Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors: Understanding the Debate over the role of LGBT+ Christians in the United Methodist Church

Undergraduate: Sarah Arney

Faculty Advisor: Todd Ochoa
Department: Philosophy

---

Since 1972, when the United Methodist Church (UMC) stated that ¿¿¿homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching,¿¿¿ the denomination has been divided on a global and personal level. The denomination is facing schism due to the debate over same-sex marriage, LGB ordination, and the overall role of LGBT+ Christians in the church. Based on participant observation at the 2016 UMC General Conference and interviews with twelve North Carolina pastors, I developed a theory of the underlying causes of the conflict. At the global level, demographic shifts and a stagnation of ideological camps has made the debate unresolvable unless the UMC changes its organization to decide the issue by cultural region. However, in the context of the American South, the debate is far more nuanced. Within the church, personal relationships with LGBT+ Christians are the most obvious and powerful influences in the debate, but fostering relationships cannot resolve underlying theological disagreements. The debate stems from a combination of discomfort with discussions of sexuality, differing beliefs about the purpose of marriage, different ideologies about secular culture¿¿¿s influence on religion, and the tension between pastors upholding their covenant vows or following their conscience to defy church policy. At present, the UMC is focusing on these areas of disagreement and is debating whether to create definitive doctrine or allow a diversity of opinion and practice within the denomination.