#umc

[a-queer-seminarian]

photos by K from the University United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas. This church is taking a stand against its denomination’s recent anti-LGBTQ decisions.

[id: first pic shows a small portion of the outside of a church building with a sign reading “we dissent!” and a set of rainbow doors behind it.

second pic is a close up of those rainbow doors (propped up, not connected to a wall or anything) — each door is a different color of the rainbow and has one word so that together they spell “God’s doors are open to all”

third pic shows part of the inside of the church, including a communion table with rainbow candles on it and a banner that shows a cool rainbow design that kinda looks like flames. This is the symbol of the reconciling ministries network.

final pic is of the back of a bulletin that has a message of promising to be a prophetic voice against injustice and for full inclusion, I’m sorry I’m out of spoons to type it all out]

[511am]

[pastorwitch]

Marie Kondo: *Holding up the UMC* Does this church spark joy?

The Gays: NOOOOOOO!

Marie Kondo: *Casts UMC into the void.*

[wctruitt]

Forest & Stream, March 13, 1890, cover, BSC

[abigailfrowns]

@the UMC

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jason DeRose at NPR:

The United Methodist Church, one of the largest Protestant denominations in the U.S., has voted to repeal its ban on LGBTQ clergy as well as prohibitions on its' ministers from officiating at same-sex weddings. Delegates overwhelmingly approved the changes, 692 to 51, during the United Methodist Church's General Conference. The meeting is taking place this week in Charlotte, N.C. after the pandemic delayed the 2020 General Conference where these decisions has been slated to take place.

The tone of the Charlotte meeting has been decidedly upbeat, in sharp contrast with the last, highly contentious global meeting back in 2019, when heated floor debates left many feeling hurt. In fact, there was no floor debate over the clergy and marriages rules this time around. Rather, they were included on a consent agenda. However, in the years leading up to this General Conference, about one-quarter of United Methodist congregations in the U-S left the denomination. Those congregations tended to be among the most conservative in the church. Their departure made the decisions this year less fraught. Some of those departing congregations left to form the more conservative Global Methodist Church and others decided to become independent. The main reason many of those congregations left the denomination is that despite the church's official rules against LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings, some local geographic conferences chose to not enforce them.

At the United Methodist Church's General Conference today, the UMC voted overwhelmingly to lift its ban on LGBTQ+ clergy and denominational clergy officiating same-sex weddings.

This is made possible in party by the departure of more conservative churches to either the Global Methodist Church, independent of any denomination, or other Wesleyan denominations.

See Also:

LGBTQ Nation: United Methodist Church ends ban on LGBTQ+ clergy in historic vote

CNN: United Methodist Church lifts 40-year ban on LGBTQ clergy

[a-queer-seminarian]

This is the queer, transformative power of Jesus: to take weapons of hate — the Roman cross, an instrument of state terrorism and torture; the cinder block, a craven threat — and imbue them with love, with life, a defiant declaration of solidarity with the oppressed.

[trans-mando]

At my local-ish Methodist Legislative Conference! @vaspider's pin (the rainbow Methodist cross) looks great and fits right in.

[pastorwitch]

You know what, I’m gonna say something else on GC2019. Let’s not pretend that other nations are to blame for what happened today. Church leadership chose to include people who had no stake in the ruling, trusting that by including them the traditional plan would win. It was leadership in the United States that set the stage so the plan would win. But by blaming other cultures they can hold the carrot in front of our face while keeping their traditional treasure chests funded. If you’re blaming anyone other than the leaders of the denomination, then you are letting them win.

[doeofdevotion]

[aqujack]

"The death penalty denies the power of Christ to redeem, restore, and transform all." -

The United Methodist Social Principles

Photo: The General Board of Church and Society building, Washington, D.C.

[emily-sue]

My heart weeps as the global United Methodist Church chooses to regress instead of progress.

May God be with all those affected and hurt by this decision.

[queertheology]

A Song in Response to the UMC

Calm, calm for the ones who are hurting Peace, peace for their angry souls Though division's inevitable And rejection's decreed I pray for oneness, I pray for truth Healing, healing be upon those in pain Love, love be with those who may leave Though one body's divided And fractured within I pray for unity, I pray for clarity Oh LORD, oh LORD, I do not understand God, God, I cannot fully grasp Why there's exclusion of saints The banishment of your own I pray for resilience, I pray for strength

by Sanctuary Collective member K-A Russell

[abigailfrowns]

I am sickened and heartbroken by the United Methodist GC’s vote against the one church plan. I was born, baptized, raised and confirmed in the United Methodist Church and have always affirmed that it was a welcoming and open church who accepted everyone. Today, I have realized that that is not the case. My individual church and my church family might be accepting, but the United Methodist church as a whole is homophobic and discriminatory. I always dreamed of getting married in my childhood church but if I marry a girl, that dream will never come true. I am still a Christian, and I will still continue going to my church because it is a loving and accepting one, but I am much less proud to call myself United Methodist than I was just a few hours ago.

[pickledchickenetti]

Yeah see that’s not an answer. The “simple answer” I was looking for was literally just “We agree with that decision” or “We disagree with that decision”. I’m not looking for a church that claims acceptance to get you in the door and then turns around and tries to fix you or treats you differently. This non-answer makes me think the answer is they’re against same-sex marriage.