Several clergymen and women came out as gay, bisexual, or lesbian, against Methodist church law. The church specifically bans "practicing homosexuals" serving in ministry. Some church rules, as made public by several clergymen, state that sexuality must be kept to oneself. One man talks about how, while many have been accepted, others have been ostracized, making it impossible to share their faith with the world. There is planned to be a conference that debates the church ban on LGBTQ+ ministers as well as same sex marriage. A letter was arranged by an LGBTQ+ advocacy group where 111 ministers revealed their sexuality to their supervisors for the first time. A Methodist disciplinary book states that homosexuality is not in line with bible teachings. The Methodist church is a very popular Christian church.
This relates to Bill Clinton's "don't ask don't tell" policy in the military. Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals are allowed to participate in the army as long as they don't disclose their sexuality, similar to what many Methodist preachers are forced to do.
It was very brave of some of the clergy members to come out even though they knew the church probably would not support it. -Claudia Anthony
ReplyDeleteI'm curious how it ended. I wonder if they were allowed to continue practicing or if the church banned them.
ReplyDeleteI hope the church can come to a decision to openly accept gay clergy members
ReplyDeleteI hope the church can come to a decision to openly accept gay clergy members
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