Art Courtesy of Christy Thomas
Two in Argument
“Nothing, I would argue, is more effective at driving people away from religion than watching its most elite representatives—the whitest, malest, straightest, most educated, with the biggest platforms—devolve into kindergarteners, ganging up on others, bullying, preaching a Gospel of intractability and exclusion.” The woman who wrote this, Kaya Oakes, is the author of The Nones Are Alright: A New Generation of Seekers, Believers and Those In-Between.
Oakes contends that the increasingly tight retrenchment of conservative Christianity (both Catholic and Evangelical) will effectively eliminate the younger generation from traditional church membership. Members of this generation have grown up swimming in the waters of female power and gender fluidity. When they see the church rejecting both female voices and current understandings of sexuality, they seek to find other ways to develop their spiritual lives.
I believe The United Methodist Church is about to implode or split simply because it holds much of the tension. The majority of U.S. United Methodists are accepting of gender fluidity and same-sex marriage. They have long seen women in leadership roles as a non-issue. The growing influence of the African UMC church displays a decidedly opposite position on the gender issues. Furthermore, many African nations still see too many of its women living in something close to slavery, with little power and minimal rights.
Yes, I contend the UMC can actually be the leader in the healing here and in providing a place where the generations coming up can find a place to develop their spiritual understandings and be of service to the world. Consider this: two other worldwide religious movements, Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists, are both anti-gay and anything but supportive of women in ministry. The similar Roman Catholic positions on those two issues are unlikely to change. Same situation within Southern Baptists ranks.
The United Methodist Church is the one large and still influential connected Christian influence that could actually be the leader in theological grace here.
We could be the ones that boldly say, “We will live in the tension of not knowing, of the awareness that biblical interpretations and theological understandings do change over time. We will live in that grace by intentionally treating those inside and outside our connection who hold differing views with kindness, with generosity, with mutual humility and with holy love.”
Yes, we could do this.
But will we? Or will we instead choose to blow up the church we proclaim to love by, as this author put it, “ganging up on others, bullying, preaching a Gospel of intractability and exclusion.”
General Conference 2016 is just around the corner. We have a lot of decisions to make. The first one is: how are we going to treat one another, especially those who differ over the sexuality issues? Until that question is asked and answered clearly, the rest of what happens there will be nothing but wood, hay or straw.
Christy Thumb
The Rev. Christy Thomas
The Rev. Dr. Christy Thomas of Frisco, Texas, is an author and retired clergy member of the North Texas Annual Conference.