Northern Illinois United Methodist Conference Urges: Homosexuality/bisexuality "gift of God"

Methodist Federation for Social Action | June 6, 2003 | Rev. Bob Campbell, Legislative Coordinator> Coordinator

[aruanan]

Highlights of text:

...human sexuality is a good gift of God...
...homosexuality, heterosexuality and bi-sexuality all share that gift...
...we commit to proclaim that homosexual orientation (no less or more than heterosexual orientation) can be compatible with Christian teaching...
We encourage clergy to preach this from our pulpits ...
...we encourage lay people to teach it in our Sunday school classes and tell it to our children...
...we affirm that loving, monogamous, intimate relationships between persons of the same or opposite gender, are an expression of God's love...
...we affirm that persons of all sexual orientations are equally called to ordained ministry...
...as lay persons we will similarly affirm that call and we will offer ourselves fully in mutual ministry with pastors of our churches regardless of that person's sexual orientation....

This was sent to me by a friend familiar with the goings-on of the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The text:

700-23 REFLECTING THE LOVE OF GOD Passed as amended in Plenary, June 7, 2003.

WHEREAS, as Christians we are called to embody God's love in the world, and as United Methodist Christians, we are united in our faith in God, our love of Christ and our commitment to seek and do God's will as empowered by the Holy Spirit; and

WHEREAS, for the past two decades General Conference actions have added increasingly condemnatory and exclusionary language to the Book of Discipline concerning the full participation of gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons in our denomination; and

WHEREAS, the church is deeply divided on issues related to God's gift of sexual orientation, and any pretense that we are of one mind only serves to deepen the estrangement and isolation of those who are excluded, and imposes premature closure upon the church's search to faithfully discern the will of God;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church affirms that human sexuality is a good gift of God and understands that homosexuality, heterosexuality and bi-sexuality all share that gift; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we believe that the current statement in the United Methodist Book of Discipline that "homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching" is: not reflective of the historic Wesleyan unwillingness to limit prerogatives which belong solely to God, and is not representative of every Biblical/theological perspective; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we commit to proclaim that homosexual orientation (no less or more than heterosexual orientation) can be compatible with Christian teaching. We encourage clergy to preach this from our pulpits and expose our parishioners to the fullness of the Scriptural witness on related matters in our Bible studies, and we encourage lay people to teach it in our Sunday school classes and tell it to our children; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we affirm that loving, monogamous, [sic] intimate relationships between persons of the same or opposite gender, are an expression of God's love; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we affirm the historic charge of United Methodist clergy to be in ministry according to their best discernment among the people entrusted to their care.

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, we affirm that persons of all sexual orientations are equally called to ordained ministry. As clergy we will affirm God's call to ordained ministry as experienced by candidates for ministry regardless of a person's sexual orientation and welcome them into the clergy covenant, and as lay persons we will similarly affirm that call and we will offer ourselves fully in mutual ministry with pastors of our churches regardless of that person's sexual orientation.

Methodist Federation for Social Action Rev. Bob Campbell, Legislative Coordinator

[gitmo]

As best I can tell, the Scriptures refer to the following as the gift of God:

1. The Holy Ghost
2. Eternal Life through Jesus Christ, His Son.
3. The empowerment to minister (2 Timothy 2:6). Although this reference could be to The Holy Ghost.

Is there now an addendum?

[aruanan]

Ticket sales must be off.

Ticket sales for what?

[Old Professer]

Humor my rather wacky theory regarding this fascination with the crotch, I believe it comes from modern man spending so much time sitting as he goes about his workday and moreso in his afterhours as he types blithely away at his keyboard or jabs madly at his Game Boy console; the damn thing is constantly irritated and he mistakenly thinks it is begging for sexual relief when, in reality, it merely needs a rest.

[AD from SpringBay]

The Bible says just the opposite. This is the same as saying sin is a gift from God. If someone is going to accept homosexuality as normal they have to do it without the Bible's approval. This is an absolutely unreal Christian conference addendum.

[tricky_k_1972]

My father is a UMC Pastor,

I think that some here may have the wrong idea about the church as whole from this. My father both belongs to and attended NIUMC. The church as whole does not buy into this stuff and 80% of the members do not. We have a few in powerful positions who spout this stuff but it does not go anywhere. If you look I'm sure you would find that this was not adopted at the conference and therefore signifies nothing other than a few misguided people’s views.

