The Big Issue Underlying the Methodist Divorce

by Ray Keating

The Keating Files – January 9, 2020

The United Methodist Church (UMC) ranks as the third largest Christian denomination in the United States – after the Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists. But it’s unlikely that Methodists will be able to continue the cheer “We’re number 3!” for much longer. 

To sum up: The Methodists are about to get a big divorce.

In early January, a group of UMC leaders approved a proposal to allow the denomination to split into two or more church bodies. The focus is to let more conservative or traditional congregations leave the UMC and form their own denomination (or denominations). 

The traditional congregations choosing to exit and set up a new church body would receive a parting gift of $25 million to get things rolling. Another $2 million would be available for other Methodist denominations that might be created.

As for individual congregations, unlike the petty and ugly actions taken by the U.S. Episcopal Church against traditional congregations that have tried to leave, local churches choosing to exit the UMC would retain their assets, as well as liabilities.  Still, and tragically, the reality of such votes promise to tear apart individual congregations and regional conferences. This promises to be hurtful and messy.

The proposal will be voted on by delegates to UMC’s next general conference in May 2020. Given the broad support given to the proposal from conservatives and liberals, it’s expected to pass the conference.

So, is this a good thing or not for Methodists and the larger Christian universe within the U.S.? Good or bad is open for debate, but it was inevitable.

The inevitability comes from differing views of Holy Scripture. As much as this Methodist split is focused on the question of gay marriage and active homosexuals serving as pastors, those issues spring from a more fundamental and growing difference not just within the UMC but across Christianity at large, that is, on the authority of Holy Scripture. 

Holy Scripture is quite clear in that sexual relations are meant exclusively for the relationship of marriage between a man and a woman. Any sexual activity outside those martial bonds is deemed to be sin. Now, lots of people don’t necessarily like that, and people have been sinning since Adam and Eve. 

And the fracturing of Christianity into seemingly countless denominations over the centuries is nothing to be celebrated. But in the past, it’s safe to say that the bulk of differences developed over the interpretation of Holy Scripture, while at the same time Christians generally accepted that the Bible was God’s word. However, in more recent times, a rather breathtaking arrogance has developed, which basically says, “Yeah, not only do we not like what God has to say here and there in the Bible, but we can simply ignore it. In fact, we can go against it or simply change it.”

This generates a far wider division within Christianity than what we’ve thus far experienced. How do Christians work and worship together in the same denomination when one group believes that Holy Scripture is God’s word and another group explicitly or implicitly denies this?

Hence, we see the inevitability of the Methodist split, as well as other forthcoming divisions. 

Good or bad? The Methodist split obviously is bad in that it reflects this dangerous fissure within Christianity regarding the authority of Holy Scripture. 

As a matter of the Church preaching the Good News to the world, the Methodist break likely will turn out to be a mixed bag. On the one hand, part of the world will look and shake its head at Christians and their internal squabbles. On the other hand, by being able to choose to form a denomination that respects the authority of Scripture, many Methodist pastors and churches will be free to focus more on properly tending to their flocks and bringing a clearer message to the world.

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Ray Keating is a columnist, a novelist (his latest novel is The Traitor: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, which is the 12^th book in the series), an economist, a nonfiction author (among his recent works is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know), a podcaster, and an entrepreneur. The views expressed here are his own.