I did not think that the UMC would divide eight and a half
years ago when I wrote this post (click here), and I still don’t.
I think some people might leave, and I think that would be
fine. In fact, people already have. But I do not think the denomination will divide.
The ones who desire it are simply too small a minority for it to actually
happen at the General Conference level. Cooler heads will prevail.
The “Via Media Caucus” doesn’t make a lot of noise, but we
vote. If outright division is proposed, we will vote “No.”
By the way, the reason we will vote “No” has nothing to do
with whether or not we think gay people should be getting married. The reason
we will vote “No” is because we will consider the idea of schism to be the most
inane idea we have ever heard, doing absolutely nothing to advance the mission of
the church, and completely incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We won't even vote "no" - we'll vote "smh."
The truth of the matter is that the United Methodist Church
doesn’t actually need to say “gay marriage is not allowed” anywhere in our
official policy. It’s pretty much covered in the line that says, “The decision
to perform the ceremony shall be the right and responsibility of the pastor” (340.1.c.1).
I don’t have to marry anyone if I
don’t want to, as the current policy stands.
Which means, if an individual pastor really believed
strongly that gay marriage isn’t cool, she or he could say, “No.” What the specific
prohibition provides is institutional authority behind the pastor’s action. But
we already have that, in the section that gives us authority to decide
on each individual wedding.
So yes, the Book of Discipline is at times redundant, at
others contradictory, and mostly a convoluted mess.
Is it messy enough to actually and formally divide the
denomination into multiple parts? *smh* Hardly.
I will confess that sometimes when I hear/read about schism,
I think, “Marvin K. Mooney will you please go now!” There are other Wesleyan
denominations around that would welcome you. But in truth I do not want anyone
to go; I love our holy mess.
Now, can we please stop talking about schism and remember
what we’re supposed to be doing here?
2 comments:
I still love the UMC Andy, I just hate what they did to me and others. It had nothing to do with being gay, but they are wrong about it too. Why do they persist in such poor policy? I went back to my Catholic roots where I expect the gender discrimination that I didn't expect from the UMC.
"I love our holy mess."
Well said Andy.
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