Media platforms lit up April 28th, immediately following a decision that an openly gay woman’s consecration as a Bishop was in violation of church law. The United Methodist Church’s Judicial Council’s decision regarding Bishop Oliveto angered many, and I imagine came as a relief to just as many, within that denomination and beyond.
Let’s be clear about a couple things.
- It is true that Bishop Oliveto’s consecration is in violation of church law. It is important to respect that.
- There are many members of the United Methodist Church, among other denominations, who would like to have this particular church law changed or revised. The belief stated in the United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline that, “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching,” is, in fact, misinformed.
Whether or not Christian teaching can embrace these relationships is not just a question for the UMC, however, and I am deeply concerned that people are trying to address the issue focusing on the wrong “heart of the matter.” Most conversations are about “letting love win,” or about inviting people to consider that human sexuality is quite a complex reality. In other words: matters of the heart.
While I am in favor of and support both conversations, it seems to me that what is left out is a conversation about why so many people believe that same-sex relationships are against God’s will. The true heart of the matter, perhaps, is really a handful of biblical passages that are highly misunderstood and another handful that are not included in the conversation, but should be.
This kind of a conversation is important for everyone interested in this issue, regardless of where you stand on it. Understanding why someone is against an idea is just as important as understanding why others support it.
It wasn’t until I was able to sit with the relevant biblical texts for myself, and to be able to be honest about their contexts, and their purposes in those contexts (the best that we can tell), that I was able to broaden my perspective on same-sex relationships, and in my case it lead to me changing my fairly stubborn mind on this issue. But to be clear, I had to be able to see the justification, for whatever position, right there in Scripture. I assure you that many people within the Church approach important issues pertaining to their faith in much the same way: they need to see that Scripture supports the stance or belief.
These denominations will continue to have this struggle until their members, not just those who are ordained or are in positions of leadership, are honest about, and take the time to carefully work through, the relevant biblical passages.
The most productive conversations that I have had with others on this topic have been those in which we discussed what is and is not in the Bible about marriage and sexuality. It really is that simple.
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