United Methodists Elect a Third Openly Gay, Married Bishop
Kristin Stoneking will replace Bishop Karen Oliveto, the denomination’s first openly gay married bishop, who, at age 66, is retiring.
When Denominations Confront Christian Nationalism
This issue of A Public Witness looks at an Episcopal Church resolution, a PC(USA) recommendation, and a regional UMC resolution to see how some mainline Protestant groups are wrestling — or not — with their own complicity in spreading Christian Nationalism.
Ivory Coast Splits With UMC but Kenya and Other African Conferences Slow To Follow
‘You don’t throw away the relationship of your sibling because you do not agree on an issue,’ said a former UMC bishop from Nairobi.
United Methodists Scrap Their Anti-Gay Bans. A Woman Who Defied Them Seeks Reinstatement As Pastor
Earlier this month, delegates at a United Methodist Church conference struck down the UMC’s longstanding anti-LGBTQ policies and created a path for clergy ousted because of them to return.
After Vote to Repeal LGBTQ Bans, Many Gay Methodists Are Now Fully Out
On the first Sunday after the conclusion of the denomination’s General Conference, many queer United Methodists celebrated their release from the tight and narrow spaces that had confined them.
Methodists End Anti-Gay Bans, Closing 50 Years of Battles Over Sexuality for Mainline Protestants
The nation’s largest Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Lutheran denominations have all now removed barriers to LGBTQ participation in the pulpit and at the altar.
United Methodists Condemning Christian Nationalism Should Address Their Complicity
The thinning of the UMC’s conservative ranks makes this week’s conference a perfect time to address the issue.
United Methodists Repeal Longstanding Ban on LGBTQ Clergy
The consensus was so overwhelming that it was rolled into a 'consent calendar,' a package of normally non-controversial measures that are bundled into a single vote to save time.
United Methodists Begin to Reverse Longstanding Anti-LGBTQ Policies
The 667-54 vote, coming during their legislative General Conference, removes some of the scaffolding around the UMC's longstanding bans on LGBTQ-affirming policies regarding ordination, marriage, and funding.
United Methodists Vote to Restructure Worldwide Church Into Four Parts
Regionalization has been framed as an undertaking of decolonization. But the plan is also an acknowledgment that cultural and theological differences are driving Methodists apart, especially regarding sexuality.