How The Methodist Church Yanked the Rug Out from Under Us

The United Methodist Church is in upheaval, and there are no easy answers. But the upheaval has exposed a lack of integrity and a tyrannical grab for power that has left me disappointed and heartbroken. The rift began when gay ministers were ordained, and gay marriages were sanctioned in various Methodist churches. More conservative church leaders said this was a violation of the Methodist Book of Discipline, which constitutes the law and doctrine of the church. The problematic part of the Discipline is the part that deals with human sexuality. Homosexual marriage and ordination are condemned, and sexual relations are affirmed only within the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage. The sexuality part is what caused disagreement to boil over into disruption in 2019. That’s when traditionalist rule makers voted by a narrow margin to retain the original language of the Discipline, a vote that was not accepted by the dissenters. At first, it looked as if there would be a peaceful and united resolution. Churches who wanted gay marriage and gay or transgender ministers could move in that direction. Those who believed differently could operate differently. But this way forward unraveled almost as quickly as it was proposed, and further consideration of the issue was postponed because of Covid. <a href="https://medium.com/the-partnered-pen/how-the-methodist-church-yanked-the-rug-out-from-under-us-cd13bf4a1152">Visit Now</a>