United Methodists Should Uphold Marriage Teaching

on May 9, 2013

Institute on Religion and Democracy Cross


PRESS RELEASE

IRD:  United Methodists Should Uphold Marriage Teaching

 The arguments offered by Dr. Ogletree are rather intellectually shallow and reflect a very sophomoric approach to Scripture. The letter and spirit of the Old and New Testaments – as well as the writings of Methodism’s founder, John Wesley – could hardly be clearer about homosexual practice.” -UM Action Director John Lomperis

 

Washington, DC—On October 20, 2012, the Rev. Dr. Thomas Ogletree, retired dean of Yale Divinity School and an ordained United Methodist, officiated a wedding between his son and a male partner. The wedding announcement prompted several United Methodist ministers to file a complaint against Dr. Ogletree with the local bishop. The United Methodist Church prohibits same sex unions. A New York Times article brought the controversy into the national spotlight. The Institute on Religion and Democracy’s United Methodist director hopes that Bishop Martin D. McLee and the rest of the New York Conference stand by the clear principles in the United Methodist Book of Discipline, which unequivocally defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Biblical teachings on marriage and sex have been consistently re-affirmed for the global, over 11-million-member United Methodist Church every four years by the governing General Conference, with revisionists’ support shrinking so much that at last year’s General Conference they gave up on even contesting the denomination’s prohibitions on blessing same-sex unions.

IRD’s United Methodist Action Director John Lomperis commented:

“United Methodist disagreements over homosexuality and other forms of extra-marital sex are driven by far more fundamental divisions, between United Methodists who accept a high view of biblical authority, are loyal to United Methodist doctrine, seek to submit all areas of our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and play by the rules that are supposed to apply to everybody, and other, nominal United Methodists who openly reject our core doctrine, allow the winds of secular American culture to trump Scripture, and zealously embrace an ‘any means necessary’ ethos.  

“The arguments offered by Dr. Ogletree are rather intellectually shallow and reflect a very sophomoric approach to Scripture.  The letter and spirit of the Old and New Testaments – as well as the writings of Methodism’s founder, John Wesley – could hardly be clearer about homosexual practice.  

“Obviously there are very complex emotional dynamics involved with Dr. Ogletree wanting to be compassionate towards his own son. But a basic part of parenting is understanding that not everything your son asks for is actually good for him.  

“This is fundamentally an integrity issue. Dr. Ogletree freely chose to become a United Methodist minister and vow before God to follow the communal covenants of a global denomination in which theological revisionists now are losing ground.  He would have had more integrity if he had followed his wife’s reported advice of leaving the UMC for a sexually liberal religious group. Instead, he is bizarrely bragging about not being a man of his word.”

www.TheIRD.org

  1. Comment by ericvlytle on May 9, 2013 at 4:20 pm

    I wonder if this clown thinks that “married by a UM clergyman” is quite the same as “married in the eyes of God”?

    I would love to ask him – and also Brian MacLaren – Does having a gay son mean you cast aside the Bible and 2000 years of Christian ethical teaching? I can understand that if you have a gay or lesbian child, that, as a parent, you still love them. I don’t get this concept that, Oh, dear, my child is gay, therefore, I accept and approve homosexuality and believe two men or two women can marry.

    Not big on logic at those UM seminaries, are they?

  2. Comment by fairfaxian on May 9, 2013 at 10:36 pm

    Eric, I hope it means we can toss out the Bible. My son was hoping to knock off a bank since he wanted some money and asked me to drive the getaway car. I’m just waiting for a new progressive interpretation to tell me it’s ok.

  3. Comment by Donnie on May 10, 2013 at 7:58 am

    Apparently they’re not big on the Bible either.

  4. Comment by johns79 on May 14, 2013 at 9:40 am

    You mean the elders aren’t the eyes, voice and will of God? Better let them know that.

The work of IRD is made possible by your generous contributions.

Receive expert analysis in your inbox.