Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Life just caught up with me in November as I had ordination, stewardship and charge conference paperwork fall square on my desk. Plus, I had another knee surgery, so it has been a freaking whopper of a month! Thankfully, things are finally quieting down it seems (of course, that will end next week with the start of Advent), so I thought I would share my thoughts on some of the discord rippling through the United Methodist Church. We have always been a denomination that spans what Bishop Scott Jones would refer to as "the extreme center." Meaning that we are blessed to sit right in the middle of the religious spectrum and have liberal/progressive and evangelical/conservative voices present in one denomination. When these elements are in balance, our church is a beautiful thing because we represent a plethora of diverse views of God that unite under one banner. It is exactly what the Body of Christ should be in my opinion, which is why I am so grieved by events taking place. Unfortunatley, the balance has been upset within recent weeks as both wings of the UMC have recently erupted over the hot-button issue of homosexuality.
Homosexuality is and always has been a complex subject for us Methodists. Our Book of Discipline teaches us it is "incompatible with Christian Teaching" despite GLTBQ people being of "sacred worth" to God. The former view is far more dominant in Methodist polity, which is why Methodist pastors are not permitted to come out as self-avowed homosexuals or preside at gay weddings. To do so risks a ecclesiastical trial where a clergy person can lose their credentials (i.e. the ability to serve as a ordained pastor in the UMC). This stance has recently come under fire as Methodist Pastor Frank Schaefer was put on trial for officiating his gay son's wedding. His action inspired 50 other members of his Pennsylvania Annual Conference to stand with him by jointly officiating a gay marriage ceremony for two parishioners. Essentially, these actions ignited a powder keg in the church, which has left the both wings bickering in an open and extremely bitter feud. The vitriolic nature of the argument is so bad that it puts the future of the church into some doubt.
I am caught in between all of this. Like my blog title states, I am a moderate and I seek the space between many different views and forces. So what is my view on all this? I am not quite sure how to phrase what I am thinking about the future of our church and what we should be doing. However, I know exactly what I want to say to the church now and in cruising the net the other day, I found a view that perfectly expressed what I was feeling. It was by one of my colleagues here in the Rocky Mountain Conference, namely the Rev. Gary A. Shockley of Saint Andrew's UMC in Highlands Ranch. Below is an excerpt from that blog and if you would like to read more, you may access it at: http://garyshockley.wordpress.com/
"I am an older white guy in a system that has favored people who look
like me– often toward the exclusion of others. I know that I am a person
of privilege. I remember when, as an 18-year-old pastor serving a
church in the inner city, my all white eighty-something congregation
barred their doors against people of color. In spite of my door-to-door
invitations to welcome new and diverse people to worship, when they
showed up (and some of them actually did) they simply were not welcomed
there. My heart was broken but I soldiered on.
The first year of ministry at that church I attended annual
conference when the conversation around ordaining women was a hotly
divisive issue among United Methodists. Arguments like, “the bible
forbids women from serving in leadership over men” echoed from more
conservative voices. I thought the argument was silly then as I do now.
“Why would God not call and work through women?” My mom was a woman and
God sure worked through her!Out of seminary, I served as a pastor of a
three-point charge that received me warmly but only after turning down
the appointment of a young man who had been divorced, “he is not welcome
here because he is living in sin.” I was married and apparently fit
their cultural image of a healthy “biblical” leader. I thought the
argument was silly then as I do now. “Why would God not call and work
through people who are divorced?” Some of the most influential people in
my life have been divorced including members of my own family.
As I developed deep personal relationships with members of my
churches over the years several of them “came out” to me risking being
shamed or shunned because our church was clear that “homosexuality was
incompatible with Christian teaching.” Imagine being made to feel
incompatible…with God? I thought then, as I do now, “Why would God not
call and work through people who are gay?” God did so in my life and
still does.
As I’ve itinerated in ministry I have found myself appointed to
conservative churches where some labeled me a liberal and to liberal
churches where some labeled me a conservative. One day, at my current
appointment, I met with a man who was angry with me and summed it up as,
“you’re just too conservative for my liking.” Immediately following him
was another man who wanted to meet with me to tell me my theology was
“much to liberal-progressive” for his liking. I think Jesus had
conversations like these. I laughed out loud, which didn’t make him too
happy, and explained the conversation I had just had with the man before
him. “Why would God not call and work through both conservatives AND
progressive-liberals?” Some of the most influential people in my life
have been on the extreme right and left of the theological spectrum and
I’ve been blessed by them all.
And now we add to the debate in our denominational tribe the
lawfulness within our covenant (Discipline) for clergy to officiate over
same sex weddings. I serve a church where there are gay couples who
have been in a loving covenant relationship with each other longer than
the 33 years I’ve been married to my wife. Many of these folks have been
examples of committed, monogamous, and holy love and I am blessed to
number them among my dearest friends. Of course, I want them to be
extended the same opportunities and blessings I have received as a
straight white male in a church that values me but not them so much.
It’s not difficult to see why. This aging denomination looks a lot like
me. That’s not a compliment, by the way.
I love this church. My ancestors helped to found the first Methodist
Church in America under the direction of Francis Asbury and Freeborn
Garrettson. This church nurtured my faith, affirmed my calling, ordained
me, and gave me opportunities to serve God. It blessed our marriage,
baptized our sons, buried three of our parents, and opened my eyes to
the mystery and majesty of God. I am extremely grateful for each of
these gifts and I want them to be available to ALL.
The gospel we proclaim says, in many different ways, “when it comes
to God’s love and grace: ALL MEANS ALL!” I need to pray for the day when
that becomes true in our church. And I need to pray for all our leaders
who struggle greatly to keep us moving together when we are so
obviously divided. I don’t envy the challenges they face. I need to pray
daily for the well-being of my bishop and all those tasked with leading
our very weird yet beautiful family. And I need to pray for those of
our church family who feel left out, shut out, shouted out and shoved
out because they follow their hearts. As long as they are suffering the
rest of us are suffering too.
I hear a lot of anger and angst in our church right now. I hear a lot
of fear and anxiety about what happens next and whether or not there
will be splits and greater schisms. I hear a lot of pain, and feel it
too, because I care about all the people I am called to love and serve
as pastor who are on BOTH sides of this current debate.
And so I find myself in the awkward middle. I suspect I am not alone.
It may be naïve of me, but I long for the day (and will continue to
work toward it in my own way) when we will find our way to each other
and embrace one another as the blessed diverse children of God that we
all are. Until that day I will pray. And I will strive to be open in
dialogue with those on all sides of the debate. And as God leads me
within the context of a covenantal community I will act. And from the
awkward middle I will love."
I hope you got as much out of this as I did. It is hard to be a moderate in this debate and balance the issues that are flying around. I am trying to do so and I hope to further write on my feelings in the future. But for now, I think this will do it. If you have any questions, or want to start a larger conversation about this, please feel free to contact me. Until then, have a good week, my friends!
