Karen Oliveto, whose election as a United Methodist bishop is being challenged on the grounds that her status as a “self-avowed, practicing” lesbian is contrary to church teaching, has released a video statement to her episcopal area in anticipation of a ruling by the denomination’s top court.
Oliveto, who is legally married to another woman, was elected in July by the denomination’s liberal Western Jurisdiction. In September, she began work overseeing the Denver-based Mountain Sky Episcopal Area, which includes United Methodist congregations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and a small sliver of Idaho.
The Judicial Council will convene in Newark, New Jersey April 25 to conduct an oral hearing in response to a request from the denomination’s South Central Jurisdiction for a declaratory decision regarding the nomination, election, consecration, and/or assignment as bishop of a person who claims to be a “self-avowed practicing homosexual” or is a spouse in a same-sex marriage or civil union (the full request can be viewed by clicking here).
A decision is not expected to be announced until after the meeting concludes on April 28.
“I don’t know about you, but I find myself holding my breath in this time of uncertainty,” Oliveto revealed in the video, made available online by the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference. “You and I, during this time of holy waiting, should be breathing even more deeply, surrounding ourselves with ruach [Hebrew for spirit or breath] and doing what we are called to do as disciples.”
Oliveto invited people to participate in a prayer vigil organized by ministry teams in her episcopal area to take place April 23-30.
“I invite you to take your turn that we might hold one another and hold the Judicial Council members in our prayers,” Oliveto stated.
Quoting Romans Chapter 8 verse 28, Oliveto recited “In all things God works for good for those who love God.”
“We don’t know what is going to happen on April 28th or 29th, but then again, we don’t know what is going to happen in the next hour, in the next week, in the next two weeks. What we know is God is working God’s purpose out. So let us rest in the assurance that God is in this and God is with us.”
Oliveto is the first person in a same-sex marriage to be elected a bishop in the denomination, the third largest Christian community in the United States. According to a statement made available by the United Methodist Press Office, the request is focused on specific provisions of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church – the book of rules and structure of the church – and the constitutionality, application, meaning or effect of those provisions.
The full video may be viewed here:
Karen Oliveto on Judicial Council Meetings from Rocky Mountain Conference UMC on Vimeo.
Comment by Eternity Matters on April 6, 2017 at 5:10 pm
She’s wicked wolf and a rebellious employee who should have been fired long ago. The lack of discipline in the UMC is one of the 17 reasons I left.
Comment by apriluser on April 7, 2017 at 12:49 pm
And I would add that the bishop in her conference alllowed her to serve as an elder for years in violation of the BOD. Like unruly behavior in a child that goes unaddressed, now the problems are 10 times greater. The church now has to divert so much energy to this issue and not to the primacy of our mission of sharing the Good News.
Oliveto was not the most qualified person for this position. “So everyone who lives in union with Christ does not continue to sin; but whoever continues to sin has never seen him or known him.”
1 John 3:6 GNB
Comment by John S. on April 14, 2017 at 7:48 am
By the standards of her district, she was the most qualified. Which brings into question the supposed solidarity of the UMC. It appears the only thing held in common is a desire to receive but not pay apportionment.
Comment by Howard Sanders Jr on April 15, 2017 at 2:13 am
There is another reason you should of left you are pure evil. I didn’t know that our God gave any of us the right to pass judgement on another. But I guess you have that authority; She is a wonderful person to had you don’t know her.
Comment by Scott Carter on April 16, 2017 at 8:29 am
Howard, your problem is not with the commenter “Eternity Matters”, but with God.
1). God did not give us the right to pass judgement on others. Instead God passes judgement and asks us to follow His will. If you find the judgement problematic, your issue is with God, not “Eternity Matters”, you simply find the latter to be an easier target.
2) You call “Eternity Matters” “pure evil”, and yet you condemn him for judging others!
Comment by Eternity Matters on April 16, 2017 at 6:44 pm
So ironic: You say I don’t have the right to make judgments at the SAME TIME you are judging me. That’s hypocrisy, and that’s what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 7:1–5 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
And again, she’s a rebellious employee. She knows the rules and deliberately disobeys them. That rightly gets you fired in most places, but not the gutless UMC.
Comment by Dawn M. Flower Blundell on April 24, 2017 at 11:19 am
Her employers have not considered her “rebellious” but faithful, and fruitful in her ministry. Considering the clarity of her call, and the fruitfulness of her ministry, the fact that she fell in love and married a woman was (and is) simply considered irrelevant.
Comment by Eternity Matters on April 24, 2017 at 4:02 pm
LOL. Her employers are wolves, just like her. They consciously oppose their OWN Book of Discipline, and, of course, the Bible. They believe the opposite of Christianity. Shame on the believers who were too cowardly to kick all of those wicked heretics out a long time ago. http://1eternitymatters.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/opposites-3/
Comment by Nutstuyu on April 18, 2017 at 11:21 am
Yet another person who doesn’t understand difference between prosecute and judge.
