I have a number of friends who are either in ministry with the United Methodist Church or teach at one of their affiliated universities. Over the past few weeks almost each of them have been following closely with the recent conference in St. Louis concerning what it was going to do about the issue of the moment, homosexuality. Was it going to allow their own churches and clergy to do what they want (and so have differing standards on sexuality across different parts of the UMC)? Or were they going to proclaim the traditional denominational teachings against homosexuality were still valid (and so alienate many who were hopeful that the final break between sexuality and morality was going to be broken)?
I have friends on both sides of the issue, those who are strongly against opening marriage and ministry to the LGBTQ community, and those who believe that to do so is the only possible route for being relevant in the future. For both sides this has been an excruciating fight about the future of their denomination. Most likely whatever happened division was still going to come, because both sides had dug in.
Surprisingly, the UMC decided to toughen their prohibitions against LGBTQ ordination and marriage. I'm surprised because it runs against the trends both in the culture at large and within mainline denominationalism, in which homosexuality is now considered a perfectly valid option for people about their lifestyles.
My heart aches for my friends in the UMC who have struggled for this, but I do celebrate because, while the UMC may be wrong on many things, on this it seems that they at least tried to stay within the bounds of Scriptural teaching, even if not for all the right reasons. Like much of conservatism today they may have gotten here not because it was right but because they were afraid of the future, which are two very different things. Scripture, in my interpretation of it, at least 5 times speaks to this as something that is abhorrent to God (twice in Leviticus and three times in Paul's letters). But nothing I have read about this says that they were fully prepared to make this their rationale.
We live in a strange time in which those who would disregard what seems to be the clear teachings of Scripture and those who are trying to do the right thing but for the wrong reasons will choose to continue this fight. More shame will continue to be cast upon the body of Christ in this fight...but to glorify God by doing his will, even against our fears and against our culture, must still be our singular purpose, no matter what others may do.
