You all know that I was a United Methodist until I was 39, serving as a pastor for 15 years before I left and became United Church of Christ. I have no regrets – although I miss the UMC hymnal – and have been joyfully serving one UCC congregation since. I still cherish parts of my Wesleyan theological upbringing, but I also love many of the new insights I have learned from my newly adopted Reformed theology. Still, I loved the congregations I served and the bishops I served under, and I recognize that I had a good amount of grief for a couple of years after my move. Regardless of the positives that happen when one relationship ends and another begins, breaking up is hard to do.
A number of my UMC colleagues teased me 20 years ago when a bunch of UCC congregations left our denomination because the leadership came out in support of same-sex marriage, and my response was this: if the UMC didn’t own your property, I bet lots – maybe half – of the UMC churches would leave. They clucked their tongues and said I was wrong, but as it turns out – unfortunately – I wasn’t. This recent schism has been boiling ever since the Civil War and has been exacerbated by the same social, political, and moral issues that all denominations have faced. We may all love the same Lord, but we are also people with limited understanding and compassion.
Now Southern Methodist University wants to sever ties with the UMC, and the case is now going to head to the Texas Supreme Court. It is just one more problem Methodist-flavored Christians have to deal with over their disagreement about whether LGBTQ people are human enough to serve as clergy and be married in Methodist churches. You might not like that language, but that is what it comes downs to. This will probably take some time to iron out, and it is a sad statement to the world. Too often, we love our biases and our interpretations more than we love the people involved.
Sometimes, we need to break up. Both sides might be healthy, in their own way, but there are issues that are irreconcilable. For me, there has never been a middle ground about this issue – people are people, love is love, and there is marriage, not same-sex or heterosexual – just marriage. And the LGBTQ people I have known who do what I do have all been worthy and beautiful and great at fulfilling their calling. The fact that they want to be married to someone they love is a good thing and should be welcomed in a culture where marriage is losing its glitter. You don’t want to marry someone of your same sex or gender? Don’t. But please – keep your bigotry to yourself. Mind your own business. Go to the church of your choosing. God loves you anyway. Breaking up is hard enough without salt being rubbed in the wounds.
Prayer – Holy God, we are all beautifully crafted in Your image; remind us of that every day. Amen.
Today’s art is from Corazon.