Patriarchy
"A church structured out of patriarchy does not leave a place at the table—CANNOT leave a place at the table—for people of color, for women, for LGBTQ people, not out of maliciousness necessarily, but simply because the structure itself is designed for privilege." (File photo)
Can the United Methodist Church be bought?
Last night I sat in an online meeting made up of United Methodist lay and clergy members who envision a liberationist denomination. They are known as UM Forward. The sentiments expressed are close to my own and my congregation of Trinity Church of Austin, more so than other plans being put forth by the Indianapolis group or UMCNext. How it will all shake out at General Conference next May is anyone’s guess at this point but it is refreshing to know that we are not alone in our views, that there are many others—especially in different parts of the country—that share our views.
This morning in an article in the Washington Post discussing the Democratic Party’s concern about the crumbling support for “establishment” candidates (i.e., Biden), I read a description that, with the exception of a few word differences and the context of church rather than political party, the same can be said about the role of liberationists within the UMC.
Here’s the quote from the article:
“Unlike their centrist opponents, Sanders and Warren have proved that their loyalty and principles cannot be bought. While they share big donors’ commitment to defeating Trump, they are not willing to be restorationists. They are committed to defeating the centrist orthodoxy that Democratic leaders, largely under the influence of donors, have clung to for too long. That’s good for democracy but not for the plutocrats who are used to exerting power in the party. The establishment is right to be anxious.”
“They are not willing to be restorationists.” Yes, that is exactly how I and many others feel about the UMC we love. A church structured out of patriarchy does not leave a place at the table—CANNOT leave a place at the table—for people of color, for women, for LGBTQ people, not out of maliciousness necessarily, but simply because the structure itself is designed for privilege.
It isn’t enough to be inclusive of LGBTQ people. We are already “inclusive” of people of color and women, but any person of color or female within our system knows that we really are not. The structure itself needs to flatten and be modeled, not after the US government with executive, legislative, and judicial branches, but after a model of Christianity’s first creed that affirms “neither Jew nor Greek, Slave nor Free, Male and Female.” The Apostle Paul knew in the first century, and we know now, that “the establishment is right to be anxious.”
Sid Hall
The Rev. Sid Hall. (Courtesy Photo)
The Rev. Sid Hall is lead pastor of Trinity Church in Austin, Texas, a federated congregation affiliated with The United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ. This post is republished with permission from his Facebook page.