The United Methodist Church (UMC) has been in the news and will be even more so over the next month as disagreements over human sexuality have led to a special time for decision making. Journalist Heather Hahn provides an overview of the issues at hand, and the conversation invites us all to consider how we hold community even when we disagree.
Human Sexuality and the UMC: Episode 016
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The position statement of the United Methodist Church regarding human sexuality is that homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching." As such, the United Methodist Church does not avow the ordination of "self-avowed, practicing homosexuals" nor does current polity allow for samesex marriages to be officiated by United Methodist pastors. Some churches and pastors are in open rebellion against these policies and are both ordaining "self-avowed, practicing homosexuals" and performing same sex marriages. Others are calling for the policies to be enforced with disciplinary action. A special session of the United Methodist General Conference—the denomination's governing board—has been called for February, 2019. The Conference hopes to find a way forward for the denomination while so many of its members disagree on human sexuality.
In this episode, we talked with Heather Hahn, reporter for United Methodist News Service. https://www.umnews.org/
For a deeper dive into United Methodism as it exists today check out this helpful page from UMC.org: http://www.umc.org/who-we-are/united-methodists-at-a-glance
Episode posted January 2019.
