A recent article on denominational departure of the United Methodist Church in the Ivory Coast did not share some important nuance.  In addition to creating a different LGBTQ+ environment, the UMC General Conference ALSO empowered regional bodies to govern themselves based on regionally generated church law. The bottom line is that the “regional bodies” could maintain a more traditional view of marriage and not enact the different LGBTQ+ positions affirmed at the General Conference.  United Methodists on the continent of Africa could easily remain within the denomination and maintain a church discipline which more closely aligns with civil laws and local cultural norms. That important distinction supports my conclusion that the matter is not sexual at all. The real issue is: how will Christians who disagree relate to one another both within and beyond denominational boundaries!

Among AMEs there is anxiety about our Discipline’s section on Same Sex Marriage. The church was doing fine before the relatively recent insertion of this section. Deleting it will NOT affirm same sex marriage, nor will it put our church’s position in conflict with ANY civil law anyplace in the world.  It WILL remove a prescribed penalty and change the duplicitous relationship between our church law and our practical moral realities.  Despite the affirmed prohibitions on same sex marriages, we are not turning away same sex families. Moreover, have we ever been serious about widespread enforcement of a moral code related to ordination, church leadership, and offering the sacraments?

The UMC ongoing struggle with sexual ethics issues is not a valid support for AMEs to ignore our effort to correct legal inconsistencies, with or without addressing our official sexual moral/ethical positions.  We can delete the statement on Same Sex Marriage (XVI, XV, B, pages 376-377) without any change to our practices which would jeopardize our relationship to African legal authorities or our brothers and sisters on the continent. Amending that one section of code is no valid justification for our African contingent to leave the denomination as it does not alter our moral position!

Aren’t we brothers and sisters? Do we have to agree on all things to maintain a relationship? What is the just cause for separation?  How will we, AMEs, live among those with whom we have moral, governance, and other differences?

I pray empty threats and colonial protectionism will not hinder holy discernment at our General Conference.  Most importantly, we cannot let sexual questions distract us from the larger question of how we will relate to those with whom we disagree.

Together let us sweetly live!