It seems there's an internal battle brewing in the United Methodist Church in anticipation of the April 2008 UMC General Conference. Every four years, the GC meets to approve policies, priorities, and guidelines for millions of Methodists worldwide, and many believe this year the liberal wing of the UMC will attempt to push issues such as homosexuality and transgenderism, among others.
Mark Tooley, with the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), says that liberals inside the UMC have noticed the growing theological conservatism -- due to increased international demographics -- in the denomination and view 2008 as the best chance to implement policies supporting such controversial issues before they lose too much ground.
One example of how this governing body's policies are carried out revolves around a transsexual pastor in Baltimore. Rev. Ann Gordon had been a minister at St. John's UMC in Baltimore for five years before undergoing sex-change surgery and hormone therapy. After adopting a new name -- Drew Phoenix -- Gordon was reappointed to St. John's earlier this year by Bishop John Schol.
Tooley notes that while the UMC's Book of Discipline does not specifically mention transsexuality or sex-change operations, the denomination does not ordain practicing homosexuals in the ministry. During an interview in May with Dr. Albert Mohler, the IRD spokesman said the Baltimore case "guarantees that the idea of transsexual clergy will be addressed in church law."
So, the push and pull of conservatives and liberals inside the denomination is going to face some tough battles in the next year or so. The UMC is generally known for being one of the most liberal of the mainstream denominations, so this could be a signal for the state of theology for many Christian churches in America.
Interesting stuff.
There's my two cents.
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