Good-Bye
A United Methodist Insight Exclusive
There has been an increase in chatter about schism within The United Methodist Church over the issue of sexual minorities, their place in the life of the church, and whether or not local United Methodist congregations should be allowed to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies. To those of us who have been active in The United Methodist Church for long enough, this talk is neither new nor interesting. I remember an issue of Good News magazine from the 1990s featuring a still from the film Titanic, with the headline “Will Homosexuality Sink The Church?” The threat of schism has been a long-standing tactic should The United Methodist Discipline be changed to accept sexual minorities in the full life of the church (i.e., ordination) and to offer pastoral ministry to marrying same-sex couples in jurisdictions where that is now legal.
To one and all, from Bishops and popular personages through the person in the pew who earnestly and sincerely believe it would be better to break communion over how we minister to others, I say this: Do it. Go, and Godspeed.
The rapid acceptance of same-sex marriage in the United States is nothing short of miraculous. We can celebrate the number of states where same-sex marriage is now legal and the general cultural acceptance of sexual minorities as whole persons enjoying the same rights and privileges as any others. Other mainline Christian denominations have opened themselves both to full inclusion of sexual minorities in the life and ministries of their churches as well as ministering to their needs through marriage without much of a change. Some, especially the United Church of Christ, have seen growth particularly where the only other Protestant mainline church is United Methodist.
The acceptance of sexual minorities in America will not reverse itself. The only real question for United Methodists is how we respond to this general acceptance. Would giving up the stance that "homosexual practice is incompatible with Christian teaching" acquiesce to a cultural trend that is antithetical to the central message of the Gospel? Or is it adiaphora, a thing of no consequence, in which we respect the differences of those who disagree, while moving forward with the proclamation of the reconciling love of God in Christ?
Those promoting schism insist that same-sex love is clearly prohibited by scripture. In their view, acceptance of same-sex love would undermine the authority of scripture as our guide in matters of doctrine. The easiest response to this claim is that opposition to same-sex love, to sexual minorities in the pulpit, or to performing legal same-sex weddings is not now, nor has it ever been, near the top of doctrine or ethics. Indeed, it can be argued that denying gays and lesbians full participation in the church, including marrying those seeking the blessings of their local church, is a far greater violation of Jesus' command to love and care for others as we love and care for ourselves.
Do I believe schism is a real threat? Were there signs of a sudden groundswell for it, with people in pews and pastors in pulpits discussing it, I might. What I do see are the same names and hear the same voices using the same tired arguments rehearsed for the past quarter-century. If they were serious about leaving, they’d be gone. So I say: If you want to leave, go. In the end some will, but not many. Those left will grow, no longer burdened by antediluvian attitudes toward sexual minorities. Meanwhile the schismatics will be known as those who left simply because they wished to continue discriminating against gays. The door is open, as they say, and it swings both ways.
Geoffrey Kruse-Safford, a United Methodist layman, lives in Rockford, Ill.