Do you feel some urgency to (finally) study human sexuality, since our church may split over the issue?
We applaud your interest! Thank you for stopping by our site and seeking some study resources. We've prepared a page just for you, right here!
We have to say, however, that if you really want to understand where your United Methodist LGBTQ siblings are coming from, you might consider the term "urgent" from our point of view. A very good explanation of this came recently from an ally, the Rev. Dr. Tiffany Steinwert, who was asked by the United Methodist Publishing House to write (quickly!) for a new resource for those who are feeling the urgency mentioned above.
Her response to the UMPH appears on the Love Prevails web site. Here's a sample:
"...why is there such a rush on this publication? A two week turn around suggests either no one has agreed to contribute and the publishing house is scrambling for contributions or the publishing house does not consider this an endeavor worth putting in sufficient time, thought, and planning to create. Quite frankly, it appears as though the subject matter and the people’s lives at stake do not really matter to the denomination. ...
Queer people have felt the urgency of this debate since 1968 when funding for Motive Magazine was pulled after publishing an issue exploring lesbian identity.
- Queer people have felt the urgency of this debate since 1972 when the Church declared they were incompatible with Christian teaching.
- Queer people have felt the urgency of this debate since 1976 when the Church refused to recognize marriage between same-gender couples.
- Queer people have felt the urgency of this debate since 1980 when the Church prohibited funding organizations that “promote the acceptance of homosexulaity” including those that supported people living and dying with HIV/AIDS.
- Queer people have felt the urgency of this debate since 1984 when the Church instituted legislation demanding “celibacy in singleness and fidelity in marriage” as an intentional way to exclude queer people from ordained ministry and specifically prohibited “self-avowed, practicing homosexuals” from ordination.
- Queer people have felt the urgency of this debate since 1987 when Rev. Rose Mary Denman was defrocked for loving a woman.
- Queer people have felt the urgency of this debate since 1992 when the Church rejected the results of a quadrennial study to remove the incompatibility clause. ...
The complete response is here.