AN OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
For Immediate Release
June 26, 2015
Greetings in the name of our sovereign and loving God.
The Supreme Court decision ruling that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right has just been released, and those of us who have long been involved in the struggle for full-inclusion are rejoicing.
By a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States has done the right thing. As a result, this nation joins the growing list of nations that recognize the power of love to form relationships that are of significance… not just to the particular individuals and families that are immediately involved… but for the whole of society. We will be a better community of people because the Supreme Court has affirmed the rights of LGBTQ people in every state and territory of this country to formalize their love with vows of marriage.
Marriage is about love and not just biology. Those of us who have been involved in the LGBTQ struggle for full inclusion have long known and experienced this truth. It is extremely gratifying that the nation is finally catching up. Love wins!
And yet, even as we celebrate this tremendous moment in our national history, we are painfully aware that much work remains to be done. The Supreme Court decision does not change the exclusionary policies of our United Methodist Church. Neither does it make life easier for people who continue to live in countries that criminalize LGBTQ persons and terrorize them with cruel and dehumanizing abuses. Our celebrations must, therefore, include a determination to re-double our efforts to work for full inclusion everywhere and in every context.
Let us leverage today’s victory in the US Supreme Court into a renewed commitment to change our Church… to transform our Church into a community of Spirit where all are truly welcomed and embraced as beloved children of God created in the image of God. Let us build a Church where no LGBTQ person of any age, gender or culture need fear condemnation or abuse. We must continue to name our Church’s ongoing persecution of LGBTQ persons as the sin that it is. Even more, we must dream a grace-filled Church where LGBTQ persons, like all persons, are nurtured into the fullness of their God-given capacity for love. Now that would truly be making “disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!”
And, as we work for change in the Church, let us understand that the wellbeing of LGBTQ persons and allies around the world depends upon our success. There are countries where The United Methodist Church is growing and strong where LGBTQ people are routinely arrested, tortured and sometimes even killed. Our beloved Church must speak prophetically in these places for justice for LGBTQ people. But, how can we truly do that so long as we remain institutionally committed to beliefs and practices that are exclusionary and condemning? We may not say so outright, but our Church is implicated in the terror that too many of our LGBTQ sisters and brothers around the world experience every day of their lives.
Let us celebrate this victory! Yes indeed! Let us dance and laugh and sing for joy! But, let us not grow complacent. A long struggle still stretches out before us. As Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us oh so many years ago, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” So, to quote the words of James Weldon Johnson’s immortal hymn Lift Every Voice and Sing, “Let us march on till victory is won!”
May the blessings of God be with us always.
The Rev. Frank D. Wulf
Convener, Western Methodist Justice Movement
Los Angeles, CA