Friday, April 24, 2009
Methodists Strengthen Stance Against Homosexuality
The following article was written April 28, 2004, and is posted here for reference purposes.
Despite winning the battle over homosexuality at their quadrennial convention in Pittsburgh, one evangelical Methodist leader is calling for the church to be split. The Rev. Bill Hinson. President of the Confessing Movement, a group of 600,000, said, "the gulf between us is so wide that, despite our own best efforts and prayers, we cannot bridge that gulf.’’
“Our friends in the Western Jurisdiction have left us. Our covenant is in shreds,” Hinson told a morning breakfast of evangelicals, referring to the Washington State church court decision that allowed avowed lesbian Karen Dammann to remain in the ministry.
Admitting that the advocates of legitimizing homosexuality in church felt hurt, Hinson said, “No earnest Christian enjoys seeing another human suffering. I believe it is time for us end this cycle of pain we are inflicting on each other.”
“We cannot fight both church and culture,” he continued. “And our people, who have been faithful and patient, should not have to continue to endure our endless conflict. I believe the time has come when we must to begin to explore an amicable and just separation that will free us both from our cycle of pain and conflict. Such a just separation will protect the property rights of churches and the pension rights of clergy. It will also free us to reclaim our high calling and to fulfill our mission in the world.
The United Methodist Church, meeting in quadrennial conference in Pittsburgh, became the first mainline Protestant church meeting in convention to oppose homosexual unions or marriages. Only 17% of the delegates voted to approve them.
Part of the reason for this and other victories for evangelical Christians comes from Naperville’s Salem-Wheatland United Methodist Church.
Its minister, Scott Field, is the “field general” for six evangelical Christian groups at the convention. Although not a delegate, he is a major spokesman of one of the church’s main evangelical group, Good News. Evangelical Christians have no delegates from the Northern Illinois Conference.
The Methodist Church has been under siege by homosexuals since 1972. Inroads have been made in personnel to the level of bishop where Chicago has soon-to-be-retiring Joe Sprague. (See IL articles…) Sprague was arrested at the last Methodist conference four years ago in a demonstration over the issue.
In an email distributed nationwide on Wednesday, the head of Good News, Jim Heidinger explained what was happening in Pittsburgh. It varies markedly from what has been published in the Chicago Tribune, whose headline on a three-paragraph article Wednesday read, “Church rulings mixed on gays.” The Chicago Sun-Times ignored the unfolding story, focusing its homosexual “beat” on the failure of a Kansas constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage to pass.
“This has been an excellent day here at General Conference. I believe it reflects, among other things, the fruit of your prayers on behalf of the Conference here,” Heidinger wrote the same day the Tribune article was published on page 18.
Leading up to the convention, national news focused on the March 20th acquittal of admitted lesbian Pastor Karen Dammann in Bothell, Washington. A week before the trial, she married her lesbian lover. While refusing to overturn the local church court’s decision, the top church court, called the Judicial Council said, “The Judicial Council does not have authority to review the findings of the trial court in the Rev. Karen T. Dammann case. A bishop may not appoint one who has been found by a trial court to be a self-avowed, practicing homosexual.”
“Now,” Heidinger observed, “if the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry were to present Rev. Dammann to the clergy session as an elder in ‘good standing,’ a question of law could rightly be raised about her ‘good standing’ in light of Decision 985. The bishop’s ruling on the question would automatically be sent to the Judicial Council for review. However, we would expect Bishop Elias Galvan to abide by the clear intent of the decision.” Dammon is now on a leave of absence.
“Concerning specific legislation,” he continued, “we voted on a number of petitions today dealing with the homosexuality issue. General Conference strongly rejected any changes in its standards. Here are just a few of yesterday’s actions:
“Be praying for the session tomorrow morning,” he concluded. “There is still much legislation to deal with. We may have demonstrations from the pro-gay folks, who are very unhappy with how the Conference is going. Pray especially for the bishops who will preside tomorrow (Wednesday) as legislation is being dealt with.”
Good News has been holding breakfasts each morning. Perhaps indicating the direction the second largest Protestant church is moving, upwards of 400 people are attending, while four years ago the number was 200.
After one of the resolutions was voted upon, the United Methodist News Service reported, “The Rev. Eddie Fox of Nashville, Tenn., said that if the church had not retained the language against homosexuality, ‘serious consequences could have happened (and) a possible hemorrhage could have occurred.’
“But the Rev. James Preston of Rockford, Ill., declared that ‘hemorrhaging has already occurred.’ The church did not speak the truth about itself and had a ‘healing option’ but chose not to use it, he said,” according to the UMNS.
