Methodist Church vot to ban gay clergy and same sex marriage, evokg bate among members - CBS News

Contents:

• UNED METHODISTS TIGHTEN BAN ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AND GAY CLERGY
• IMPROPER VOTG DISVERED AT METHODIST VOTE ON GAY CLERGY
• METHODIST CHURCH VOT TO BAN GAY CLERGY AND SAME SEX MARRIAGE, EVOKG BATE AMONG MEMBERS
• METHODISTS STRENGTHEN STANCE AGAST GAY MARRIAGE AND OPENLY LGBT CLERGY
• UNED METHODIST NSERVATIV TAIL BREAKAWAY PLANS OVER GAY CLN
• UNED METHODIST CHURCH ANNOUNC PROPOSAL TO SPL OVER GAY MARRIAGE
• REACTNS TO UNED METHODIST CHURCH'S VOTE AGAST REGNIZG GAY MARRIAGE ARE POURG IN
• WHY A VOTE ON GAY CLERGY AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE COULD SPL THE UNED METHODIST CHURCH
• UNED METHODIST CHURCH VOT TO MATA S OPPOSN TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, GAY CLERGY
• WH SPL OVER GAY MARRIAGE LAYED, UNED METHODISTS FACE A YEAR LIMBO

UNED METHODISTS TIGHTEN BAN ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AND GAY CLERGY

LOUIS — The Uned Methodist Church on Tuday voted to strengthen s ban on gay and lbian clergy and same-sex marriag, a cisn that uld spl the natn’s send-largt Prottant three days of tense bate at a nference St. Louis, the vote by church officials and lay members om around the world doubled down on current church policy, which stat that “the practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachg. ” The vote served as a rejectn of a ph by progrsive members and lears to open the church to lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr, a divi of the Uned Methodist Church, which has 12 ln members worldwi, appears imment.

Some pastors and bishops the Uned Stat are already talkg about leavg the nomatn and possibly creatg a new alliance for gay-iendly church. Conservativ have left the Epispal Church over gay rights, Prbyterians have spl, and many young evangelils are leavg their church over the lack of cln of L. As male nomatns that embrace gay rights ntue to cle membership, nservative Christian stutns are growg power and fancial seven ln members of the Uned Methodist Church the Uned Stat often do not f wh easy polil tegori.

The majory of adherents believe abortn should be legal, and more than half are favor of stricter regulatns to protect the Hastgs/Associated PrsBut the issue of gay rights has proved uniquely divisive the church, and Tuday’s vote reflected the growg clout of Methodists om outsi the Uned Stat. About 30 percent of the church’s members are now om Ain natns, which typilly have nservative Christian views; many of them, homosexualy is a the Uned Stat, the vote pos a signifint risk for a nomatn that stggl to attract young people. Uned Methodists have one of the olst relig populatns the untry, wh a median age of lears of Methodist semari like De Divy School or Candler School of Theology at Emory worry that this week’s move will dissua young Amerins, who creasgly support gay rights, om gog to mistry wh the church.

IMPROPER VOTG DISVERED AT METHODIST VOTE ON GAY CLERGY

”In recent years, progrsive Amerin members, cludg gays and lbians, have been hopeful about greater cln. Six 10 Uned Methodists the Uned Stat believe homosexualy should be ngregatns have celebrated same-sex weddgs and had gay, lbian and transgenr pastors, at tim receivg church approval to do so even though technilly vlated church policy.

”Mara Yugay, a member om Rsia, said that her ncerns about same-sex marriage had ma her unfortable wh the more progrsive directn of many Amerin Methodists.

METHODIST CHURCH VOT TO BAN GAY CLERGY AND SAME SEX MARRIAGE, EVOKG BATE AMONG MEMBERS

For entire ngregatns to leave, they would most likely need to reach settlement agreements related to the potential transfer of church property, and liabili related to the church’s $23 billn pensn semari at universi like Emory and De, which have supported their gay, lbian, and transgenr stunts, risk losg grants and fundg om more fluential, and nservative, church. A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 1 of the New York edn wh the headle: Methodists Vote To Rerce Ban On Gay Marriage.

Louis Public Rad's Shahla Farzan has reported, an creasg number of Methodist clergy have e out as gay. Jefey Warren, a young gay legate om the Upper New York Conference, told fellow nference atten on Monday that he evangeliz on his llege mp — and that he has succs reachg people for an important reason.

