Posted on 10/19/2004 8:34:40 AM PDT by xzins
Pro-Homosexual United Methodists Urged to Exit Denomination Graciously
By Jim Brown and Jody Brown October 18, 2004
(AgapePress) - Pro-homosexual members of the United Methodist Church (UMC) are being asked to make a "gracious exit" from the denomination.
The United Methodist Action Committee of the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) is calling for the "peaceful departure" of Methodist clergy who cannot abide by the church's standards on marriage and sex. Same-sex unions and the ordination of clergy sexually active outside of traditional marriage are officially barred by the denomination.
In a statement approved earlier this month, the Committee observes that the 11-million-member UMC "has made its decision on the issues of marriage and homosexuality. We recommend allowing a gracious exit for those who cannot or will not accept the essential beliefs on which the UMC is founded. The UMC should adopt a fair plan to permit their voluntary, peaceful departure, taking with them their local church property (if the congregation votes to leave) and pension rights."
The statement continues: "Let us cease dead-end dialogue on whether to change the United Methodist Church stand on homosexuality. Instead, we must increase United Methodist ministries for persons struggling with all kinds of sexual sin, including homosexual behavior -- offering healing and transformation through Jesus Christ."
Mark Tooley Mark Tooley, director of the IRD UM Action Committee, says his group issued the statement following talk among conservatives about a possible amicable separation.
"Too often that's been interpreted to mean that the denomination would just be split 50-50 or 60-40 when, in fact, I think much more appropriately a gracious exit would entail a minority of clergy, primarily on the West Coast and the upper Midwest and Northeast who are involved in pro-homosexuality causes," he says.
Tooley explains that the issue of homosexuality has been the primary issue dividing the denomination for the past 30 years. "We have no illusions that once again at the next General Conference in 2008 we will be vigorously fighting over the issue of homosexuality," the IRD official concedes, "but I think there are some signs of fatigue on the other side and perhaps some awareness that demographically time is not on their side."
Delegates to the UMC's 2004 General Conference strongly reaffirmed the denomination's official teaching is that homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching." The Conference took similar stands prohibiting same-sex unions and ordination of clergy who are sexually active outside of heterosexual marriage.
Tooley also notes parts of the UMC that support homosexuality are experiencing the fastest declines in membership. According to an IRD press release, United Methodism has been declining in the United States for four decades, especially in the more liberal regions. At the same time, it was growing slightly in the U.S. South and "growing strongly" outside the U.S.
The liberal Methodist caucus group "Church Within a Church" met in Chicago over the weekend and discussed the possibility of a formal separation within United Methodism. In a statement adopted in September 2002, that group accuses the UMC of a "sin of exclusion" that "manifests itself as white privilege, male privilege, heterosexual privilege, economic privilege and other privileges through imperialism, domination, arrogance and violence."
I don't know why...but that is just too funny.
Privilege through imperialism. It should be on a bumper sticker LOL.
Since the goal of these people is to take over societal institutions in order to normalize sin, they will not leave.
Well this is a good development. The large denominations should take note..you can't rewrite the doctrine of the Christian Church to suit your beliefs but must adjust your beliefs to conform to Christ and His Church.
I agree.
I read the "imperialism" thing and nearly gagged.
And all I had to drink at the time was cold coffee....2 bleaghhhs in a row!
:>)
The problem is that these folks are leaches. Similar to the non-procreative nature of homosexuality, the pro-homosexual religionists do not grow.
They feed off of those who do grow.
Mark Tooley is a member of my local church.
Sounds like pyschobabble. So many big words, they must know what they are talking about.
There is no church without that which has been handed down from Christ via the Apostles.
We believe in Him through their word.
They rejected homosexuality.
You are so lucky.
Thank him from many of us for his courage.
That's the problem with evil. Once it has infested and taken root in these organizations, any attempt to oust them will be portrayed as those of extreme right-wingers. Should they split, with the true Methodists forming anew, they will be branded as extremists who have broken away from the "real" Methodist church.
I'm fairly sure it might be, but I don't think they mean what I mean, nor what Martin Luther meant.
Apostolic must include 2 things:
1. First, in the lineage of Apostolic Spiritual Truth.
2. Second, but less important, is in the lineage of apostolic ordination.
Perhaps conservative Methodists saw what's happening to ECUSA and decided to take preemptive action.
I may be incorrect, but it seems that the denominations that ordain women are having homosexuality problems while the denominations that don't ordain women don't have these problems.
I will.
My point exactly...
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