A House Divided: The Split of the United Methodist Church
As the new year rolled around, the second largest protestant denomination in the United States, the United Methodist Church (UMC), announced its plans to split up the denomination over the issue of same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy. For several years, the denomination has been at odds over these issues. This decision comes off the heels of last February’s UMC conference, which surprisingly voted to hold to the traditional view on marriage, thanks, in part, to the growing number of conservative Methodists from Africa.
The formal split will likely take place in May when a formal agreement is voted on to create a new denomination, “traditional Methodist,” for those who hold to a biblical belief that the practice of homosexuality is a sin (Romans 1:26-27, Leviticus 18:22) and denounce the appointment of LGBTQ+ clergy. The NYT reported that “it seems likely that the majority of the denomination’s churches in the United States would remain in the existing United Methodist Church, which would become a more liberal-leaning institution as conservative congregations worldwide depart.”
This supports what Jesus himself said would happen to those who hold to his truth, as found in the Scriptures and those who bend and conform to the world: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household (Matthew 10:34-39).”
As the pressure from the LGBTQ+ community continues to grow, we should not be shocked if other denominations follow suit. In fact, we as genuine believers, should expect this and remember that these divisions are a clear indicator that believers are standing firm on the truths revealed in God’s Word; a truth that divides.