The Methodist News Service also reported African delegate reaction to all the time spent debating homosexuality:
Samuel Quire of Liberia stated that the church "cannot license people to go to hell."
Preston was objecting to the following:
"We come unfortunately time after time to talk about this issue," Hinson said, "because it's kept always front and center by persons who defy the covenant, who disregard the church law, and push and push and push, so that the mission of Jesus Christ and the world suffers tremendously because of our attention and energy being focused on a problem that really should not be a consideration for a Bible-believing Christian."
"With a due emphasis on holiness, this kind of thing is not an issue," Hinson continued, "but unfortunately we have been caught up by those who believe that culture sets the standard and who want to get in step with our culture, whereas we think those standards have already been set in God's word."
People wanting updates on convention activity may go to NICVoice.org, a web site run by laity in the Northern Illinois Conference of the Church where Joe Sprague is Bishop. NIC Voice links to a homosexual minister from the State of Washington who is filing a daily report, as well as other more conservative sources.
Sunday Sprague was a “co-celebrant” at a church service sponsored by a homosexual support caucus called the Reconciling Ministries Network held at East Liberty Presbyterian Church.
The pro-homosexual web site Soulforce reports, “Civil Disobedience may occur at any time during May 6th or 7th depending on action by General Conference.” Those attending were advised to bring $200-250 in bail money.
Despite winning the battle over homosexuality at their quadrennial convention in Pittsburgh, one evangelical Methodist leader is calling for the church to be split. The Rev. Bill Hinson. President of the Confessing Movement, a group of 600,000, said, "the gulf between us is so wide that, despite our own best efforts and prayers, we cannot bridge that gulf.’’
“Our friends in the Western Jurisdiction have left us. Our covenant is in shreds,” Hinson told a morning breakfast of evangelicals, referring to the Washington State church court decision that allowed avowed lesbian Karen Dammann to remain in the ministry.
Admitting that the advocates of legitimizing homosexuality in church felt hurt, Hinson said, “No earnest Christian enjoys seeing another human suffering. I believe it is time for us end this cycle of pain we are inflicting on each other.”
“We cannot fight both church and culture,” he continued. “And our people, who have been faithful and patient, should not have to continue to endure our endless conflict. I believe the time has come when we must to begin to explore an amicable and just separation that will free us both from our cycle of pain and conflict. Such a just separation will protect the property rights of churches and the pension rights of clergy. It will also free us to reclaim our high calling and to fulfill our mission in the world.
The United Methodist Church, meeting in quadrennial conference in Pittsburgh, became the first mainline Protestant church meeting in convention to oppose homosexual unions or marriages. Only 17% of the delegates voted to approve them.
Part of the reason for this and other victories for evangelical Christians comes from Naperville’s Salem-Wheatland United Methodist Church.
Its minister, Scott Field, is the “field general” for six evangelical Christian groups at the convention. Although not a delegate, he is a major spokesman of one of the church’s main evangelical group, Good News. Evangelical Christians have no delegates from the Northern Illinois Conference.
The Methodist Church has been under siege by homosexuals since 1972. Inroads have been made in personnel to the level of bishop where Chicago has soon-to-be-retiring Joe Sprague. (See IL articles…) Sprague was arrested at the last Methodist conference four years ago in a demonstration over the issue.
In an email distributed nationwide on Wednesday, the head of Good News, Jim Heidinger explained what was happening in Pittsburgh. It varies markedly from what has been published in the Chicago Tribune, whose headline on a three-paragraph article Wednesday read, “Church rulings mixed on gays.” The Chicago Sun-Times ignored the unfolding story, focusing its homosexual “beat” on the failure of a Kansas constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage to pass.
“This has been an excellent day here at General Conference. I believe it reflects, among other things, the fruit of your prayers on behalf of the Conference here,” Heidinger wrote the same day the Tribune article was published on page 18.
Leading up to the convention, national news focused on the March 20th acquittal of admitted lesbian Pastor Karen Dammann in Bothell, Washington. A week before the trial, she married her lesbian lover. While refusing to overturn the local church court’s decision, the top church court, called the Judicial Council said, “The Judicial Council does not have authority to review the findings of the trial court in the Rev. Karen T. Dammann case. A bishop may not appoint one who has been found by a trial court to be a self-avowed, practicing homosexual.”
