Watch Out for the WCA Pt. 1

Roughly two months ago a group of 55 United Methodists released a statement announcing the formation of the Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA), a group that "will give orthodox United Methodists hope for the future and serve as a source of encouragement as the church works through a critical period of discernment." It would be naive to think that this group is not also designed to prepare for a future after the United Methodist Church. I do not say that to be critical. Our future is uncertain. It makes sense for like-minded United Methodists to prepare contingencies for what comes next. The purpose of this series of posts is not to critique whether the WCA should work on contingencies, but rather IF there is a split in the UMC to think through what a WCA dominated faction would be like. I would contend that it is likely to be not as generous an orthodoxy as is implied. I anticipate doing this in four posts, though it could be 3-5 when completed.

Issue 1 - LGBT RIGHTS

If you have any history with the UMC (and if you're reading this you probably do!) you know that the 44 year debate over LGBT rights is the presenting issue that has brought us to this point. It goes without saying that a self-proclaimed orthodox group will continue to be opposed to same sex marriage and the ordination of "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" (which is absurd language that I'll tackle at another time.  In the section of WCA beliefs on Moral Principles there is statement on equality that reads as follows:

"We believe that all persons are of sacred worth. Therefore, we gladly welcome all who seek to grow in their relationship with God to attend worship services and participate in the church's ministries. No person shall be disqualified from becoming a member of a local congregation, holding a leadership position in the church, or becoming an ordained or licensed clergy based on race, color, nationality, national origin, marital status, or economic condition. The WCA specifically renounces all racial and ethnic discrimination and commits itself to work toward full racial and ethnic equality in the church and in society."

On the surface this seems perfectly in line with what we might expect and with the current official position of the UMC. But there's a critically important difference - it's missing any mention of sexual orientation. Our stance as a denomination has been clear - our language on LGBT individuals always includes "self avowed, practicing." The WCA chose to write a statement on equality that ignores LGBT people regardless of whether or not they are celibate.

This is very significant. In a landmark case in 2005 Rev. Ed Johnson of Virginia did not allow a gay man to join the church he served because the man was practicing and unrepentant. Rev. Johnson was suspended but the Judicial Council overturned the suspension. Please note - Rev. Johnson was very clearly that the issue was not the man's sexual orientation, but "...homosexual practice, which we think is an important distinction." The party line since 2005 has been consistent - the issue is not whether someone is gay. The issue is whether a person "practices."

This was most clearly stated by Rev. Rob Renfroe, the President of Good News and a co-founder of the WCA in 2013:

"A very effective pastor in our Annual Conference whom I respect immensely and consider a close friend is attracted to persons of the same sex. That pastor has chosen a celibate life. No evangelical United Methodist I know would think such a person should be denied ordination. But if you listen to progressives, you would think that people like you and me are so homophobic that we reject people because of who they are. I’m afraid it seems too much to ask that even if they disagree with us, they at least present our views fairly."

It is striking that at at a time when our denomination needs clarity above all else, the WCA has excluded from their statement on equality even the people that they say are most in need of recognition - LGBT individuals who have chosen to remain celibate. This is consistent with my experience at General Conference in May on the subcommittee that dealt with Paragraph 4 of the Book of Discipline. A resolution calling for inclusion of sexual orientation as a protected status failed even though it said nothing about practice. (To be fair, the resolution initially passed by one vote but the following day two more delegates somehow changed subcommittees and when we were finalizing our work on the resolution it failed by 1 vote. I'm still not sure how this was allowed.)

I trust that the writers of the WCA, which include some of the brightest minds in Methodism, said what they meant. If they did I suggest that you be very cautious before joining the cause.

Next: Many traditionalists say that all the issues around human sexuality are really questions of Biblical authority. We'll take a look at what the WCA has to say about that.