|
The
Dallas
Morning News
RELIGION Blog
UMC
Church Attended by Clintons
to Hold Same-Sex
Union Ceremonies
Sam Hodges, from the
Web, March 12, 2008
Washington, D.C., Mar.11 --
The church is historic Foundry UMC in Washington, D.C., which Bill and Hillary
Clinton attended during his presidency. Here's the story, a version of
which appeared first in the Dallas-based United Methodist Reporter:
Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., has changed its policy to
recognize same-sex unions in special ceremonies that fall just short of an
official wedding.
Though it is among a handful of United Methodist churches that do so, the
action, which became effective Feb. 1, has made headlines in The Washington Post
and other newspapers. Foundry was the church attended by President Bill
Clinton and his wife, now-U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), when he was in
office.
In a pastoral letter to the congregation last November, the Rev. Dean Snyder,
senior pastor, announced his plan to begin leading services that "recognize and
honor lesbian and gay committed relationships."
These church services, however, will not be "ceremonies that celebrate
homosexual unions," he wrote, citing the denomination's Book of Discipline
sanction against United Methodist clergy performing such ceremonies.
Snyder said that his action reflects "an attempt to be ecclesiastically obedient
while at the same time offering pastoral care to our members."
According to the church's February newsletter, Foundry has a "large gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender membership," and the decision came after the
church community studied the options for three years.
Guidelines for the new services at Foundry require that same-sex "marriage"
ceremonies, where couples actually exchange vows, are to be held off-site and
not be led by a church minister. The church will, however, host worship
services that recognize and honor commitments that already have been made.
Only couples that are members and have attended a "Pre-Cana" marriage
preparation weekend can participate.
Questions of obedience
Critics say Foundry's action crosses the line, undermining Scriptural authority
and violating United Methodist laws outlined in the Book of Discipline.
The 1996 General Conference adopted the statement: "Ceremonies that
celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall
not be conducted in our churches" (Par. 341.6). General Conference has
continued to uphold a ban on church-sanctioned homosexual unions and also
maintains that the practice of homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian
teaching" (Par. 161G).
Delegates will consider several resolutions seeking to overturn that policy at
the 2008 General Conference, which begins April 23 in Fort Worth, Texas.
In his pastoral letter, Snyder urged members of Foundry to work for changes to
the Discipline because, he said, it "discriminates against people because of
their sexual orientation." He said the Discipline is clear that homosexual
persons "are individuals of sacred worth" and that United Methodists should be
committed to "be in ministry for and with all persons."
Mark Tooley, a leader with the Institute on Religion and Democracy, said Foundry
is violating church law. His group describes itself as working for
Scripture-based reform in mainline denominations.
"It is absurd to claim that a United Methodist church can 'recognize' a same-sex
union without celebrating it," Tooley said in a Feb. 14 written statement
released by the IRD that carried the headline: Clintons' Former United
Methodist Church Skirts Discipline with Same-Sex 'Celebrations.'
"By providing worship leadership and a church building, Foundry United Methodist
Church is doing everything short of an exchange of vows," Tooley said.
"This is clearly a violation of the spirit of the Discipline."
'Difficult question'
Bishop John R. Schol of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, which includes
Foundry, said Snyder did not seek his permission or advice on the matter.
Schol noted that Foundry's congregation is "diverse and reflective of its
community, including a significant presence of gay and lesbian Christians."
"So far as I can tell, they did not seek publicity about this and have not
attempted to make it an issue for our denomination," said Schol. "I have
recognized that they face a difficult question of how in the name of Jesus
Christ to minister to all of their members given our denominational policies
about homosexuality, and I have no question about the sincerity of their desire
to honor their covenant with the larger church. I also have sympathy for
those who worry that our unity may be weakened as a result of the disagreements
we have."
Schol said Foundry's decision is just part of the church's ongoing conversation
to understand Christian teaching related to homosexuality.
"Here in our conference, small groups of people with differing opinions have
been meeting to discuss homosexuality," he said. "I hope these
conversations continue and that we can seek to know and care for each other even
when our views and convictions differ."
Since Foundry's announcement, the conference office has not received phone calls
either supporting or questioning the new policy, according to conference
spokesman Shaun Lane.
In a March 7 interview with United Methodist News Service, Snyder said he had
not conducted any such ceremonies since the policy change, nor has he received
requests for such. However, several same-sex couples have participated in
the "Pre-Cana" marriage retreats.
While Snyder made the final decision to change the policy, Foundry's church
council unanimously passed a resolution on Jan. 15 endorsing the change.
*Russell is managing editor of United Methodist Reporter, an
independent weekly newspaper for United Methodists and others, produced by UMR
Communications in Dallas. A similar version of this story originally appeared in
that publication.
A UMNS Report,By Robin Russell*
|
