Openly Gay Bishop At Center Of Controversy In Uned Methodist Church : NPR

Contents:

• UNED METHODIST CHURCH BODY ELECTS OPENLY GAY BISHOP VLATN OF S L: 'INMAT NNG THE ASYLUM'
• UNED METHODISTS ELECT MARRIED GAY CLERGYMAN AMONG 13 NEW BISHOPS WHO REPRENT MANY OTHER FIRSTS
• OPENLY GAY BISHOP AT CENTER OF CONTROVERSY IN UNED METHODIST CHURCH
• UNED METHODISTS ELECT ANOTHER GAY BISHOP, SET LIBERAL NEW DIRECTN
• THE UNED METHODIST QUEER CLERGY CC (UMQCC) IS MA UP OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND TERSEX PEOPLE WHO ARE LLED, MISSNED, AND ORDAED CLERGY THE UNED METHODIST CHURCH. 
• COMPLAT FILED AGAST GAY BISHOP'S NSECRATN
• UNED METHODIST CHURCH ELECTS FIRST OPENLY GAY BISHOP, IN DEFIANCE OF CHURCH RUL
• UMC BODY ELECTS OPENLY GAY BISHOP FIANCE OF NOMATN'S L
• FIRST OPENLY GAY UNED METHODIST BISHOP STAYS, SUBJECT TO CHURCH REVIEW
• BISHOPS RPOND TO GAY LLEAGUE
• WTERN JURISDICTN ELECTS OPENLY GAY UNED METHODIST BISHOP
• METHODISTS SEIZE NTROL OF ROGUE ANTI-GAY CHURCH
• 'BLSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS': COLORADO'S OPENLY GAY METHODIST BISHOP KAREN OLIVETO TWEETS AS CHURCH PROPOS SPL OVER GAY RIGHTS

UNED METHODIST CHURCH BODY ELECTS OPENLY GAY BISHOP VLATN OF S L: 'INMAT NNG THE ASYLUM'

A regnal body of the Uned Methodist Church (UMC) voted to elect the nomatn's first openly gay Black bishop last week vlatn of s l prohibg the ordatn of "self-avowed practicg homosexuals.

UNED METHODISTS ELECT MARRIED GAY CLERGYMAN AMONG 13 NEW BISHOPS WHO REPRENT MANY OTHER FIRSTS

Her ordatn was emed valid by the Uned Methodist Judicial Council 2017, but she remas her CHURCH OF ENGLAND OFFICIALS ENDORSE GAY MARRIAGE: ‘RANK HERESY’The UMC, which is the third-largt Prottant nomatn the U. Bishop Karen Oliveto, the UMC's first openly gay bishop, speaks at Iliff School of Theology, on April 26, 2017, Denver, Colorado.

"Several nservative members of the Methodist clergy told Fox News Digal June that far om settlg the issue, however, the 2019 vote was disregard by many liberal lears wh the UMC who cid to rema the nomatn while missng openly gay clergy and officiatg same-sex weddgs Lomperis of the Instute on Relign & Democracy, who has served as a UMC General Conference legate, told The Christian Post that Bridgeforth's promotn exhibs "further direct fiance of the UMC’s official l, which is creasgly beg normalized.

OPENLY GAY BISHOP AT CENTER OF CONTROVERSY IN UNED METHODIST CHURCH

A married gay clergyman om California was among 13 new bishops elected by Uned Methodist legat to five regnal U. The electn of Cedrick Bridgeforth marks the send time The Uned Methodist Church’s Wtern Jurisdictn has elected an LGBTQ clergyperson spe the nomatn’s ban on gay misters. After an electoral impasse emerged between a clergywoman om the strongly tradnalist Wtern Pennsylvania Conference and a dynamic, openly gay clergyman om the New England Conference, legat voted to postpone electn of a send bishop until 2024.

Cedrick Bridgeforth, a Black, openly gay, married clergyman om Los Angel, has emphasized learship excellence and tn his mistry. LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST: An openly gay bishop is at the center of a ntroversy over the role of LGBTQ people The Uned Methodist Church.

Jog me now is Bishop you so much for g on the program, OLIVETO: Thank you so much for havg me, So the urt gave somethg of a muddled lg sayg that you are good standg, but that the nsecratn of an openly gay bishop is agast church law.

UNED METHODISTS ELECT ANOTHER GAY BISHOP, SET LIBERAL NEW DIRECTN

Were you openly gay om - sce you first beme a pastor? This seems to be the issue, as far as I unrstand - not that you are gay but that you are quote, unquote, "sexually active.

" The church's book of disciple stat the followg - and I'm quotg here - "the practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachg.

Therefore, self-avowed practicg homosexuals are not to be certified as ndidat, ordaed as misters or appoted to serve The Uned Methodist Church. One, when we put the phrase, 1972, although we do not ndone the practic of homosexualy and nsir patible wh Christian teachg, there was no discsn of what the practice of homosexualy entails. And I thk we've raised the opn - our opn on human sexualy and homosexualy, to an I thk that has ed this wi divisn the church.

THE UNED METHODIST QUEER CLERGY CC (UMQCC) IS MA UP OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND TERSEX PEOPLE WHO ARE LLED, MISSNED, AND ORDAED CLERGY THE UNED METHODIST CHURCH. 

Bishop Karen Oliveto beme the church's first openly gay bishop, spe the fact that was led as patible wh church law.

”Showg the new normal, a send openly partnered, gay activist bishop, Cedric Bridgeforth, was elected the Wtern Jurisdictn, and a third me historilly close to beg elected the Northeast, openly breakg longstandg l banng “self-avowed, practicg homosexual” clergy. The growg uc of gay activist bishops will creasgly refe the nomatn. But the gay activist bishops’ lavish, six-figure salari are subsidized annually by apportnments taken om Uned Methodist offerg plat across the untry.

