Could the mainline churches be turning back to a more orthodox standard of ethics? Probably not, though during their recent convention the United Methodist Church took a step in the right direction by simply standing firm.
The largest mainline Protestant denomination in the U.S. voted not to change long-contested wording in its book of laws and doctrines that calls homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.”
The vote was 61 percent to 39 percent against the change to the church’s “Book of Discipline,” indicating little change to the deadlock on an issue the church has been debating for the last four decades. The delegates also defeated a compromise amendment proposed by the advocates of equality for gay members, which said that Methodists can agree to disagree on homosexuality and still live together as a church.
As W. James Antle, III notes, “The votes suggest a working majority coalition between orthodox African delegates and U.S. evangelicals. This has kept Methodists from going in the same liberalizing direction on social issues as the other mainline Protestant churches.”
Should we expect these same denominations to start ousting their remarried and divorced heterosexual congregants so as to remain true to the mandates set forth by Christ Himself in Matthew 5:32 and Luke 16:18?
I’m not holding my breath.
“In the early church, many voices addressed the subjects of marriage, divorce, and remarriage, but their message, on the whole, was quite unified. Christian marriage, they said, is an indissoluble bond. Divorce, with the implicit right of remarriage, was not an option for Christian couples (though Origen admits some toleration existed), but permanent separation was. Remarriage after separation was considered punishable adultery or bigamy—sometimes more so for women than men. Even remarriage after the death of one’s spouse was viewed by the church fathers and councils with suspicion, as “disguised adultery,” in the words of Athenagoras.”
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/augustweb-only/46.0c.html
Is there a single Christian denomination that upholds these standards today? If not, should they?
My answer to the questions posed in the first and last sentences of this comment is “yes,” and here’s a good example of what should be done as a first step:
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/%E2%80%98loose-canon%E2%80%99-annulments-may-get-tighter#comment-325721
I am very glad to see the Methodist Church uphold its position on traditional marriage. Now if they would only endorse a pro-life position I might consider returning.
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