UMC General Conference Wrestles With Homosexual Issues

by Jim Brown and Jenni Parker
May 5, 2004

(AgapePress) - Theological conservatives in the United Methodist Church have scored a big victory at the denomination's General Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the General Conference has decided not to adopt a resolution amending the denomination's discipline to make it more accepting of homosexuality.

A committee of the UMC's Board of Church and Society put forth a resolution that would have amended the church's Book of Discipline to include the statement, "We recognize that Christians disagree on the compatibility of homosexual practice with Christian teaching." However the proposal to amend the Discipline was narrowly defeated in a 56 to 44 percent vote, despite the presence of a large contingent of pro-homosexual activists on the convention floor.

Pro-homosexual United Methodists did their utmost to make their sentiments clear at the conference. Early on May 4, more than 200 church members braved near-freezing temperatures to kneel or stand in prayer in front of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where the General Conference is convening to express in silence their desire for inclusiveness.

The silent demonstration supporting the full inclusion of homosexual, bisexual and transgender people in the United Methodist Church was sponsored by the grassroots group Common Witness and began several blocks from the convention center. Protesters prayed as they marched to the site of the General Conference, where a number of homosexual issues were already under debate.

But despite the influence of pro-homosexual activists, the church voted to retain its conservative stance, and also to alter the wording of the social principles to clarify that stance. The delegates approved a revision to the language, which now says very clearly, "The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching."

Bill Hinson is president of the Confessing Movement within the UMC, and the former pastor of First Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. He says conservatives can breathe a sigh of relief for now, but he acknowledges with regret that the topic is by no means settled for the long term.

"We come unfortunately time after time to talk about this issue," Hinson says, "because it's kept always front and center by persons who defy the covenant, who disregard the church law, and push and push and push, so that the mission of Jesus Christ and the world suffers tremendously because of our attention and energy being focused on a problem that really should not be a consideration for a Bible-believing Christian."

The Confessing Movement's leader feels the homosexual debate is an unhappy distraction for the United Methodist Church, which he says should be spreading holiness and faith throughout the world instead of being so consumed with the issue of homosexuality.

"With a due emphasis on holiness, this kind of thing is not an issue," Hinson says, "but unfortunately we have been caught up by those who believe that culture sets the standard and who want to get in step with our culture, whereas we think those standards have already been set in God's word."

Nevertheless, the topic has persisted near the top of the agenda for the UMC gathering. Another among the many homosexuality-related issues being considered at this General Conference is the disposition of the Karen Dammann case. The openly homosexual pastor's status is once again in question as the UMC reconsiders whether she has acted in violation of church law.

According to an Associated Press report, Dammann declared her homosexuality three years ago and married her lesbian partner in Portland, Oregon before her recent church trial in Washington State. She told AP that she thought her case was settled back in March, when she was acquitted at that trial (see related story). However, since the UMC's highest court has now reiterated the statement that homosexual behavior is incompatible with Christian teaching, the denomination's Judicial Council may have a new decision in Dammann's case by the end of the week.

The pastor, who hopes to return to her congregation in Washington State, feels her previous acquittal should have prevented her status from being revisited at the conference. Her attorney has filed a brief arguing that the UMC is breaking its own rules by addressing her status in this way.

Meanwhile, the conservative position was again underscored at the General Conference when delegates had an opportunity to hear a biblical presentation on how to view homosexuality from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary's Associate Professor of New Testament, Dr. Robert Gagnon.

At a forum sponsored by the Institute on Religion and Democracy, Gagnon compared the situation facing modern mainline denominations in view of the homosexual debate with the attitudes of the Pharisees in Christ's day.

According to the New Testament theologian and author of the book The Bible and Homosexual Practice (Abingdon Press, 2002), Jesus reached out to the lowest moral forms of life because they were the most in danger of losing everything.

"We see Jesus reaching out to sinners and tax collectors," Gagnon says, "and cannot get our moral imaginations around the notion that Jesus can wed an intensified demand by God with an aggressive outreach of love to those most violating that demand. Only, unlike the Pharisees, rather than being concerned about the lowering of God's ethical standards, we're pleased with it."

The biblical scholar says mainline churches are unable to integrate both dimensions of Christ's love in their understanding of what the Church is to do in the world. He says he is often told that it is too hard to lift up God's intense moral demands as presented by Jesus and at the same time to love those who are in rebellion against those demands.

But Gagnon does not accept that argument. "I say to that, if it's too hard for the Church, then the Church should pack its bags and find something else to be doing," he says, "because that is the work of Jesus in the world. That is not only what Jesus has called us to do, it is what he is doing within us."

The UMC's 2004 General Conference began April 27 and will run through May 7.