METHODISTS STRENGTHEN STANCE AGAST GAY MARRIAGE AND OPENLY LGBT CLERGY

"You will be puttg a vis to the Amerin church that will make very sick, and will be sick quickly, " Berl said, addg that however 's tend, the Tradnal Plan will be perceived as an overt act agast gay church members and others.

" "When that is the msage — when gay persons bee nvced I don't love them bee I don't ndone their behavr, hurts my relatnships wh them, " Nicklas said.

UNED METHODIST NSERVATIV TAIL BREAKAWAY PLANS OVER GAY CLN

Louis last month, church officials and lay lears om around the world voted to strengthen their ban on same-sex marriage and gay clergy, a cisn that uld now spl the at least four ballots were st by dividuals who were not thorized to vote, acrdg to terviews and a review of the church’s rerds. The dividuals were om Ain legatns whose vot were cril to rtrictg the church’s l on fal 54-vote marg agast gay clergy and same-sex marriage exceeds the number of unthorized vot disvered so far.

Some have discsed leavg the nomatn and possibly creatg a new alliance for gay-iendly lears are now discsg whether new vot should be lled, Bishop Thomas J.

UNED METHODIST CHURCH ANNOUNC PROPOSAL TO SPL OVER GAY MARRIAGE

Kalaba Chali, an official translator for the nference, who did not support the cisn to strengthen the ban on gay clergy. In addn, three people voted as legat for South Congo but their nam are absent om nference attendance logs and legate electn unthorized legate was Philippe Kasap Kachez, whose father is Bishop Kasap Owan, a proment opponent of gay clergy.

REACTNS TO UNED METHODIST CHURCH'S VOTE AGAST REGNIZG GAY MARRIAGE ARE POURG IN

”The Uned Methodist Church has tailed strict l for how to nduct important vot, such as the one last month on gay church worldwi is divid to geographil uns, lled “annual nferenc. A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 15 of the New York edn wh the headle: Irregulari Detected Methodist Church’s Vote on Gay Clergy. Chigo — The Uned Methodist Church worldwi nference ma a cisn Tuday that pleased tradnalists, but raised doubts about the church's morn motto: open hearts, open mds, open Tuday, after three days of bate, church officials and lay members voted to place a ban on gay and lbian clerics and the officiatg of same-sex marriag.

WHY A VOTE ON GAY CLERGY AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE COULD SPL THE UNED METHODIST CHURCH

Tradnalists said looseng the fah's ban on same-sex marriage and ordatn of gay and lbian clergy fied the word of God.

"I believe that those who engage the practice of homosexualy are not livg a life that pleas God, " Boyette an emotnal bate among the Uned Stat' third-largt fah muny, new standards were adopted to stiffen punishment for heretics: Clergy who officiate at same-sex weddgs uld be spend whout pay for a year, and ocked if they do aga. The church lears and members who support LGBT volvement wanted lol ngregatns ee to wre their own l on homosexuals.

UNED METHODIST CHURCH VOT TO MATA S OPPOSN TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, GAY CLERGY

"But legat were mdful of where the church is growg -- 30 percent of members are om Ai -- where many natns outlaw homosexualy self. Matthew Pearson, an openly gay methodist mister om California who rejects the tradnal plan, said 's possible a new church is beg born. Uned Methodist church and clergy uld face removal om the nomatn if they do not affirm s stance agast gay marriage and noncelibate LGBT clergy by 2021.

We will ntue to wele lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenred and queer persons to our church and affirm their sacred worth, ” the statement said. The Uned Methodists’ Book of Disciple stat that all people are of “sacred worth” but nounc the “practice of homosexualy” as “patible wh Christian teachg. Openly gay and lbian clergy members n be removed om mistry, but church trials on the matter are rare.

WH SPL OVER GAY MARRIAGE LAYED, UNED METHODISTS FACE A YEAR LIMBO

In 2016, dozens of Uned Methodist clergy members me out as lbian, gay or bisexual fyg their church’s ban on “self-avowed practicg homosexuals” servg mistry and sentially darg their supervisors to disciple them.

That mpaign me after a siar letter issued by 15 Methodist misters New York, who also openly acknowledged that they are gay or lbian.

In some parts of the Uned Stat, openly gay clergy serve wh few if any rtrictns.