Something deeper, indeed, but something else, entirely

“It isn’t just about homosexuality. It runs a lot deeper than that.” 

Members of the WCA / GMC will often deflect questions about the flawed logic of leaving a denomination over the possibility of a future change in stated doctrine by saying this question is symbolic of much larger issues. Most often, alleged rejection of the “authority of scripture” is used to justify the divisive process that will for a generation co-opt the term “discernment.” Other times, appeals are made to an alleged distorted Christology that rejects classic beliefs about the nature of Christ. Leaving the realm of theological discourse, appeals are often made to the tensions and conflict that are the unpleasant underside of democracy, and its inherent inability to compel others to act in certain ways. However, if people are to have relationships, people must deal with their differences. Still, to use a popular analogy, few people really want to see “how the sausage gets made” as compromises are made to allow different people to have a voice in a democratic process like that of the United Methodist Church. When that process is laid bare, many will get sick to their stomach and swear off sausage altogether.

The conflict between the UMC and the GMC is in truth not one of Christology, nor is it one of scriptural authority.  The conflict is about the role of the Holy Spirit (pneumatology is the theological term). Most specifically, those like myself who come from traditional backgrounds are forced to confront the fact that there are those who have become a part of our church family who do not share that background, nor many of the values emphasized in that background. We are forced to ask whether the Holy Spirit could enter into a congregation, a pastor, and a region that does not adhere to a traditional American conservative worldview and in which members align themselves with perspectives that conflict with our “traditional values.” If we see that the Spirit can, why can’t we? If Jesus sent the Spirit to teach us and guide us, is there still work for the Spirit to do? 

There are indeed aspects of Christian tradition and scripture that justify the conservative interpretations championed by Good News magazine and others. There are also, however, aspects of Christian tradition and scripture that justify more progressive approaches and contradict these same conservative interpretations. Although rarely presented as such, the United Methodist Church is faced not with a task of identifying who honors scripture and worships Christ, but rather with an acknowledgment of how the church has historically honored scripture and worshiped Christ in a multitude of ways. 

Our current moment could justifiably be called an “Acts 10 issue.” Acts 10 describes the apostle Peter’s transition from staunch adherent to Jewish purity laws into an advocate of Gentile inclusion into the family of God. It also provides the blueprint by which the United Methodist Church has moved from an emphasis on purity into an emphasis on shared experience of God and now moves into a position of not only recognizing, but also defending the ways that the Holy Spirit has been revealed in the lives and ministry of those that more “traditionalist” would deem “unclean.” When delegates to the Western Jurisdictional conference describe the election of a person who is a self-avowed, practicing homosexual as “a holy spirit moment,” who am I to say it was not? And if the Holy Spirit is poured out on that gathering, what should I do in response?

The question of whether God calls people regardless of sexual identity can be quickly observed by looking at the student population of mainline seminaries, where sexual identity is not considered a disqualifying factor for their pursuit of professional ministry. God is continuing to call LGBTQ persons to full-time pastoral service whether or not their sexual identity disqualifies them from that service within any particular denomination. This seems, however, consistent with the Biblical witness. That gender roles are disregarded for full participation in the early church seems indisputable. The prevalence and type of leadership assumed by women in the early church is nothing if not untraditional. Eunuchs as well seem to have an outsized role in the proclamation of Christ, as we see in the Ethiopian Eunuch’s baptism by Philip in Acts 8. As further evidence, we need look no further than Paul’s clarification to the Galatians 3:28, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Neither religious background, societal status, nor gender are relevant to the ministry of the church according to scripture.

Do LGBTQ persons have sacred worth? As long as sexual identity has been mentioned in the Book of Discipline, this has been unequivocally maintained in the United Methodist Church. Continuing with the Acts 10 analogy, we have been shown a vision of a church where purity codes are not primary for full incorporation into the church. Despite the discomfort created within those holding traditional views, we are invited to turn instead toward the God who works in and through even those with whom we disagree and whose actions we consider contrary to historic doctrine. 

Whether our questions and our responses relate to the purity of our diet, the purity of our sexuality, or the practicality of representative democracy, United Methodist Christians are faced with the same question raised by Peter - can anyone deny a place in God’s family to these people who have received the Holy Spirit, just as we have? Or, even more bluntly, do we mean it when we say “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting?”

After all, it isn’t just about homosexuality. It runs a lot deeper than that.