There is a large movement in the UMC called the "Confessing Movement" which dedicates itself to the teachings of Christ. We have our own Seminary, printing house, and a majority of the churches. If there ever was a split, the Confessing Movement would win hands down and would control the church. This might happen soon, it might happen later, but I grantee you if this type of crud continues to surface it will happen.

[Old Professer]

I refer to all churches as ticketbooths to Heaven; most of them are about property as much as salvation and the majority who attend are not any the better for it once gone.

Nothing personal, just my opinion.

[aruanan]

Polygamy was a corruption which crept into OT Judaism. It was never part of divine plan and was stamped out.

It antedated OT Judaism and was present from the patriarchs onward. Though the teaching about monogamy at the beginning in the story of Adam and Eve and the second start with Noah, his single wife, their sons and their respective single wives is pretty clear.

[The Grammarian]

Well, there are also the gifts of singleness and marriage (1 Cor. 7). Maybe they're trying to redefine marriage too.

[lavaroise]

Sh!t eaters, gifts of whatever.

[AD from SpringBay]

You shall know them by their fruits.

[goldstategop]

The pagans are taking over the church. St. Paul knew these people. And behold: Satan sends his minions to pose as angels of light and who worketh their ends accordingly. By their fruits you shall know them. This isn't the Christianity most Americans learned about in Sunday school. To be Christian means to be politically correct these days and so throw traditional sexual morality out of the window! The United Methodist liberals masquerading as Christians certainly don't want to give offense to any one. Like I said, its the new paganism. Unlike in the dying days of the Roman Empire, the church doesn't see its task as holding back the barbarian hordes but rather in joining them on their cultural pillage. What do you know, progress is wonderful!

[goldstategop]

My friend, today its do whatever gives you pleasure. Any one who believes in traditional values is looked down upon as a square, a prude, someone not hip, who doesn't get it, who isn't in with the swing of things. I'm afraid its the spirit of the times. The good and the few, or rather, the few who are good are lonely. I soldier on in my convictions in spite of the culture's approbation of all I find abhorrent and decadent.

[goldstategop]

Race is an immutable characteristic the individual can't change. Sexual conduct is a matter the individual has a choice in. Its amazing and offensive to find otherwise well meaning people confusing the two. Gay passions do not a civil rights matter make.

[aruanan]

If you look I'm sure you would find that this was not adopted at the conference and therefore signifies nothing other than a few misguided people’s views.

Note that it was "passed as amended in plenary." There has always been a large number of UM churches that are not liberal, that have never turned away from Wesleyan Methodism. I cite as an example the Good News Movement. Asbury College and Asbury Seminary are both schools that have not gone liberal (like Perkins). But there are individual UM churches, such as one centrally located in Evanston, IL, where the pastors are there not because they've said they were following a calling from G-d, but because they said that the position offered them the means to do social activism. I know at least four families that left this church specifically because of the pastor's take on the above (his college roommate was the UM pastor in Chicago that was censured a couple of years ago for performing a ceremony of union for a homosexual couple). And these were core members in that church. You, being a PK, know that of all the people that attend, there are a few families that do nearly all the work.

[Petronski]

Thank you for the amplification.

The dude was just a troll, and is probably already gone.

[goldstategop]

If conservatism means surrendering to liberalism, I don't want to be part of such a movement. The path of least resistance. Gee, where have we heard that one before? All is lost so we might as well give in and celebrate with the Left our new found state of decadent bliss.

[goldstategop]

You wouldn't understand. Its a private matter. Now if only we extended equal time to rapists... ;-)

[Dr. Eckleburg]

You're equating race with anal sex?

That's where it's headed. Homosexuality is a racial category.

Actually, the occultists believe this. The sacred One was erroneously split in two and is ever striving for "reunification with the self."

It doesn't get much more blasphemous than that.

[goldstategop]

Today the depraved is sacred. Its like 1984. You know everything is upside down. And if you need to ask, don't. In the future the liberals won't allow you to question why the old ways have disappeared.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Bump for the Presbyterian Church of American. Hope the PCUSA is listening.