Retired Methodist Bishops Urge Church To Reconsider Stance on Homosexuality

Current Bishop Hayes said:

“I am very disappointed the bishops chose this way to make their opinions known.”

The church’s response is SO ridiculous (and telling)!

Basically, it says: “How DARE members of a church voice the own personal opinions!?!” (especially opinions free of bigotry)

Next thing the church members will want to start thinking and speaking for themselves on other topics! Heresy! Blasphemy! No individual thinking allowed!! Quick, stop them!!

The bishops’ intentions are right, but they are incorrect in stating that homosexuality is compatible with Christianity. Homosexuality is as incompatible, according to their bible, as shellfish, collecting sticks on Sunday and letting your son smart-mouth you without stoning him.

I know at least one minister who left to join the Episcopal to get away from the overt bigotry. I can’t quite get her to see the silliness of going from one church to another, but then, she is a minister and kind of has a lot invested in her faith.

Richard is pretty much right-on: The document basically says, “We see people leaving the church, or being unwilling to join the church, because we’ve been acting like total asshats to and about gay people. So maybe we should quit acting like asshats. Just sayin’.” Baby steps. At least they put it out there where it couldn’t get tucked in the circular file.

Yeah, I’d be more impressed if there were some non-retired bishops on that document.

There actually IS a process in the United Methodist Church to amend the Book of Discipline, which is basically “The Book of How We Do Things and Why.” I’m not certain, but it may be an annual process. At the most, every few years.

The bishop is probably pissed that they’re not doing it by the proper in-house political process, through petition to amend. This is the equivalent of complaining about other people’s votes in a public forum and not voting yourself. They’re raising their objections when they’re safe from any reprisals, but when they also can’t do anything but talk.

Then again, he’s probably pissed at all the UMC ministers who ARE doing it by the proper in-house political process. Uppity liberal ministers without a pulse on the sentiment of their congregations…. Besides, if they felt their words were welcome and their positions secure if they expressed these opinions, they wouldn’t have to wait until they’re retired.

What a bunch of crap you are spreading.  God’s word is clear.  Who is the moron that started this anti-Bible idea?

I’m glad churches are changing their minds about homosexuality, but think every single one of these churches should remind all of their members that they can never, ever, make any sort of claim that the Bible and it’s rule are in any way objective, infallible or unchanging, since we all just watched them change a rule.

I know it’s not gonna happen though. They’re gonna be given a free pass to whitewash history and we’re still gonna have to listen to lectures about how are morals are worthless because they change whenever enough of us want them to change.

The Presbyterian Church USA is voting on the issue right now, presbytery by presbytery (173 of them). So far it is 37 to 30 in favor of repealing the current situation of no out gays allowed in the ministry.

Also though in the US retired bishops might suffer no major repercussions, retired Bishop Christopher Senyonjo of the Ugandan Anglican Church was stripped of his pension and privileges when he suggested that persecuting gays should stop (he also had to temporarily flee the country).

United Methodists are a big deal as they are the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the US and the third largest denomination in the country (after the Catholic Church and Southern Baptists). However it also has a large number of non-US members, many of them in very conservative places (and a fair number of their members in the US are immigrants from those countries) so I don’t see church policy changing soon.

I agree with everyone who said this is a nice, wonderful, touching outreach to the gay community by these bishops.

That being said, it is also pathetic. The retired bishops are the ones stepping forward. Please note the word retired. I am so sick of people who come forward after they have spent years doing nothing while in positions of power and then decide to speak up once they are out of office. These people are nothing but moral cowards. They wait until they are safe from all retribution before coming forward. Rosa Parks risked jail time, MLK did go to jail, Muhammed Ali lost years of his boxing career because of his pacifism, ghandi risked severe abuse in opposing the British, and on the list continues. Those are examples of real moral courage and leadership. I’m still waiting to see that today.