The Methodist Church spl over gay marriage, explaed - Vox

Contents:

• CLERGY WON'T BE FORCED TO PERFORM GAY WEDDGS IF UMC CHANG S STANCE, PASTORS PANEL SAYS
• FIVE EVANGELIL PASTORS WHO BACK GAY MARRIAGE
• GAY WEDDGS: WHO MT PERFORM THEM?
• WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE
• GAY UPLE FIL PLAT FOR REFAL OF WEDDG
• 6 THGS PASTORS SHOULD PREACH ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE
• 3 OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMATNS THAT ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE
• UNED METHODIST CHURCH ANNOUNC PROPOSAL TO SPL OVER GAY MARRIAGE
• WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

CLERGY WON'T BE FORCED TO PERFORM GAY WEDDGS IF UMC CHANG S STANCE, PASTORS PANEL SAYS

| Getty Imag Uned Methodist clergy who oppose same-sex marriage won't be required to officiate gay weddg ceremoni if the nomatn chang s stance on LGBT issu, acrdg to a clergy Church of the Rurrectn, a UMC megachurch based Kansas and head by the Rev. Haton, who's theologil progrsive and wants the UMC to change s biblilly-based opposn to homosexualy that's ced s Book of Disciple, morated a church lears panel to discs the hotly bated issue wh the male Prottant asked the panel if they believed that all pastors should be required to perform same-sex weddg ceremoni, should the UMC remove s official opposn to gay Copeland, the senr pastor of Lovers Lane Uned Methodist Church of Dallas, Texas, remarked that “right now, ” pastors n already refe to perform any weddg “unr their own nvictns.

FIVE EVANGELIL PASTORS WHO BACK GAY MARRIAGE

Shortly thereafter, as vot were g , Haton pulled up a graphic that showed around 90% of the atten said pastors should be allowed to officiate gay weddgs, but not be required Haton, btsellg thor and pastor of Church of the Rurrectn of Leawood, Kansas, one of the largt Uned Methodist ngregatns the world, speaks at his church's annual Learship Instute event, held Sept. | Screengrab: YouTube/Rurrectn ShareChurchThe panel and Haton also nounced what they scribed as the “fear-mongerg” often found the homosexualy bate, takg issue wh claims om both liberals and nservativ. ”The panel was part of a multiday gatherg at the Church of the Rurrectn known as the Learship speakers at the event clud Jasme Smothers, lead pastor of First Uned Methodist Church of Atlanta, Geia; Bob Goff, an attorney and btsellg thor; Savannah Kimberl, director of rearch solutns at Barna Group; and Kev Murriel, senr pastor of Cas Uned Methodist Church Atlanta, the past several years, the UMC has been embroiled a bate over s Book of Disciple, which labels homosexualy “patible wh Christian teachg” and prohibs clergy om officiatg same-sex marriag.

If you said someone was evangelil you knew pretty much what you were gettg – errancy of the Bible, importance of preachg, a foc on evangelism, warngs of hell and most of all – opposn to gay marriage.

GAY WEDDGS: WHO MT PERFORM THEM?

While still far om the mastream and the overwhelmg majory of self-scribed evangelils are still opposed to gay marriage, there are a growg list of pastors who scribe themselv as evangelil and yet support same sex upl.

'It has taken untls hours of prayer, study, nversatn and emotnal turmoil to brg me to the place where I am fally ready to ll for the full acceptance of Christian gay upl to the Church, ' he wrote. 'Through [my wife] Peggy, I have e to know so many gay Christian upl whose relatnships work much the same way as our own.

In a bate at San Francis's Grace Cathedral 2013, the thor and pastor Rob Bell, already discreded by many evangelils for his book Love Ws, gave a blanket endorsement of gay marriage. An outspoken cric of the Relig Right and print of the Sojourners magaze, Jim Wallis reversed his stance on gay marriage an terview wh the Huffgton Post  2013. Several of Jen Hatmaker's books have been produced by LifeWay's B&H Publishg, who announced they would no longer work wh her after she changed her stance on gay marriageFacebook / Jen Hatmaker.

WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

One of the relatively few proment female voic on the evangelil scene, Hatmaker received a fierce backlash when she said she thought God saw monogamo gay relatnships as holy. In an terview wh Relign News Service she said: 'From a spirual perspective, sce gay marriage is legal all 50 stat, our muni have plenty of gay upl who, jt like the rt of , need marriage support and parentg help and Christian muny.

Asked if she would attend a gay iend's weddg she said was an easy answer: 'I would attend that weddg wh gladns, and I would drk champagne. I want the very bt for my gay iends.

The Southern Baptist church pastor om Los Angel, California, announced 2014 he is 'gay affirmg' and had accepted his son's homosexualy.

