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LGBTQ Methodists on Whether the United Methodist Church Will Ever Affirm LGBTQ People

To many LGBTQ Methodists and ex-Methodists, the General Conference vote is par for the course considering the UMC’s history of division when it comes to social issues. 

“Part of this is because of our history,” says Methodist seminary student Rebecca. 

“We are a church that is the result of many years of church splits and mergers.”

Rebecca, who goes by they/them pronouns, tells Religion Dispatches that, despite having the word “United” in the title, the UMC is a diverse denomination that formed from multiple separate denominations, and has churches throughout the world.

. . . .

When it comes to LGBTQ issues, Rebecca explains the debate is nothing new. 

“The decisions of the 2019 General Conference for the most part did not add much discriminatory language to the Book of Discipline,” they said. 

. . . .

Raised a fundamentalist Baptist, Rebecca and their partner thought they were finished with church until they both attended a late-night Methodist church service on a whim. 

They both quickly fell in love with the Methodist tradition.

They pronouns.

Two points.

First, these folks are abandoning the traditional singular possessive pronouns and adjectives as well as nominative and objective singular pronouns.

Second, people into this are not just making an odd decision how to use pronouns about themselves or others.

They think they can tell you what pronouns to use in writing about them.

Apparently the author of the article quoted above agrees.

And it all started with using singular they to replace use of masculine pronouns and adjectives as generics.

You remember.

"Somebody left his car" and the like began to annoy women, a few decades ago.

This is news to me, too.

Genderqueer

Seems to me their history and anthropology are about as reliable as the stuff produced in Black Studies departments, black Egyptians and all.