{"id":59,"date":"2019-04-10T18:47:59","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T00:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/?p=59"},"modified":"2019-04-10T18:47:59","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T00:47:59","slug":"division-in-the-united-methodist-church-sparks-unity-amongst-mcmurry-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/2019\/04\/10\/division-in-the-united-methodist-church-sparks-unity-amongst-mcmurry-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Division in the United Methodist Church Sparks Unity amongst McMurry Students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Through February 23-26th<\/sup>, the United Methodist Church had a quaint and irregular conference. The Special Session of the General Conference held in St. Louis was an impromptu conference that addressed sensitive issues, including the church\u2019s position concerning homosexuality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normally, conferences\nheld by the United Methodist Church are quadrennial. That is, the next\nconference is scheduled for the year 2020. Over 1,000 delegates were in\nattendance for the special session, and this wouldn\u2019t be the first time such\ndebates on sensitive issues take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more than two decades\nnow, the United Methodist Church has called into question the prohibitive\nlanguage in the UMC\u2019s book of laws and doctrine, The Book of Discipline, <\/em>specifically the language toward same-sex\nmarriage and permitting homosexuals in the clergy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue at stake at The\nSpecial Session of the General Conference was to address the \u201cOne Church Plan.\u201d\nAccording to the Christian Science Monitor, the \u201cOne Church Plan\u201d adds language\nthat permits UMC clergy to choose whether or not to conduct same-sex marriages,\nchurches to choose to allow those weddings to take place in their sanctuaries,\nand regional bodies to choose to ordain LGBT clergy. It also adds language that\nensures clergy and churches who make those choices will not be punished for\nsuch actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the special\nsession, however, the plan was denied and the same laws and doctrines that discriminate\nagainst same-sex marriage are still in place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am infuriated with the\nUMC’s oppressive and prejudiced treatment of the LGBTQ community,\u201d said alumni\nChris Kiser. \u201cThe very language of \u2018incompatibility\u2019 and \u2018homosexual practice\u2019\nshows that the UMC is ignorant of sexuality and refuse to listen.\u201d Kiser, who\ngraduated from McMurry as a religion major in 2018, formerly attended Duke\nDivinity School in North Carolina. Kiser\u2019s frustration with the United Methodist\nChurch has prompted him to cease active presence within his congregation. \u201cI\nhave been too frustrated to attend a United Methodist church since the decision\nwas made,\u201d said Kiser. \u201cIt’s blatant discrimination and encourages persecution\nof LGBTQ persons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the McMurry Community,\nthe response was met with unity and messages of comfort. Shortly after the conference,\na message via email from Dr. Sandra Harper was sent out student-wide. \u201cWhile we\nunderstand and can appreciate these philosophical divides, the McMurry campus culture\nis distinctive in that we express our Christian principles through hospitality\nand gracious interactions with all who choose to study, work, and compete at\nthe University,\u201d said Dr. Sandra Harper in her email. \u201cThe Institution\nencourages connections between people of varying circumstances, cultures,\nlanguages, and beliefs.  We believe that this culture of hospitality\nbetter prepares women and men of all backgrounds to engage others in working\ntoward the common good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result of the special\ngeneral conference will not directly affect McMurry. However, within Dr. Harper\u2019s\nemail, McMurry will evaluate the ramifications of the vote and determine\nwhether or not it affects McMurry University as whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although many students\naround McMurry were disappointed with the result of the special general\nconference, McMurry\u2019s large Methodist student population responded with words\nof kindness and support for the LGBTQ community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will not know the\neffect of the conference until the Judicial Council\u2014which determines\nchurch law for the denomination\u2014has considered whether the legislation enacted\nin February meets its standards,\u201d said McMurry University Chaplain Marty CashBurless.\nServing McMurry for two years, Reverend CashBurless focuses her service on the\ncommon good of everyone. \u201cOur campus reflects the denomination\u2019s membership\nwith people along the spectrum of care and concern. I try<\/em> to\nlove all people as Christ has loved us. That\u2019s enough of a challenge for me –\nto love everyone,\u201d concluded Reverend CashBurless<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though division in\nthe United Methodist Church has sparked heated debates and division among\nmembers of the United Methodist Church, McMurry University maintains its open\nacceptance of anyone and everyone who is willing to learn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although McMurry University\nis a Methodist affiliated university, its mission stays open to everyone,\nstating, \u201cShaped\nby Christian principles, McMurry University challenges students to examine our\ncomplex world from multiple perspectives in preparation for lives of\nleadership, service, and professional success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no doubt that,\nalthough division dominates our country\u2019s narrative, McMurry University will\nalways maintain an open heart to everyone, no matter sexual orientation, race,\nor gender. It is clear that McMurry University caters to everyone and anyone\nwho has the heart to learn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Through February 23-26th, the United Methodist Church had a quaint and irregular conference. The Special Session of the General Conference held in St. Louis was an impromptu conference that addressed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":60,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","clearfix"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UMC.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions\/61"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mcm.edu\/herald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}