GAY UPLE FIL PLAT FOR REFAL OF WEDDG

'In Augt of 2013, on a sunny day at the beach, I realized I no longer believed the tradnal [church] teachgs regardg homosexualy, ' Cortez said a letter published on Patheos blog.

'And was pecially the ttimony of my gay iends that helped me to see how they have been margalised that my ey beme open to the jtice that the church has wrought. Supreme Court’s mandate of natnwi same-sex marriage will mean for pastors and ernment officials thorized to perform legal experts say ernment officials charged wh performg weddgs uld lose their jobs for refg to marry gay upl. That figure exclus former public officials thorized by the statut to perform weddgs as well as clergy members, who are also referenced the BP’s timate reflects the number of ernment employe thorized to solemnize marriag across all 50 stat, tens of thoands of public officials uld be pelled to marry gay upl if Whehead’s asssment is officials empowered to perform marriag, Whehead said, may be able to refe to perform any weddgs, but an official who performs only heterosexual marriag likely will be clared vlatn of the Constutn.

Last fall, the state’s 670 magistrat received a memo om North Carola’s Admistrative Office of the Courts statg that bee a feral urt had legalized gay marriage the state, magistrat were required to perform same-sex weddgs or face possible crimal least six magistrat rigned rather than marry homosexual upl.

6 THGS PASTORS SHOULD PREACH ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE

Gay marriage advot are challengg the law urt. C., who rigned rather than perform gay weddgs, told BP other Christian officials should prepare to “rpond fah” to the Supreme Court’s lg even “if tak rigng your missn.

Whehead speculated that misters also uld face ernment prsure to perform same-sex weddgs, wh those who refe to solemnize gay marriag losg the power to solemnize any marriage on behalf of the state. “Secularists will try to avoid this nstutnal crisis of relig eedom, ” Whehead said, by “simply tell[g] the mister, ‘We’re not gog to force you to perform a marriage … but we’ll not perm you to do any marriag if you refe to perform marriag between homosexual upl who are lawfully married unr our state law. Government officials wh relig nvictns agast gay marriage, however, uld face signifint challeng, Smol public officials “are a posn of ually solemnizg [marriag for] all takers who e to them that are eligible unr state law, ” Smol said, then refg to marry a same-sex uple “might be a vlatn of their duti and subject them, and the state, to a discrimatn lawsu.

Relig schools and bs may face penalti for refg to acknowledge gay marriag admissns, hirg and stunt hog, he said. The Supreme Court lg earlier this year legalizg same-sex marriage natnwi has ntued to raise qutns about how the cisn will affect relig groups – pecially those that rema opposed to allowg gay and lbian upl to wed. ) (not to be nfed wh the Prbyterian Church Ameri, which oppos same-sex marriage) and the Epispal Church have wrtled wh the issue for years, often as part of a larger bate on the role of gays and lbians the church.

3 OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMATNS THAT ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE

Frank Schaefer, a Methodist pastor who had performed a same-sex marriage ceremony for his gay son. Schaefer’s se has spl the church, wh some clergy floutg the l and marryg same-sex upl and other, more nservative members threateng to leave if the church do not hold to s current l prohibg gay marriage. Overall, a solid majory of whe male Prottants (62%) now favor allowg gays and lbians to wed, wh jt 33% opposed, acrdg to a 2015 Pew Rearch Center survey.

A siar share (63%) say there is “no nflict” between their relig beliefs and homosexualy. A gay uple at Green Street Church, a Uned Methodist ngregatn Wston-Salem, North Carola, has filed the formal plat agast their pastor, the Rev.

UNED METHODIST CHURCH ANNOUNC PROPOSAL TO SPL OVER GAY MARRIAGE

The Uned Methodist Book of Disciple, the nomatn’s book of church law and teachgs, also stat that all people are of sacred worth but the practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachg, ” It is a chargeable offense unr church law for clergy to pri at same-sex unns.

Carpenter has performed five such blsgs for both straight and gay upl. Unrstandably, pastors and other spirual lears often have difficulty addrsg the subject of gay marriage. If the sermon is too soft on gay marriage or fails to take a stance, you n be nsired ambivalent or agreeable.

WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

The odds are great someone wh the ngregatn has a gay iend or fay member who they love arly and will ntue to do so after the sermon is over. There may be greater odds that the ngregatn ntas an unmarried heterosexual uple livg together than a homosexual ntemplatg gay marriage.

When the legaly of “gay marriage” was beg phed through the legislatur and urtrooms, church all across the natns changed their bylaws and nstutns to addrs their stance and prohibn.

This practice was likely done out of fear that the gay muny would be shg to the lol Baptist church mandg to be married by s pastor.