United Methodist Church Didn’t Just Accept Gay Marriage — It Went Full Woke

The United Methodist Church, one of the largest mainline Protestant denominations in the United States, voted Wednesday at its General Conference to repeal its prohibition against the officiation of same-sex weddings and end its ban on clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals.” The vote had been a long time coming, as the denomination’s original intention was to hold it at the 2020 General Conference; the vote was delayed because of the COVID pandemic.

In the lead-up to the vote, more than 7,600 conservative Methodist churches departed the denomination, largely as a result of the church’s change in stance on LGBTQ issues. Much of that exodus took place last year, during which 5,641 congregations abandoned the United Methodist Church. Many of those churches joined the newly formed Global Methodist Church, which holds to the traditional Christian view that marriage is between a man and a woman. (READ MORE: Conservative Methodist Exit Nears End Point)

Corresponding with the denomination’s vote to accept same-sex marriage was a noticeable change: The General Conference took on a progressive agenda to a far greater extent than ever before.

Alongside the approval of the acceptance of same-sex marriage, the denomination also approved a “Revised Social Principles” document, much of which reads as a politically progressive laundry list. One section of the document touches on “environmental racism” (“the negative impacts resulting from the degradation of the natural world have fallen disproportionately on marginalized communities”); another section expresses opposition to “the patenting of seed varieties”; and the document later warns that we have limited time remaining before the effects of climate change become irreversible (“Climate scientists warn that the window of opportunity for reversing the negative effects of global warming and climate change is rapidly closing). Further, the Revised Social Principles document removed a previous statement that said homosexuality “is incompatible with Christian teaching.”

In a move that has received less attention, the General Conference also passed a petition that “upholds a person’s right to an abortion after informed consideration with their family, medical practitioners, pastor, and other pertinent counsel.” In addition, the petition denounces laws that place limits on abortion. Note that the denomination even refers to those who seek out abortions as “persons” rather than “women.”

The entire tone of the General Conference took on a noticeably progressive tone — a change that was assisted by the departure of those more than 7,600 conservative congregations. Throughout the course of the General Conference, rainbow regalia and pins featured perhaps even more prominently than crosses.

Each day of the General Conference, the denomination trotted out two of its general secretaries, the Rev. Giovanni Arroyo and Dawn Wiggins Hare, whose role seemed to be enforcing progressive orthodoxy. Hare in particular took on a scolding tone, reminding conference-goers to adhere to progressive mores. “Remember, friends,” she said earlier this week, “monitoring is not policing. It is challenging us to have self-awareness and inviting us to care for others.” Hare would go on to warn church members to not use “exclusively male language” when speaking about God: “Be respectful of the choice of language that is used, including avoiding exclusively male language for God.” In another presentation by Arroyo and Hare, the two informed those present of the races and sexes of those who had been chosen as legislators. Later, they apologized for not providing greater detail on the diverse characteristics of those legislators.

Conference-goers who spoke often adopted the practice of describing themselves prior to speaking. For instance, one woman said: “I am laity from the Great Plains Conference. I am nonbinary and use they/them pronouns. I am white, adult, and a person living with disability.”

Expect the United Methodist Church to follow the same pattern as those other denominations that have adopted progressivism: decline.

READ MORE:

Methodist Church’s First Drag Queen Pastor: ‘God Is Nothing’

Paganism Casts Its Spell Over Methodist Seminary

The post United Methodist Church Didn’t Just Accept Gay Marriage — It Went Full Woke appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.