KATALYST NEWSLETTER OF RECONCILING MINISTRIES NETWORK
VOL. 29 NO. 1
WWW.RMNETWORK.ORG
WINTER 2012
A Shining Light of Justice by Bishop Melvin G. Talbert, RMN Board Member
I grew up on a farm near the small town of Clinton, Louisiana. My parents were life members of St. Peter Methodist Church. As a child, I recall hearing and reading the Beatitudes (Sermon on the Mount) in the Sunday Worship Services. The imagery in those words resonated deep within me: “You are the salt of the earth...” (Matthew 5:13) “You are the light of the world...” (Matthew 5:14) Later in life, it was Matthew 5:16 that gave me strength and courage when faced with difficult human struggles and challenges: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your God in heaven.”
General Conference, a Social Principles Study Commission was established. The Council of Bishops appointed the commission members. I was honored to serve as one of those members. Bishop James S. Thomas was elected Chairperson. Our task was to harmonize the social statements from the two merged churches and to present to the 1972 General Conference (Atlanta) a new Social Principles statement, the framework of which remains to this day, for our “new church.”
In dealing with the many emerging issues facing our church and society, we found ourselves grappling with the issue of homosexuality. We presumed to have reached a consensus on the origin of homosexuality, “mother dominance,” but fortunately we were saved from our ignorance by the release of a report in the Medical Science Journal which challenged all our assumptions. We came to the realization that we had much to learn about homosexuality, and concluded For United Methodists, all attention is focused on the 2012 that homosexuals were no less than heterosexuals and General Conference in Tampa from April 24 through May 4. were entitled to their human and civil rights. During the All bishops, 988 delegates, the media, and several thousand debate of our report to the 1972 General Conference, a observers, visitors, and guests will gather under the theme, motion from the floor was made to amend the report “Making Disciples of Jesus Christ to Transform the World.” with the following words: “Though we do not condone The delegates will be faced with the monumental task of the practice of homosexuality and consider it to be sorting through and acting upon many urgent matters: incompatible with Christian teachings …” The amendment the Call to Action Report (CTA), the Interim Operational prevailed. Thus, we now have a more restrictive version of Team Report (IOT), the Ministry Study Committee Report, that amendment in our current Book of Discipline, codified and many other resolutions and petitions. Somewhere to restrict clergy in their full ministry to GLBTQ persons. in the midst of these reports will be petitions and resolutions calling for the removal of language from For forty years, ten quadrennia, our church has continued its the Book of Discipline that is hurtful to and discriminates discriminating and hurtful language in our Book of Discipline. against persons because of their sexual orientation. How long will it be for our church to become the shining light of justice for GLBTQ people in our midst? Our church My first General Conference was Dallas 1968. I was a will not glorify God by its witness as long as we deny the full delegate. Facing that conference was a merger between inclusion of all persons, specifically GLBTQs, in all aspects The Methodist Church and The Evangelical United Brethren of our life together. The world is watching, and so are our Church. A “new” church was birthed – The United Methodist daughters, sons, granddaughters, and grandsons. We Church. In the midst of the many actions taken, the Central are called to love our neighbors. Is that too much to ask? Jurisdiction (created in 1939 as an appeasement to southern whites to foster a merger between The Methodist Episcopal Prayer: Dear God, help us to loosen ourselves from the shackles Church, The Methodist Protestant Church, and The Methodist of forty years of discrimination against GLBTQ persons Episcopal Church, South) was eliminated. Since 1968, The so that we, with them, can be a light in your world. Amen. UMC has been living into becoming a racially inclusive church. That was forty-four years ago. In the 1968 merger at
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