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Homosexuality:
A Scriptural Way Forward for the
United Methodist Church
Joe Miller, Jr.
EnerPower Press
Gonzalez, FL
2015
Copyright © 2015, Joseph Walter Miller, Jr.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cover Image: Dreamstime ID 19557560, © Nikkytok | Dreamstime.com - Beam Of Light Photo
Cover Design: Henry E. Neufeld
Electronic ISBN: 978-1-63199-609-2
Print ISBNs:
ISBN10: 1-63199-221-X
ISBN13: 978-1-63199-221-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015955968
EnerPower Press
P. O. Box 841
Gonzalez, FL 32560
enerpowerpress.com
850-525-3916
Introduction
Homosexuality is one the most polarizing and confusing issues within the American culture, political arena, media, and church. Our culture has divided itself by acceptance and/or rejection of the LGBT community and/or gay sexual relationships. There seems to be little middle ground. Christians particularly are divided on various issues regarding the LGBT community. Is homosexuality (orientation and/or practice) a sin? Should homosexuals have equal rights to marriage, legal access, church leadership, inheritance, benefits, and clergy ordination? The government is obviously polarized and confused as evidenced by the Clinton administration’s implementation of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the military and its withdrawal in the Obama administration. The defense of marriage act (DOMA) was a political/societal attempt to preclude gay marriage by defining heterosexual marriage as the only acceptable norm.
The cultural tide towards acceptance and full inclusion of LGBT rights and privileges will eventually carry the day. Courts have overturned and continue to overturn state laws that preclude gay marriage. The Supreme Court recently ruled, 5-4, that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage in the United States, but that does not answer the questions for the Christian church. What should Christians believe about homosexual relationships including marriage? Should we condone and participate in gay marriages?
Scientific and medical studies affirm that homosexuality is an orientation born of discovery rather than a lifestyle choice. In other words, homosexuality is a function of genetics and/or environment that causes a person to be attracted to the same sex rather than the opposite sex. There are arguments pro and con to what causes sexual attraction, but orientation is not chosen. There are some cases of homoeroticism, such as prison sexual contacts, that are not between homosexuals. The questions that this book attempts to address are the following: given that homosexual orientation exits in our world today, is it morally permissible (according to scripture) for those with said orientation to participate in homosexual eroticism and under what circumstances?
Younger generations of Americans are more accepting of LGBT inclusion, and they express dismay at what they perceive as hypocrisy in the church’s homophobia. Within in the next 20 years we, as a society, will wonder why we ever excluded the LGBT community from full rights and privileges.
So, if the issue is becoming fait accompli, why do we need another book on homosexuality? Although society is moving toward full inclusion, the church is in the midst of great struggle that is cleaving the union of the one body of Christ. Some denominations have already experienced schism as a result of acceptance of gay marriage/union and ordination of gay clergy. Some years ago, the Episcopal Church ordained an openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, and a number of American Episcopal churches severed their relationships with the Episcopal Church and covenanted with churches in Africa that were part of the Anglican Communion. The Presbyterian Church (USA) recently decided that pastors could officiate at same sex weddings in states where they were legal. The United Church of Christ has allowed gay marriage since 2005. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) endorsed homosexual partners in 2009, homosexual marriage in 2011, and elected the first gay bishop in 2011. The Southern Baptist Convention and the General Conference of the United Methodist Church officially oppose gay marriage and the ordination of openly gay clergy. The Roman Catholic Church opposes gay marriage and their clergy are celibate, so it is a moot argument for priestly ordination.
The United Methodist Discipline (the official polity and doctrine of the UMC) officially opposes homosexual relationships. The requirements for ordination as clergy specify the following: “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.”1 The term “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching” will be referred to as the “noninclusion clause” of the UMC in this book. It was added to the Discipline of the UMC in 1972. The UMC official stance on gay marriage is that “Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.”2 In the same book of Discipline, there are words of grace extended to the gay community; regardless, the UMC recognizes gay sex as sinful. At the 2014 Annual Conference meeting of the Texas Annual Conference, a set of resolutions was put before delegates that would petition the General Conference to change discriminatory language in the Discipline. They were rejected by a margin greater than 2 to 1. Unofficial organizations within the UMC are at odds with one another over this issue: Breaking the Silence favors full inclusion and the Confessing Movement, supported by the periodical The Good News, supports the continued noninclusion clause. While this book may be of interest to all Christians, I am a United Methodist clergyperson and I write from my perspective and concern for my church. I hope to provide a way forward for the United Methodist Church to resolve the issue and put it behind us.
Some UMC pastors have violated this doctrinal admonition and performed gay marriages. The Rev. Frank Schaefer was defrocked on December 19, 2013, by the United Methodist Church for performing a gay marriage in Pennsylvania between his son and son’s spouse. After much judicial proceedings, Schaefer was reinstated after serving a 30-day suspension. Retired Bishop Melvin Talbert performed a gay marriage in Alabama (actually a blessing because the couple was already married in Washington DC). The bishop was formally asked by the executive committee of the Council of Bishops of the UMC not to do the wedding, and the Council of Bishops has formally written and asked him to submit himself on charges to the Judicatory of the UMC. Many clergy have supported him and many clergy have called for his defrocking. There have been unofficial dialogues suggesting that the UMC split into two denominations and others are crying for unity between the two groups. Of course many of the seven million members are caught in the battle unknowingly. These are merely examples of what is going on in my denomination.