“Now,” Heidinger observed, “if the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry were to present Rev. Dammann to the clergy session as an elder in ‘good standing,’ a question of law could rightly be raised about her ‘good standing’ in light of Decision 985. The bishop’s ruling on the question would automatically be sent to the Judicial Council for review. However, we would expect Bishop Elias Galvan to abide by the clear intent of the decision.” Dammon is now on a leave of absence.
“Concerning specific legislation,” he continued, “we voted on a number of petitions today dealing with the homosexuality issue. General Conference strongly rejected any changes in its standards. Here are just a few of yesterday’s actions:
*Removed “although” from the statement “Although we do not condone the practice of homosexuality”-removed an amendment that “Christians disagree on the compatibility of homosexuality”-passed 527-423. (A number of petitions tried various forms of the above wording but all were defeated, thankfully.)“There are more,” he wrote, “but this enables you to see that on the sexuality issues, we were holding strongly to the biblical position. This is reason for real praise!”
* Petition to add language protecting rights for same-gender couples (allow civil unions) and nondiscrimination regardless of sexual orientation-defeated 630-311.
* Petition to delete “fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness”-defeated 763-129! A strong vote.
* Omitted “since” in the statement that “Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching” - passed 674-264. This makes it a declarative sentence.
* Petition attempting to add language that “faithful Christians hold differing positions” - was defeated 466-436.
* Delete “fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness” – defeated by 806-95, a whopping vote!
* Petition to allow homosexual unions or marriages- defeated 756-159 (and four additional similar petitions.)
“Be praying for the session tomorrow morning,” he concluded. “There is still much legislation to deal with. We may have demonstrations from the pro-gay folks, who are very unhappy with how the Conference is going. Pray especially for the bishops who will preside tomorrow (Wednesday) as legislation is being dealt with.”
Good News has been holding breakfasts each morning. Perhaps indicating the direction the second largest Protestant church is moving, upwards of 400 people are attending, while four years ago the number was 200.
After one of the resolutions was voted upon, the United Methodist News Service reported, “The Rev. Eddie Fox of Nashville, Tenn., said that if the church had not retained the language against homosexuality, ‘serious consequences could have happened (and) a possible hemorrhage could have occurred.’
“But the Rev. James Preston of Rockford, Ill., declared that ‘hemorrhaging has already occurred.’ The church did not speak the truth about itself and had a ‘healing option’ but chose not to use it, he said,” according to the UMNS.
The Methodist News Service also reported African delegate reaction to all the time spent debating homosexuality:
Numerous delegates from Africa spoke against homosexuality and requested that the church move forward in proclaiming the gospel.Muland Aying Kambol, a delegate from the southern Congo asked if it is "permissible to spend so much time speaking about sin." If that is the vision of the church, he said, then "our church will surely die."
One said that in African culture, it is "taboo" to speak about sexuality. "We do not want to be drawn into the issue," said Kasap ‘Owan Tshibang of the church’s North Katanga Area in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Samuel Quire of Liberia stated that the church "cannot license people to go to hell."
Preston was objecting to the following:
“The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching."Bill Hinson, president of the evangelical Christian Confessing Movement in the UMC, told Agape Press that conservatives can breathe a sigh of relief for now, but he acknowledged with regret that the issue is not settled. Hinson is the former pastor of First Methodist Church in Houston, Texas,
"We come unfortunately time after time to talk about this issue," Hinson said, "because it's kept always front and center by persons who defy the covenant, who disregard the church law, and push and push and push, so that the mission of Jesus Christ and the world suffers tremendously because of our attention and energy being focused on a problem that really should not be a consideration for a Bible-believing Christian."
"With a due emphasis on holiness, this kind of thing is not an issue," Hinson continued, "but unfortunately we have been caught up by those who believe that culture sets the standard and who want to get in step with our culture, whereas we think those standards have already been set in God's word."
People wanting updates on convention activity may go to NICVoice.org, a web site run by laity in the Northern Illinois Conference of the Church where Joe Sprague is Bishop. NIC Voice links to a homosexual minister from the State of Washington who is filing a daily report, as well as other more conservative sources.
Sunday Sprague was a “co-celebrant” at a church service sponsored by a homosexual support caucus called the Reconciling Ministries Network held at East Liberty Presbyterian Church.
The pro-homosexual web site Soulforce reports, “Civil Disobedience may occur at any time during May 6th or 7th depending on action by General Conference.” Those attending were advised to bring $200-250 in bail money.
Labels: Bill Hinson, Confessing Movement, Good News, James Preston, Jim Heidinger, Salem-Wheatland United Methodist Church, Scott Field, United Methodist Church
# posted by Cal Skinner : 4:18 PM
