There is deep disagreement about what The United Methodist Church should teach about homosexuality, same gender marriage, and the ordination of LGBTQ persons. In 2019, a special session of General Conference was held to consider these issues and how they will be addressed by The United Methodist Church in the future. Yet many have felt that the outcome of the special session did not lead to resolution, but to increased tension and deepening division.
Living Faithfully is designed to help you understand the shape of this debate and what it means for the present and the future. Each chapter includes background on the Bible, Christian theology, history, stories from diverse viewpoints, and United Methodist structure and practice to guide reflection and conversation. You’ll also find definitions of key terms and information about upcoming events.
The four chapters are:
1. Is the Practice of Homosexuality Incompatible with Christian Teaching?
2. Is Same-gender Marriage Compatible with Christian Teaching?
3. Is Ordaining Practicing Homosexuals Compatible with Christian Teaching?
4. Where Are We Now?
This revised four-week study contains an updated fourth chapter that describes the outcome of the 2019 General Conference and the ongoing debates and responses to it. It will help you understand and grapple with various views about the ministry and teaching of The United Methodist Church around issues of human sexuality. It will lead you to have honest, well-informed, and grace-filled conversations with others about these matters and the calls for change. And it will help you discern, in prayer and conversation, how you can respond faithfully in love of God and neighbor.
A Leader Guide is included with lesson plans to help facilitate a four-session small group study.
From the Faultlines collection, resources intended to inform conversations around human sexuality and the church.
David L. Barnhart, Jr., grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, where he attended Holmes Street and Trinity United Methodist Churches. He and his wife, Angela, have a son named Leo. David went to college at Oglethorpe University, earned his M.Div. from Candler School of Theology, and finished his Ph.D. in Homiletics and Social Ethics at Vanderbilt University. He currently serves as associate pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where he leads Contact, the contemporary worship service, and directs his church's mission and outreach programs.
Jill M. Johnson is a freelance writer and communications professional living in Austin, Texas. Over the past 25 years she has worked in nonprofit, legislative and faith-based arenas and has worked as a healthcare and education advocate. Jill loves to combine her working knowledge of public policy issues and current events with her inclination toward viewing all of life through a spiritual lens. She believes our faith doesn't just intersect culture; it nudges its way into our line of vision until God's presence permeates all we see. Jill has written for Cokesbury, Abingdon Press, United Methodist Publishing House and other organizations. Jill currently worships with the community of Christ that is Bethany United Methodist Church, and serves as their Director of Inviting Ministries. Her writer website can be viewed at www.jillmaxwelljohnson.com.
Alex Joyner is author of Restless Hearts: Where Do I Go Now, God? (Abingdon Press), a curriculum on vocation for young adults. He is also the author of What s in the Bible About Us? and What s in the Bible About the Holy Spirit? (Abingdon Press). He is a published poet, photographer, and essayist on the online magazine Catapult.
Joyner is pastor of Franktown United Methodist Church on Virginia s Eastern Shore. He has served as campus minister at the University of Virginia and in appointments in Virginia, Texas, and England. A regular writer for the FaithLink adult curriculum, Joyner began his career as a news director for a radio station. He teaches theology and church history as a summer faculty member at Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas.
