’ve been debating this issue,” Tooley said. “It is surprising that one side recognizes that they have no interest in perpetuating the debate.”
The leaders of several United Methodist gay rights groups did not respond to requests for comment.
Can’t we ever get off the Methodists? Enough already. Maybe more on Mormons and Christian Science would be more interesting and relevant?
As I responded to an earlier question of yours on our UMC News Service posting of May 7, General Convention in July will be dealing with calls to re-structure the Episcopal Church, as well as a proposal to authorize trial use of a rite for blessing for same-gender relationships. It seemed helpful to put our conversations in a larger context. Look for us to post stories in late June-early July when the Presbyterian Church USA’s General Assembly also discusses its structure.
Any time an individual or an organization discriminates against an individual or a group of individuals because of their race, gender or sexual orientation and prohibits that group or individuals from that group from enjoying and aspiring to the same privileges which those discriminating enjoy, this is bigotry and should not be tolerated, particularly by those calling themselves Christians. Bigotry is bigotry, and wrapping it in the Bible or other Scriptures and declaring that it is the word of God does not make it less bigotry, it only adds hypocrisy to the bigotry. So have at it, ye sanctimonious hymn-singing, Bible-thumping hypocritical bigots, and continue to discriminate against groups of God’s children because they are of inferior gender or because you don’t like their sexual orientation.
My young friend Sophia summed up a dominant feeling among many: “I know this is a generational thing and twenty years from now it’ll be as legal for gay couples to marry as it is for women to vote, schools to be integrated etc etc etc but I am really sad that we aren’t there now.” Let us have faith that truth and justice will prevail, enduring, for the sake of the cross, yet working hard for love to prevail.
To second David Krohne, enough of the Methodists, already! There are a variety of other ecumencial relationships that deserve coverage at least as much as this one.
Well, there are a lot (12,000,000) of us and we just had a large (1,000 delegates, 4,000+ staff observers, press, etc.) General Conference. The big issues (restructuring the entire denomination as well as the usual fight over homosexuality) were large and I am sure that our mistakes will inform the other general gatherings to come.
That said, I am a lot sicker of this than any non-Methodist can be, so indeed, let’s now talk about others.
Thank you, Daniel Burke, Mary Frances Schjonberg, and Episcopal News Service, for your ongoing coverage of our ecumenical partners and other churches and interfaith religious organizations. We Episcopalian Christians do not live, worship God, or serve our fellow humans in isolation. We are deeply entwined and interconnected in Creation, and our decisions and actions impact others, however seemingly tangentially.
As we Episcopalians advance towards General Convention, we are having many conversations about the same subjects, although set in different contexts, that the United Methodists, the Lutherans, the Moravians, and the Presbyterians are talking about, to name but a few of the other religious organizations also engaged in discussions about declining memberships amidst changing demographics, caring for society in an economically challenging time, making good environmental stewardship choices, etc. Being in conversation with, and having knowledge of, our brethren remind us that we are not alone in answering God’s call to worship and service, and affords many new opportunities for collaboration as we strive to build strong communities.
Lelanda Lee
Lay Deputy, Diocese of Colorado
Vice Chair, Legislative Committee 18 – Ecumenical Relations
It saddens me that my church denomination thinks less of me than the heteros in the church. It is curious that they have never refused my money or my hard work in the church. I am a life long member of the Methodist church, have been a trustee for about 9 yrs and president of the trustees for 4 years. I sing in the choir, prepare and serve meals, am the contact for Habitat for Humanity in the church, worked with Family Promise , and facilitate a support group for the mission Comm. but because I am a gay man I am not welcome to be married in my church. My pastor may not marry my partner outside of the church, and and I an not compatable with the book of discipline of my faith. Jeasus said I am the way . He did not say the Methodist church is the way. Maybe I need to reevaluate where I practice my faith on Sunday morning. Very sad!