Church conflicts over homosexuality

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The United Methodist Church and Homosexuality

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Quotations:

	"If I am found guilty by a trial court, then the order and discipline of the United Methodist Church is in conflict with the Gospel. It is arrogance on the part of the church to elevate some people's relationship with God, while denigrating that of others on the basis of innate sexuality." Jimmy Creech, 1999-NOV, on the eve of his trial for conducting a same-sex union ceremony.
	"...no annual conference board, agency, committee, commission, or council shall give United Methodist funds to any gay caucus or group, or otherwise use such funds to promote the acceptance of homosexuality." 2004 General Conference resolution' passed 497 to 418.
	"Go back 150 years and you'll find good Christians arguing on behalf of slavery, offering all sorts of biblical justifications. Go back a few years, and churches, including the Southern Baptists, argued against ordaining women. Not just time changes, but people change. I honestly believe God is doing something new here." Mike Underhill, director of program ministries at Bering Memorial United Methodist Church, Houston, TX, 2005-FEB-12. (Actually, the Southern Baptists -- alone among American denominations -- have since reversed their stance for a second time and banned female ordination.)
	"Some minds and hearts are not open to the great diversity of humankind -- diversity created by God. God is all loving and merciful and cares a great deal for justice. I have trouble understanding this discrimination that causes so much hurt and pain for people who are gay and lesbian." Rev. Marilyn Meeker-Williams, senior pastor of Bering Memorial United Methodist Church, Houston, TX, 2005-FEB-12.

Overview:

Of all of the Christian denominations in the United States, the Episcopal Church (USA), the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the United Methodist Church are probably experiencing the greatest amount of conflict over the rights of its gay and lesbian members.

More liberal Christian denominations have already largely accepted homosexuality as simply another normal and natural sexual orientation. More conservative denominations have retained the historical Christian beliefs which condemn all same-gender sexual behavior. The same division is found between liberal and conservative members within the United Methodist Church, and is causing massive debate and distress, and occasionally a little constructive dialogue. Various fault lines have opened up, mainly geographical and age-related.

Topics covered in this section:

	Overview: (The UMC. The Book of Discipline. Future church split? Author's comments)
	Gay-positive and negative groups in the UMC
	Decisions by United Methodist conferences and courts Years 1972 to 1996 Years 2000 to 2009 Year 2012 to now
	Church trials: (Rose Mary Denman, Jimmy Creech, Gregory Dell, Mark Williams, Karen Dammann...) A letter campaign in support of Jimmy Creech
	Rev. Dawson Taylor's personal story

	Activity by various UMC groups: Year 1996 to 1999 Year 2000 to 2005 Year 2006 to now
	Within mainline denominations, is compromise possible, or is schism inevitable? An examination of the homosexual conflict in various Christian denominations

Reference used:

1. Todd Ackerman, "Local gay, lesbian couples wed in mass ceremony," Houston Chronicle, 2005-FEB-12, at: http://www.chron.com/

Copyright © 1997 to 2011 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Last update: 2011-FEB-21
Author: B.A. Robinson

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