The Uned Methodist Queer Clergy Cc (UMQCC) is ma up of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and tersex people who are lled, missned, and ordaed clergy the Uned Methodist Church.

COMPLAT FILED AGAST GAY BISHOP'S NSECRATN

The Church “implor fai and church not to reject or nmn lbian and gay members and iends.

UNED METHODIST CHURCH ELECTS FIRST OPENLY GAY BISHOP, IN DEFIANCE OF CHURCH RUL

Homosexualy was first openly bated at General Conference 1972, four years after the formatn of The Uned Methodist Church, rultg the addn of first statement on homosexualy. While affirmg belief that persons of homosexual orientatn are persons of sacred worth who need the mistry and guidance of the church, the statement add that the church “do not ndone the practice of homosexualy and nsirs this practice patible wh Christian teachg.

Sce that time, the church has mataed the posn that “the practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachg. Based on the posns about homosexual practice and marriage, the Church has also mataed rtrictns regardg clergy.

UMC BODY ELECTS OPENLY GAY BISHOP FIANCE OF NOMATN'S L

Pastors may not be “self-avowed, practicg homosexuals” and may not nduct ceremoni that celebrate same-sex weddgs or unns. Wh a body of over 12 ln members globally, Uned Methodists are not of one md about how to be mistry wh lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer people.

FIRST OPENLY GAY UNED METHODIST BISHOP STAYS, SUBJECT TO CHURCH REVIEW

Some members feel strongly that the church should uphold s current stanc regardg gay clergy and marriage.

While the church has official statements regardg homosexualy, all members n disagree wh the church’s posns and n advote for change policy. In 2019, a special ssn of General Conference met specifilly to addrs ongog, unrolved divisns regardg homosexualy. Its cisns strengthened rtrictns on ordatn (broang the fn of "self-avowed, practicg homosexual" the footnote to ¶304.

BISHOPS RPOND TO GAY LLEAGUE

One was to clare an abeyance (lay) on submtg or procsg plats related to homosexualy until after a procs for separatn had been approved and the nomatns that may rult om uld hold their first post-separatn General Conferenc. The agreement about abeyance, though, beme effective immediately among s signers, and many other bishops the Uned Stat have likewise agreed to hold homosexualy-related plats agast clergy abeyance until after a post-separatn Uned Methodist General Conference 2028 term what new polici, if any, will be.

The impasse over homosexualy has led to uncertaty about the Church’s future. Uned Methodist bishops the Wtern Jurisdictn are facg a plat accg them of vlatg church law wh the nsecratn of the nomatn’s send openly gay and married bishop. A Uned Methodist pastor South Carola has filed a plat agast all Wtern Jurisdictn bishops, accg them of vlatg church law wh the nsecratn of the nomatn’s send openly gay and married bishop.

WTERN JURISDICTN ELECTS OPENLY GAY UNED METHODIST BISHOP

Timothy McClendon of South Carola leads legat prayer before a vote to strengthen church bans related to homosexualy on the last day of the 2019 special General Conference St.

McClendon has a filed a plat and ved others to sign on followg the nsecratn of the nomatn’s send openly gay and married bishop. The Uned Methodist Church still bans the officiatg of same-sex weddgs and the ordatn of “self-avowed practicg” gay clergy.

But McClendon’s plat is a remr that tradnalists who support the nomatn’s current stance on homosexualy rema part of the nomatn.

METHODISTS SEIZE NTROL OF ROGUE ANTI-GAY CHURCH

Bridgeforth, an Ain Amerin, is the first openly gay man to be elected bishop The Uned Methodist Church. The Wtern Jurisdictn, which has long opposed nomatnal bans related to LGBTQ dividuals, prevly elected Bishop Karen Oliveto — the nomatn’s first openly gay and married bishop. After Oliveto’s electn and nsecratn 2016, the Judicial Council — the nomatn’s top urt — led that the nsecratn of a gay bishop vlat church law.

The special General Conference 2019 also passed legislatn that prohibs bishops “om nsecratg bishops who are self-avowed practicg homosexuals, even if they have been duly elected. McClendon, a legate at the 2019 General Conference, ma the motn for the vote that ultimately passed the Tradnal Plan, which clud that and other legislatn affirmg the church’s current bans related to noncelibate gay clergy and same-sex weddgs. Reprentativ of the Uned Methodist Church have elected their first openly gay bishop, fiance of church prohibns on homosexualy.

" The Uned Methodist Church, which has more than 7 ln members the Uned Stat, is divid over the issue of homosexualy.

'BLSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS': COLORADO'S OPENLY GAY METHODIST BISHOP KAREN OLIVETO TWEETS AS CHURCH PROPOS SPL OVER GAY RIGHTS

" Hgano said: "I want to see gay and lbian people walk eely. 4, 2022, shortly after beg elected by legat of the Wtern Jurisdictn to be the first openly gay black bishop The Uned Methodist Church.

Bridgeforth, who has served as the California-Pacific Conference’s director of novatn and munitn, beme the first openly gay Ain Amerin bishop the UMC. ”Bridgeforth’s electn go agast the UMC Book of Disciple, which prohibs the ordatn of “self-avowed practicg homosexuals, ” and th do not allow them to bee Christian Post reached out to the Wtern Jurisdictn for ment, however, a spokperson explaed that they were unable to rpond by prs time due to travel schl and Lomperis of the Instute on Relign & Democracy, who has served as a UMC General Conference legate the past, viewed Bridgeforth's electn as part of a broar shift among UMC learship to embrace views that are ntrary to tradnal Christian teachg. ”For the past several years, the UMC has been embroiled a divisive bate over whether to change s official l barrg same-sex marriage and noncelibate homosexual ordatn.