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The UMC Announces that Homosexuality Is Compatible with Christianity
The UMC Announces that Homosexuality Is Compatible with Christianity
Mike Willis
So what? Jesus said about Himself, “ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18). So, how much authority does that leave to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC)?
The Old Testament, the Law of Moses, says, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination” (Lev. 18:22). Again two chapters later, the text reads, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination” (Lev. 20:13).
The New Testament also condemns homosexuality in explicit terms: “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. FOR THEIR WOMEN EXCHANGED NATURAL RELATIONS FOR THOSE THAT ARE CONTRARY TO NATURE; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, MEN COMMITTING SHAMELESS ACTS WITH MEN and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (Rom. 1:26-27).
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, NOR MEN WHO PRACTICE HOMOSEXUALITY, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10).
If Jesus has all authority, what authority is left for the General Conference of the UMC to override what the Bible teaches? And, do you think the General Conference of the UMC can enforce what they affirm to be the truth when men stand before God in judgment? Or, will the Lord look upon their religion like He looks upon the religion of those who worship another god or use idols in their worship (Matt. 4:10)? The General Conference of the UMC sounds more like the citizens of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah than they sound like disciples of Christ when they affirm that homosexual conduct is compatible with Christianity.
Let’s read the news release again and put it in biblical perspective: “The General Conference also struck down a 52-year-old stance on homosexuality being ‘incompatible with Christian teaching’” (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/united-methodist-church-lgbt-regionalization-vote-whats-next/). Or, to state the same thing positively, the General Conference of the UMC announced that homosexuality is compatible with Christian living. However, according to the Bible, Jesus has all authority, meaning that the UMC does not have any authority to decide what is and is not compatible with Christianity. That authority belongs solely to King Jesus, not the General Conference of the UMC. Significantly, 25% OF THEIR OWN CONGREGATIONS HAVE DISASSOCIATED THEMSELVES FROM THE UMC BECAUSE OF THEIR DIVISIVE STANCE ON HOMOSEXUALITY. Their statement reveals more about the UMC than it does homosexuality. What it says is this: The UMC is not guided by the teaching of Christ and the Holy Spirit inspired apostles! They are guided by their General Conference, a conference that is comfortable in disagreeing with the teachings of Holy Scripture.
(Note: I am singling out “homosexuality” because that is what the UMC chose to single out. Had the UMC said “fornication, adultery, idolatry, theft, drunkenness, reviling, or swindling” were consistent with Christianity, I would have the same reaction because each of these other activities is equally as sinful as “homosexuality.” Furthermore, the Bible teaches that those guilty of all of these sins, including homosexuality, are invited and urged to repent of their sins and bring change their lives to receive the same forgiveness of sins that I have received for the sins I have committed. This article is not intended to make homosexuality a sin that is worse than any others, but to highlight the defiance of religions that deny the plain teaching of Scripture.)
