United Methodists Remove Official Language Denouncing Homosexuality
Summary from the AllSides News Team
United Methodist delegates voted to remove language condemning homosexuality from their official social teachings on Thursday, a day after voting to remove a ban on gay clergy.
Key Quotes: The restrictions ended on Wednesday had banned “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained as ministers. The language removed on Thursday had deemed “the practice of homosexuality” to be “incompatible with Christian teaching.” Delegates also approved a new formal definition of marriage as between “two people of faith.”
How the Media Covered It: While AP (Lean Left bias) said the United Methodists removed “anti-gay language” and called the conference “overwhelmingly progressive,” The Washington Times (Lean Right bias) — which has its own religious ties — highlighted previous “mass defections by conservative-leaning congregations” and said the conference’s decisions “will likely lead to a further schism.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
United Methodists vote to allow gay clergy. How will Texas churches respond?Robert Blain, a Houston public high school teacher, saw many friends leave the United Methodist Church in recent years because of the denomination's ban gay clergy. But on Wednesday, Blain celebrated when reading news posted on X that the majority of UMC delegates at the annual General Conference in Charlottesville, N.C. agreed to remove a 40-year-old rule forbidding "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from taking leadership positions in the church. The group also voted to prevent religious leaders from penalizing clergy or churches for performing same-sex weddings.
"I'm glad this has finally been resolved," said Blain, a...
From the Left
United Methodists remove anti-gay language from their official teachings on societal issuesUnited Methodist delegates on Thursday removed a 52-year-old declaration from their official social teachings that deemed “the practice of homosexuality ... incompatible with Christian teaching” — part of a wider series of historic reversals of the denomination’s longstanding disapproval of LGBTQ activity.
The historic vote came as delegates also approved a new definition of marriage as a covenant between “two people of faith” while recognizing the couple may or may not involve a man and a woman. That replaces an exclusively heterosexual definition of marriage and followed a debate that...
From the Right
United Methodists, winnowed by conservative exodus, embrace LGBTQ inclusivityUnited Methodist delegates voted Thursday to make the denomination, which has skewed leftward in the wake of mass defections by conservative-leaning congregations, more gay- and LGBTQ-friendly.
By a 523-161 vote, delegates to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, voted to drop a decadeslong definition of marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman and struck language saying homosexual practice “is incompatible with Christian teaching.”
Delegates were expected to approve same-sex wedding ceremonies and/or blessings of same-sex unions in local congregations on Friday, the last...
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