Harsh words fly after Methodists vote on homosexuality

May 12, 2000
Web posted at: 7:53 p.m. EDT (2353 GMT)

In this story: Words fly over risks 'Who needs the church?' RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

CLEVELAND -- The United Methodist Church's General Conference ended Friday after an emotionally draining week in which the membership retained its stance that homosexuality was incompatible with Christian teaching.

Amid protests by some 200 demonstrators, including two bishops, the conference overwhelmingly voted to reaffirm its stand against homosexuality and to continue a ban on gay unions. The church rule also states that no self-avowed practicing homosexual can be ordained as clergy or given a pastoral appointment.

As delegates upheld the huge denomination's stand against homosexual practices, the protests were matched by harsh words and actions as the police were called and 30 people, including the two bishops, were arrested.

Words fly over risks

With the vote, liberal caucuses blamed the church for encouraging suicide, terror and murder of gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Conservatives responded that the other side has blood on its hands, arguing that tolerance of same-sex activity carries health risks.

The Rev. Gregory Dell, who was suspended last year after defying the church ban on performing same-sex ceremonies, said gay teen-agers will inflict violence on themselves "when you tell people that part of their fundamental nature is contrary to the will of God."

In one heated exchange, professor Ben Silva-Netto of California's Pacific School of Religion demanded, "God forbid that our decisions become baseball bats to smash peoples' heads."

Such rhetoric "hurts me," replied the Rev. Mark Fenstermacher of Elkhart, Indiana, but he insisted that clear support for Christian tradition was essential.

'Who needs the church?'

After the vote, church leaders sounded a conciliatory note.

"We would not want to lose one person over this, and will do everything in our power and influence to make sure that doesn't happen," said Bishop Robert Morgan.

Opponents of the vote were discouraged.

"I think we'll see a significant number of people leave," said a disconsolate Marilyn Alexander, who leads a caucus of 165 congregations that resist church policy on homosexuality.

"They'll think, who needs the church? How long do you stay in an abusive relationship?" said the former Southern Methodist University seminary administrator.

Alexander believes this week's decisions will eventually be overturned, but not for perhaps two decades. "I wonder if the church will still be alive at that point," she said.

One of those who helped prosecute Dell, the Rev. Scott Field of Naperville, Illinois, said he believes the church stand on homosexuality has been settled and "the church is getting ready to move on to other issues."

But as delegates headed home, the Rev. Linda Campbell-Marshall, a liberal district superintendent in Maine, said the church body was "lacerated."

"There is going to be a profound need for damage control. One-third of our people are bleeding, and they're not going to stop bleeding because the issue has been legislatively resolved."

During its convention, the conference also passed resolutions calling for an end to the armed conflicts in the Philippines, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also threw its support behind African-American farmers, condemning U.S. Department of Agriculture policies as "discriminatory."

The conference also adopted a church constitutional amendment calling for commitment to eliminating racism in every aspect of the church's life.

CNN's Patty Davis and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The United Methodist Church
  • General Conference 2000 - The United Methodist Church
Pacific School of Religion

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