So.....
There is something on my mind here ....Something big.
I go to church .....I have a passion for church. I don't mean the building where I go... I mean the Church. I enjoy the whole process. Communion,hymns,sermons, the people you meet as a result of being in a church. I know there are many folks who are turned off by the church. Those who search out the new and fun when they are looking for a church. Whats exciting at this church might be old news at the next one down the street.
Here is my problem....I dont know if I can continue to go to church anymore ....At least not at a UMC church.
I am disappointed in the UMC church ....I am extremly let down by the church.
For a long time now the UMC church has had a policy of not allowing gays and lesbians to be full members of its church. The policy states that if you are a practicing homosexual then you are in sin and therefore are not welcome in the UMC.
Well...You are welcome BUT you cant be a member. A little of the 'love the sinner, hate the sin' going on there I guess.
This year churches are being asked in the UMC to change the wording in their Discipline to allow ANYONE to be a member of the UMC, regardless of who,what ,when or where you are in life.
Problem is this ....Thats not going to happen.
Opponents of the change say that to do this would go against the social and moral fabric of the church....
My thing is this..The fabric of the church is tested daily by the tens of millions of open sinners who already worship freely in the church.
As Dr Billy Graham said " when did one sin become worse than any other "
How do you honestly let ANYONE become a member of said church if you are following this doctrine ....
How can we proclaim ourselves followers of a wonderful and loving Christ and yet turn our backs on someone ?
How can we proclaim ourselves followers of a wonderful and loving Christ and yet still find it within ourselves to proclaim ourselves better then someone else?
How can we proclaim ourselves followers of a wonderful and loving Christ, a man who openly welcomed SINNERS of all nature into his presence , and yet we still sit by and do nothing when "the least of these " are turned away?
I have amazing, loving friends. They are spiritual and caring. They would carry you to the top of a mountain. They have gone to church, they have helped with programs,they have gone on trips, they have taught Sunday School, they have served on church boards, they have prepared meals, they have laughed with everyone, they have cried real tears in times of sorrow, they have brought flowers when a child is born, they have brought a casserold when a loved one died, they have been there through thick and thin. Flush times and bust times.
But if they made the choice to be honest and live their lives as who they are ....Then they are not welcome in the UMC.
How and why do we do this ??
This makes me sad.
Someone said a few weeks back that "we throw open the church doors and start living the life of Christ. Live it in a full and total way. Invite the beggers, homeless,gays, straights,prostitutes ALL sinners into our lives. Imgaine being known around town as THAT CHURCH THAT ACTS JUST LIKE JESUS"
How can we proclaim ourselves followers of a wonderful and loving Christ and yet close our doors to anyone who is searching for the same Jesus that we follow, but they just happen to be gay?
Better yet, how do we have the nerve to show our faces after closing that door??
#homeschooling
4 years ago
6 comments:
I certainly understand the frustration, Jason, but I have to say that I believe you may be overstating the effect of this amendment. Local pastors can deny membership (which isn't right, in 99.9% of all instances) to anyone they deem unfit. This could include divorcees, professing members of White Supremacy groups, member of the LGBT community, and those who openly tell a pastor that their sole purpose in joining a local congregation is to stalk someone with whom they are infatuated.
My point in lumping all those things together is to illuminate the not-good power that gives a local minister, but also, perhaps, a legitimate amount of discretion he or she might have.
I don't know about your local congregation, but mine is quite welcoming to the LGBT community. I can't honestly say we have any transgendered members, but LGB? You bet. And full members, who have been there for years, or who have come from other places because even as flawed as all institutions may be, they have found a home among our members.
So yes -- in effect, this decision will give a local pastor the right to deny membership to a LGBT person, but in some ways it makes even more powerful the act of accepting the same with open arms in a church of the same denomination down the street an even more powerful act.
Also, when people run away from being part of the change they honestly believe should happen, they vote for the status quo.
You don't strike me as a status quo kind of guy.
My g'grandmother, who was called to preach but was disallowed because of her gender, never left the church that saw her as a second-class member. She loved her church, she blessed her church with her presence and the gifts she could offer that they would accept -- and today that denomination has women in pulpits across the world. Those kind of changes come about not through legistlation, but through personal transformation -- which happens one person at a time, and as a result of relationship.
Don't run.
Thanks Eleanor....
ITs a VERY tough thing for me to swallow for sure ...I sat down the other night to write this post but decided not to at that time because I needed to cool down some
You gave me a little hope....Thanks
I was telling Nick one of my favorite things about our church here is that they don't keep a membership roll. It's a very organic process. Whenever you feel like it is YOUR church, if that is after one visit or after a year, then it is your church. I imagine that is more like what the early church must have been like. I can't imagine they kept a roster.
As you probably know my husband and I both grew up as pastors kids in the UMC. I was even president of the conference youth for two years. We both have strong emotional ties to the denomination. Lane feels more strongly than I do about his connection with the UMC. My dad didn't leave on the best terms and we had a really rough time especially towards then end when my dad felt strongly about breaking down some of the racial barriers (we were in Enterprise, Al at the time). He was kicked out of that church and we attended an African American congregation for the rest of our time in Enterprise and it was such a freeing experience.
Anyway, I'm obviously far too liberal to really fit in with the southeastern UMC but you probably know that the denomination is more diverse if you look at it from a national perspective. After 20 years in the UMC, my dad was actually turned down for a pastor position at a church Iowa because of their distrust of the liberal methodists! Ha!
I personally don't really have the intention of ever becoming a member again at a UMC but it could happen. My experience at Harvest UMC in Dothan was one of the most spiritually fulfilling I've ever had...with the caveat that you probably would have no clue it was a UMC unless you asked.
I think there is a huge difference when you are talking about a religious organization from when you are talking about the government. It is the very reason for separation of church & state. The UMC absolutely has the right to be exclusive and discriminate and kick people out left and right. If I don't like it, I can leave. I know the decision is much more complicated for you but I don't think God is attached to any one denomination. We are the ones who are attached. It's kind of liberating to let it go.
Sorry for the post-size comment. I should probably write my own. I do appreciate how difficult this is for you after such a long history with the UMC myself.
I am so proud of all of these opinions. I have enjoyed reading all of your thoughts. Thanks for sharing.
See....This is why i posted because I have people who are my friends and are alot smarter than me and can "talk me down" ....
Cant wait to talk in person in a few weeks
I have been writing a post about the same thing in my head for several days, so I'll save my comments. But - yes and amen.
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