Comment by Wizard Hoffer on April 6, 2017 at 8:40 pm
Karen Olivet is one of many Unitarian Universalists (in faith if not name) within the United Methodist Church. I cite John Lomperis’ article from 5 years ago as one evidence.
https://juicyecumenism.com/2012/06/05/the-attempted-unitarian-universalization-of-the-united-methodist-church/
I have come to the conclusion that most of the progressive elements of the denomination would fall within this general designation. It is the great problem of the UMC that there is a lack of discipline to those who do not practice the United Methodist Doctrinal Standards. If we have the rules, enforce them. If we are not going to enforce the rules, change them. Meanwhile we have a divided denomination with two completely different worldviews.
I see a lot of similarities with the recent presidential election; the wide gulf in beliefs based on different worldviews which really cannot be reconciled.
Another way to look at things is it comes down to your view on the authority of the Bible. Either God is the author or man is the author. If man is the author, it is all changeable by other men and revelation will continue as long as humankind continues. (If you say it’s ‘a word of god,’ you will have men ultimately being the judges of authorship and man is again the ultimate author.)
If God is the author, men should look to understand what God was revealing. God does not contradict but did provide further clarification. The culmination is Christ Jesus, so we view the New Testament through Christ and the Old Testament through the New Testament. This makes sense to me and I am happily edified by the United Methodist Doctrinal Standards.
Comment by Dawn M. Flower Blundell on April 24, 2017 at 11:17 am
Amen, all that you say in your last half is true. Your first sentence, and Mr Lomperis’ article, are not. Just made-up stuff to distract from the validity of what some of us — millions, according to the UMInsight study done at the end of last year — believe: that one’s homosexuality is irrelevant to one’s faithfulness or fitness for ministry.
Comment by Andreas Kjernald on April 7, 2017 at 1:39 pm
I wonder what will happen at the Judicial Council. Can they remove her? Revoke her appointment? Find a loophole?
If I would have to guess I would say that the council would try to find a loophole so “as not to disturb the delicate process our church currently finds herself in [in regards to the special commission]”.
Comment by John S. on April 14, 2017 at 7:46 am
I think they can invalidate her appointment (rather than revoke) but I agree the JC does seem to enjoy finding loopholes to preserve the “peace”.
Comment by Walhei on April 13, 2017 at 7:37 pm
Being a Christian and following Christ is all about putting in effort to make ourselves Holy. Beating our bodies into submission. Making our bodies a living Sacrifice to God.
Can you imagine this Bishop on her knees before her lover giving here Oral Sex? Holy? No! Evil, even Satanic.
Without obedience to God there is no Love!
Comment by Macy Rivera on April 16, 2017 at 10:23 pm
Oooooooh….Scawy! Vary scawy!!
Comment by Michael C on April 22, 2017 at 2:00 pm
Two old poofters.
Comment by Renee Smith on April 20, 2017 at 11:57 pm
First of all, if you’re on your knees in front of your wife you’re doing it wrong. Second, why do you walk around trying to imagine anyone else’s sex life? You have way too much time on your hands. Please go volunteer somewhere.
Comment by Dawn M. Flower Blundell on April 24, 2017 at 11:22 am
So…hmm. I’m guessing, then, that you disagree with Paul that church leaders can be married? And that sex is an important part of marriage? Or is it that you believe oral sex between married people is wrong? Or only wrong for bishops…?
Comment by Grandpa Dino on April 13, 2017 at 9:51 pm
Homosexual practice is contrary to Christianity. Period.
Comment by Howard Sanders Jr on April 15, 2017 at 2:18 am
WOW!! Is it really I think not. It is only that because MAN chose to make it so our God said nothing about it.
Comment by Scott Carter on April 16, 2017 at 8:36 am
Howard, one simply needs to read the bible in order to easily see the falsehood of your comment. If an honest individual seeks to determine which of us is correct, and follows that prescription, I believe we both know what the outcome will be. You will then be able to begin your interpretive contortionisms.
Comment by Nutstuyu on April 18, 2017 at 11:19 am
And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, 5and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? 6“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” Matthew 19:4-5
Comment by Nutstuyu on April 18, 2017 at 11:21 am
He didn’t say anything about pedosexuals either. Should we make them bishops too? Catholics already do.
Comment by Dawn M. Flower Blundell on April 24, 2017 at 11:20 am
Sure he did. All over the place. Many of those places, in fact, that you and others believe are about homosexuality.
Comment by Nutstuyu on April 18, 2017 at 11:19 am
..
Comment by John S. on April 14, 2017 at 7:45 am
It is sad that this “…in this time of uncertainty,” is a true statement. If the progressives/left/etc were to gain ascendancy is there any doubt as to the rigidity their rule would demonstrate?
Comment by Dawn M. Flower Blundell on April 24, 2017 at 11:23 am
I’m sorry, what does this mean? What rigidity? What rule?
Comment by John S. on April 25, 2017 at 5:02 am
You have not seen the intolerance of the progressives with those who disagree? Their passion for shutting off contrary voices to protect “truth”, the purging of the ranks to maintain purity? Look at standard progressive groups; the tactics they use now, the agenda of complete transformation would not be tolerated of those who would change a progressive group.
Comment by Michael Shepard on April 16, 2017 at 11:59 am
Montana has no business being lumped with Colorado,,,a lost state due to the liberals from Calif who have taken that state over with their Caliy ideas…I was raised differently and refuse this nomination and have formally left the UMC after 68 years..as usual someone’s agenda and I also hold those in contempt who put this person in this position