Why Hillary Clinton’s Church Is Facing a Major LGBT Schism
On May 10th, more than 100 clergypersons in the United Methodist Church came out of the closet. They did so at great personal risk, knowing that the official doctrine of the UMC says they were in active disobedience of the word of God. Such action is punishable by firing, which for many would mean not only losing their jobs but their homes, as housing stipends are frequently tied to pastorates. But, as many of these pastors told Rolling Stone, the potential change outweighed the risks.
“We have been forced to hide if we wanted to fulfill our call from God to serve in the United Methodist Church,” says Anthony Fatta, one of the 111 pastors who came out in what they called “A Love Letter to Our Church.” “If we want to keep our jobs and provide for our families, we have had to lie. This is unfair and unjust. I cannot shepherd a congregation into finding their full identity in Jesus Christ if I cannot be authentic in my own identity in Christ.”
The timing of the announcement was not accidental. May 11th marked the beginning of the church’s general conference, which meets every four years to discuss the governance of one of the largest denominations in the United States. With over seven million members in the U.S. alone, the United Methodist denomination stands as an important marker in the culture wars, with their internal debates reflecting many of the nation’s wider cultural swings.
The UMC discussions have added significance this year, as the likely Democratic nominee in the upcoming presidential election, Hillary Clinton, is a member. Clinton has attended Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., for a number of years and has been a member of the larger UMC since she was a child. And the current internal church debates could force Clinton to take sides in a parochial church discussion, risking the alienation of millions of American citizens.
In order to understand Clinton’s place in this debate, it’s important to understand what’s happening in the United Methodist Church’s General Conference. The big issue on the table for this year is a seismic shift in theology. Over the past few years, several Methodist ministers around the nation have been pushing for the church to move in a more liberal and affirming direction when it comes to the identities of LGBT parishioners. Official UMC law dictates that while gay or bisexual clergy can serve as pastors, they must remain celibate — and closeted. In April of this year, a bishop in North Carolina was officially warned (and is facing internal church trial) for officiating a same-sex wedding in Charlotte, North Carolina. In years past, several bishops and pastors have come out as affirming, and at least one retired bishop has been sanctioned for officiating same-sex weddings in the church.
Much of this is an internal church struggle; events like these rarely have a wider impact. But because the UMC is Hillary Clinton’s denomination, a church split over this topic could result in a president being forced to pick sides in an internal church battle, making it a national issue. The church split could take effect as early as 2018, which would be midway through Clinton’s first tenure should she be elected in November.
