“This month, the United Methodist Church (UMC) was scheduled to hold its quadrennial General Conference in Minneapolis, with a debate about homosexuality causing a potential schism. But the 10-day meeting and the much-anticipated vote have been bumped to August 29, 2021, still in Minneapolis.” - CL
“A new study appearing last month in the American Journal of Psychiatry concluded that ‘gender-affirming’ surgery is associated with reduced demand for subsequent mental health treatment…. even a cursory reading of the study itself tells a far less optimistic story” - Public Discourse
“At a Council of Bishops meeting on November 6, the five active Western Jurisdiction bishops announced a Safe Harbor Declaration for LGBTQ clergy.
“The Wesleyan Covenant Association released a statement last Thursday expressing their leadership’s support for the Indianapolis Plan for Amicable Separation, a proposal that will be considered at the UMC General Conference next year.” - Christian Post
“The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in three cases that could set important precedents about whether federal civil rights protections on the basis of sex also guarantee legal protections on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.” - Christian Post
“UM-Forward submitted their proposal called the New Expressions Worldwide Plan…. introduced as a way to resolve the years-long divisive debate within the UMC over the mainline Protestant denomination’s stance on LGBT issues.” - Christian Post
Read the series.
For the Roman Catholic thinker, the Moral Prohibitive View is a good fit. Historical tradition is clear about the moral illegality of homosexual activity:
Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents acts of homosexuality as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.’ They are contrary to the natural law…19
Matthew Vines and others supporting the LGBTQ perspective have argued for a Moral Permissive View on sexual orientation. The argument has been two-tiered: (1) that the more traditional Moral Prohibitive View is based on six Scriptures that are ultimately not relevant to the present discussion, and (2) that in the absence of Biblical data for or against healthy homosexual relationships, Christians should choose the more inclusive, affirming approach rather than condemn such relationships.
