Splitting Faith: Biblical Authority and the Methodist LGBTQ+ Separation Artwork

Relevant Faith Journey

Searching for new perspective on an ancient faith. I’m originally from the west coast (all the states, California, Washington, Hawaii) and have made my home in Kansas City since 2003. For most of my adult life, I have earned a living M-F while leading a congregation on nights and weekends. I managed subcontractors and church volunteers, facilitated Bible studies and business meetings. I play guitar and piano and sing with a big passionate voice. My last pastoral assignment ended in 2018. Since then, I have discovered that I love to write, create and think deep thoughts. My emerging theme is encouragement. How can I empower others to be the best version of themselves? This question pushes me to rethink, relearn and continue to grow.

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Relevant Faith Journey

Splitting Faith: Biblical Authority and the Methodist LGBTQ+ Separation

July 24, 2024 • Sharon Beck-Doran

In this episode I'll explore the topic of Biblical authority and how it relates to the separation of the United Methodist Church. As with many spiritual things, the issue is more complex than a disagreement on what the Bible says and means.

Here are a few resources that I used in writing this episode:
Sermon on Same Sex Attraction from my dad's church. This is from 2015 and may not reflect the church’s current viewpoint, but I found it an interesting point of research. https://summitchurch.com/GetFile.ashx?Guid=e20165ab-22d0-418c-ade6-b099b3b27186

UMC position on homosexuality https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-is-the-churchs-position-on-homosexuality

UMC Seperation Agreement: https://www.gracethroughseparation.com/legislation

The Millennial Pastor podcast did a series of interviews on why young Nazarene pastors have been leaving the denomination. It's the source for reasons behind their migration to the UMC and if you’re interested in the COTN I recommend it.

News article reviewing the vote from May's UMC Convention https://www.umc.org/en/content/faith-and-inclusion

Reference for how Jesus separates the righteous from unrighteous: Matthew 25.31-46