Posted on 10/21/2024 3:28:19 PM PDT by DFG
The Texas Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could determine whether or not SMU can cut ties with a regional governing body of the United Methodist Church.
The United Methodist Church’s South Central Jurisdictional Conference, which runs the church’s congregations in eight states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Missouri and Nebraska, sued SMU in 2019. It owns three institutions, according to its website, including SMU.
The lawsuit revolves around SMU’s decision to effectively declare itself independent from the denomination’s regional governing body. The university’s board of trustees voted in November of 2019 to update its governing documents “to make clear that SMU is solely maintained and controlled by its board as the ultimate authority for the University.”
SMU’s decision came amid a split within the United Methodist Church over issues of the ordination of LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriages within the church. The United Methodist Church voted in February 2019 to endorse the so-called “Traditional Plan,” which strengthened the church’s bans on ordaining LGBTQ clergy and hosting same-sex marriage.
The United Methodist Church’s South Central Jurisdictional Conference then sued SMU, arguing it has jurisdiction over the university and that the university needed its approval to make the changes to its governing language.
The conference claimed in the lawsuit that it founded SMU in 1911 with an initial gift of 133 acres of land.
“This lawsuit has become necessary because of recent, unauthorized acts by representatives of SMU in violation of SCJC’s rights and interests,” the lawsuit read.
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what does that one mom that loves Ukraine feel about this?
So said, and a real pity it has come down to a lawsuit.
I suppose it will come down to founding documents, such as the university charter
It seems both the one court’s dismissal of the case aginst SMU and the appeals court reverasing that decision, were both technical decisions on whether or not the UMC conference had standing (the right as - the position of, a legally legitimate petitioner to bring the suit) for their suit againts SMU [having a right to sue is not the same as being right in the suit]. It will take a full court hearing to determine who is right beyond the technical point of standing.
What I do not find wholly clear is if, or not, SMU is now alligned, theologically, with the “traditionalists” who have been formally breaking away from the UMC.
I understand the Methodist church is being torn apart by the queer/LBGQTXYZ debacle. It's hard to tell from the story but is SMU having a quarrel with the queer/LBGQTXYS side of the church or the side that says we don't support that crazy stuff.
Frankly, I can't imagine any college standing up against the queer crowd. After all, SMU has a DEI officer reporting directly to the president of the college.
So which side is the queer side, SMU or UMC?
The answer to your question is UMC.
Sadly this comes down to money as well. The main Methodist Church on SMU campus is Highland Park United Methodist Church. This is a church I attend and it is and amazing facility with first rate preachers and a lot of charitable giving such as habitat for humanity (over 100 house built in Dallas, Haitian outreach, etc). Check out Paul Rasmussen on line if you want (yes the sermons are online). It is very wealthy, prestigious and influential parish-the crown jewel in the UMC. They want the money, and prestige to force their LGBT morality on all Methodists and this church in particular.
... agree, heard some sermons when my daughter was an SMU undergrad... and a beautiful facility!
... agree, heard some sermons when my daughter was an SMU undergrad... and a beautiful facility!
The way I read it is that SMU doesn’t want to be associated with the Church’s traditional marriage views and the Church says too bad, we gifted you that land so you dance with the one that brought you.
Bkmk
The following quote is from another article here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-supreme-court-to-hear-case-pitting-smu-against-united-methodist-church-leaders/ar-AA1swylq
In December 2019, SMU President R. Gerald Turner told The Dallas Morning News the school was preemptively distancing itself from its denomination ahead of an impending split over LGBTQ issues.“We’re trying to get this done before the church decides what kind of split they’re going to have, so that we can continue to educate everybody from all Methodist denominations and from other denominations, and people who don’t believe at all,” he said in an interview.
Turner didn’t want the school’s Perkins School of Theology to be associated with one specific sect of Methodism, he said.
SMU remains committed to its nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ students, he said. “We do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation,” he said. “We don’t discriminate against anybody. That can’t change.”
I suspected that was the case.
My daughter went to SMU. It is a small, beautiful campus that is often a stop for the rich and famous. Actually, the church is on one end of the campus and was closely affiliated with the school and the local community (Highland Park). Lots and lots of big money along with rich Texas alumni.
By the way, Bush (the younger one) has his library on campus, and he and his wife are big supporters. :-(. That should be a clue to the woke, political crap.
Too bad the church took such a radical turn, but the school is not the only one affected by this woke craziness.
People do get to "walk with their feet" away from this mess.
Thank goodness.
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