- Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times - The United Methodist Church, at its convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, voted not to change long-contested wording in its book of laws and doctrines that calls homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.” The vote was 61 percent to 39 percent against the change to the church’s “Book [...]
Methodist Conference Discusses Guaranteed Appointments, Restructuring, Homosexuality
May 3, 2012 By
- Irie Price, Lubbock Online - Two Lubbock-area delegates are among the nearly 1,000 attending and voting in the United Methodist Church’s General Conference meeting taking place in Tampa, Fla. The Rev. Jimmy Nunn, Northwest Texas UMC conference director of mission and administration/church development, and the Rev. Rich Jones, pastor of Wolfforth UMC, will vote [...]
Methodists Refuse to Change Doctrine on Homosexuality
May 3, 2012 By
- Matt Smith, The Bay Citizen - Delegates at the United Methodist Church’s global convention on Thursday rejected proposals to eliminate a rule declaring homosexuality “incompatible” with Christianity. The 572 to 368 vote was a defeat for gay rights activists who have tried for years to change church doctrine. “God is weeping,” said Karen Oliveto, [...]
Methodists Vote to Keep Homosexuality “Incompatible”
May 3, 2012 By
- Candace Chewell Hodge, Religion Dispatches – The United Methodist Church voted today to keep intact its section in the Book of Discipline that calls homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching” and sanctions only heterosexual marriage. New wording would have removed those passages. The vote came after a debate that became contentious when one African delegate compared homosexuality to bestiality and declared [...]
Gay and Methodist: I Know that God Loves Me
April 30, 2012 By
Jorge Lockward, Huffington Post: The Blog So, here I am, Tampa, 2012, as the General Conference of the United Methodist Church gears up yet again gearing up to debate my life and “decide” if who I am is compatible with Christianity. It started 47 years ago in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where I was born [...]
PHOTO ESSAY: Vigil for Inclusion
April 30, 2012 By
Holy conversations have unintended effect
April 30, 2012 By
GC2012 Conversations, Tim Tanton Delegates leaving the closing worship at General Conference April 26 had to walk between rows of demonstrators who quietly lined the hall and steps outside the assembly area in the Tampa Convention Center. The approximately 300 demonstrators were responding to the treatment of a number of people during a session of [...]
Standing with Mark Miller
April 30, 2012 By
ONFIRE, Blog Are you live streaming General Conference? Today was a powerful witness on the floor of General Conference, led by Mark Miller (and followed by another powerful witness in solidarity). More photos and information to come, but if you missed it, check out the youtube video of the plenary and worship. Mark begins speaking [...]
Social Media and General Conference Part 2
April 30, 2012 By
Love Radically (blog), Brad Smith The conversation about social media and its possible effects on General Conference has expanded. This is a good thing. Social media’s role in the Church is new and needs to be discussed. So far most of the discussion has surrounded the use of sarcasm and snarkiness in tweets by delegates [...]
Love Your Neighbor campaign urges United Methodist Church to “Stand With Mark”
April 30, 2012 By
Ken Williams, San Diego Gay and Lesbian News TAMPA, Fla. — Advocates for full inclusion in the United Methodist Church lovingly confronted the dismissive and hurtful words, actions and attitudes of delegates of the General Conference this week. After 40 years of the exclusionary policies, the General Conference conducted only one hour of “holy conversation” [...]
