Leave it to the Wesleyans to drag me out of hibernation!
I'm aware I haven't been blogging much as of late. My apologies to anyone who might have been waiting with bated-breath for my next dispatch. (Actually, I should probably apologise to your families, as those folk have certainly croaked from holding their breath so long!) I have a dream that I'll find the free time to update and post more often. I also have a dream that my dissertation will quit running my life. Hopefully one of these dreams will come true in the near future.
Anywho, back to the Methodists….
My friends in the United Methodist denomination seem to be working themselves into a grande-high-tizzy of sorts. The subject driving them all to such a frenzy? Why homosexuality, of course! (What else gets Christian denominations into a frenzy today? Certainly not poverty, human trafficking, education, or other issues…but I digress..) Specifically, we're speaking about the defiance of rules in the Methodist Book of Discipline which prohibit clergy from taking part in GLBT weddings. Making a long story short, the issue seems to be hitting critical mass. While it is always sad to see in-fighting -regardless of the origins- within a spiritual denomination, this situation is just swimming in problems.
On the one hand, we have those calling for the trial and judgement of clergy who have broken Discipline rules. These folks are entirely right. If you're ordained in the Methodist tradition, you pretty much have to live by the Book of Discipline. End of story. Failure to do so is like Presbyterians giving up the Westminster Confession; you can't really be one without the other. If you do give such things up, you've really moved onwards into a grey area where you are neither this nor that. In short order this can make an entire and bloody mess out of a denomination; rendering it all but hen-pecked and ineffective.
On the other hand, there are significant and very real questions from those who have defied the Book of Discipline - What do you do when the Book of Discipline is just gravely wrong? Listening for the still-speaking and prophetic voice of the Infinite God is something which is part and parcel of being involved in ministry. You have to do it. Sometimes that voice requires you to do some pretty crazy and radical things. This can even include defying and standing up to the religious authorities of your day and age in the name of gospel and grace. (Ya' know, like Bonhoeffer, Luther, and…hum…JESUS?)
And so, there we have it: damned if they do and damned if they don't. I do not envy my UM friends at the present. As seems to always be the case with issues of human sexuality and faith -and which drives me 8 shades of crazy- the conversations around these topics have very largely been yelling matches more than they've been substantive discourses. I don't claim to have any answers which will magically fix things for my Wesleyan friends. However, before we reach the point of flying casseroles and canceled pot-lucks, I do have a couple of thoughts.
First, to those pounding the table and steaming at the defiance of the Book of Discipline: You do, as I said previously, have a point. But let me ask this: how far can you take the Book of Discipline? What if this were 50 years previous and you had a Discipline which prohibited the involvement of UMC clergy in inter-racial marriages? What might you be saying then? Would you yourself be willing to defy the Discipline or does it simply rule without question? (The latter would make me, as an outsider, feel VERY uncomfortable, but it's a question YOU have to answer…)
Second: To those defying -sometimes in rather flagrant manners- the Book of Discipline: I can totally get that you feel you're exercising a prophetic voice and coming down on the right side of history. At the same time, remember, neither Christ nor his apostles took the issue of schism lightly. Breaking the Book of Discipline is rather tantamount to being a schismatic; tread this path carefully. You might very well be coming down on the right side of grace and mercy on this issue, but will you destroy a denomination -which has the ability to speak to many more issues, a number of which are far more important- just to make your point?
Again, I don't have any magical answers, but these seem to be some places to start…..
BTW, have I mentioned how glad I am that I'm UCC? ;)
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