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| By Michael E. Armentrout
The United Methodist Church seems hell-bent on this pathway, as charges have now been filed against most of the 95 Methodist ministers who jointly presided over a lesbian union in Sacramento in January.
Clearly, more than a few Methodist ministers are ready to break church law as they strive to honor their lesbian and gay members who live as "out" and active members of their churches, and who merely seek to exchange vows of commitment and love in the presence of God and their church families. Unfortunately, the denomination is unwilling to move slowly on this issue and allow the proper debate to take place before it throws the ministers out, along with the gay folks in the pews. The Methodists are not alone in this debate. Every other mainstream denomination struggles with similar issues around lesbian and gay Christians as elders, deacons, ministers, employees or even members of their congregations. There is a growing stridency in the voices of those Christians who oppose homosexuality, as they see a softening of viewpoints that might allow that gay people, as children of God, belong in the church and may be elevated to an "accepted" place in the spiritual life of the nation. There is one vital, and potentially cathartic, action that might turn this tide and allow churches to begin to find healing, rather than continue on this pathway that leads to an enormous, disruptive chasm in the life of American Christianity. In spite of what some in the pews might think, there are several million lesbian and gay people sitting in their midst every Sunday morning. Gay people play their organs and sing their solos; they work on their AIDS care teams and visit the sick and dying; and they turn their uplifted hearts to God and sing all praise and glory to their creator.
In the congregations where the clergy honor and include them, many gay
parishioners are out of the closet and available for the spiritual nurturing
that comes from the communion of worship and living by example.
But in those churches that are closed to gay people, the closet is a dark and difficult place for the countless numbers who attend and participate as best they can, in spite of the unwelcoming stance their ministers and fellow members assume. As a moral and generous gesture, gay people in every congregation need to stand up and come out. We need to show our fellow Christians that we too are children of God and loved and embraced by God just like everyone else. It is time to say, "Here I am," as the patriarch, Abraham, did to God in the Old Testament. It is time for gay Christians to shine a light on themselves, so that others may be led to an understanding about homosexuality that stems this onslaught against a significant portion of churchgoers across the nation. We owe that much to our fellow Christians who stand with us and for us and are willing to bear the enormous burden of justifying our right to sit in the pews with them and to have our unions blessed. Maybe, just maybe, with this enlightenment, gay people will be able to sing "Just As I Am" and be left to their own personal relationship with God, without judgment from those around them in the pews. Courtesy of Michael Armentrout. First published in the Raleigh News and Observer, March 31, 1999 Michael Armentrout, a financial consultant living in Raleigh, is a member of the board of directors of the Human Rights Campaign. E-mail: MEAtrout@aol.com ) |
Methodist minister, the Rev. Gregory Dell 
© 1997-99 BEI