United Methodist Church
General Conference 2004

Pittsburgh, April 27–May 7

Homosexuality and the Church

For thirty years the United Methodist Church has been haggling over the issue of homosexuality. While we have continued to struggle with or ignore the issues of ordination and holy union for gays and lesbians, other denominations have opened their doors to this community. At the 2000 General Conference there was a real move to make big changes in the United Methodist stance on ordination of homosexuals; as you know that failed. This year it seems that we have gone back to the basics and are looking to understand our differences.

The following is the proposed change in the Discipline from the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA).

Delete:
"Although we do not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian teaching, we affirm that God's grace is available to all."

Add in its place:
"Differences of opinion among faithful Christians regarding sexual orientation continue to deeply divide the church. We stand before God admitting that we have thus far been unable to reach common ground. As we continue to discern God's will together, we are united in declaring our understanding that God's grace is available to all."

• Claim our common identity as followers of Jesus seeking to embody God’s love, justice and mercy. We may have different understandings of what this means, but it is the same God that we worship and the same Jesus that we follow. It is important that we do not lose sight of this fact.
• Respect one another in our efforts to live out our faith. Too often it seems that we not only disagree but that we attach motives to others that may or may not be true. It’s time that we started to believe the best about one another. Each of us, no matter where we fall on the spectrum of conservative to progressive, believes we are doing God’s will. It behooves us to try to understand what that means for one another.
• Admit our faults. We must acknowledge that our actions, no matter where we stand, have caused pain and anguish for those who believe differently than we do.
• Declare a cease-fire. Step back from the intense fighting over contentious issues and consider the human consequences of both current policy and proposed policy.
• Be open to new solutions. In the midst of our deep polarization we have become committed to deeply entrenched positions. We leave little room for the Holy Spirit to move in our midst. We need to believe that God can show us a way where once there was no way.
• Stop focusing on winners and losers, who will stay and who will go.
• Have the courage to honestly face the tough questions.

Nick Nicholas