Pastoral Letter from Bishop Easterling Following General Conference 2019
But now, says the Lord —the one who created you, Jacob, the one who formed you, Israel: Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched and flame won’t burn you. I am the Lord your God, the holy one of Israel, your savior. But now, says the Lord —the one who created you, Jacob, the one who formed you, Israel: Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched and flame won’t burn you. I am the Lord your God, the holy one of Israel, your savior.
Isaiah 43: 1-3a (CEB)
Beloved,
The turbulent waters of marginalization have swelled and the scorching fire of rejection laps at the heels of the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender and queer members, friends, and allies within The United Methodist Church. The days after the Special Session of General Conference have felt parched and dry and painful. On Tuesday, February 26, the delegates of the Special Session voted 438-384 to pass The Traditional Plan. By a 54-vote margin, a slim majority of the gathered voting body again concretized
Since 1972, our beloved denomination has inserted these words into our Book of Discipline: “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” With those six words, we have laid on the altar of polity an entire group of persons and told them that their lives are unholy and damned. There is simply no other way to interpret it. I unequivocally disagree with that belief. Persons who are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender and queer are created in the image and likeness of God, as are all others. They do not choose to be who they are; they are living as they were created to be. They do not choose a gay lifestyle; rather, they are living as God created them.
In the aftermath of the Special Session, I and countless others have spent time talking people out of taking their lives, offering pastoral care to pastors and laity who have given serious consideration to walking away from the denomination and some from their faith. We have cried with them, prayed with them, and attempted to remind them that the General Conference is the law-making body of our denomination, but it is not the church. Quite often law and God’s grace find themselves at odds.
The hope of the Special Session was that we would create a way forward with enough contextual space for all persons to live into our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Correspondingly, many hoped it would offer the opportunity for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to be equal members within our church without fear of consequences. The resounding justification offered by those who would not support the One Church Plan is that they could not be affiliated with a denomination that condones what they believe to be
We have traversed this road before. Our church law and God’s grace have been divergent on many occasions. The Methodist Church divided over whether it was sinful to purchase and own other human beings in the practice of chattel slavery. The Methodist Church at one time required its ministers to sign an oath of abstinence from tobacco use. We argued over divorce and whether those who had been could serve as clergy. Our denomination wrestled with the inclusion of women in the ordained ministry. In each of those debates, Scripture was used to justify exclusion. Our Book of Discipline concretized those justifications. And, we have come to understand that those positions were wrong. I believe we are wrong once again.
In the great hymn of the church, In Christ There Is No East or West, we find these words:
In Christ, there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one great fellowship of
love throughout the whole wide earth.
I believe those words, supported by the Great Commandment to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and your neighbor as yourself,” are the heart and soul of the Gospel. That love is unconditional. It includes all.
I agree with many who have articulated that this is a time of crisis within The United Methodist Church. This is also an opportunity for the Baltimore-Washington Conference to rise above exclusionary practices to say unequivocally that we will recognize the dignity and sacred worth of all.
Take heart, beloved, and do not place a period where God places a comma. God is not done with us yet!
Blessings and peace,
Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling
Thank you for your words. I hope this does not cause a large rift within our church.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. On one point I would disagree. The 54 vote margin is huge. It may not be a landslide, but it is a very clear statement from that General Conference that most in the US church are standing outside the UMC as the doors are slamming shut on our LGBTQ members and their supporters. You do not address what comes next. What do we do? It is my prayer that US churches make it clear that all are welcome, will be supported in the ordination process, and will ordained (as well as married). Let us proceed by doing the right thing. Let us do, not just speak. Thanks.
Thank you for these words of comfort. The BOD is most definitely NOT the church. Amen.
God bless you and assist you in your work.
It sounds like the Bishop is saying not to abide by the General Conference's decision.
Greetings, and peace in Jesus’s name: I agree whole heartedly that the General Convention is surely not Church. Indeed, it is not even the “church.”
But by the very same token, neither is the UMC the Church, at least in any New Testament sense of the word. It may be part of the Church, but the church is not delimited by its jurisdictional boundaries.
Be faithful to the message of Jesus, to be faithful to the Weslyan tradition, it may be necessary to create something supplanting that which we know is the UMC.
Perhaps that would be the Methodist Church in America (MCA)?
One really has nothing left to lose, except perhaps it is one’s chains.
Thank you
Thank you for your beautiful, well-written letter. I agree with you wholeheartedly but am disappointed with our denomination. Your letter is helpful.
Thank you for your words! I was a member of Desert Mission United Methodist church and was a fully included part of the family! I came to the east coast and after this vote asked my membership be removed. I kept thinking, how long? It is encouraging to see how so many Bishops, District Superintendents and laity have affirmed those us who are gay. May God bless you and your ministry!
Our Corinthians 1st letter (?) shares those words of Jesus to the disabled person lowered thru a hole in the roof into Jesus teaching moments in no particular order, "Take up your bed & go home" his faith had healed him ... and all were amazed. In the aftermath of amazement there is no exclusion, EOS certainly not, Gods love is infinite, timeless, was Paul a snob? Well maybe Yes by a Jewish standard, we forgive them as Christ our brother, neighbors all
Amen!
As a former Licensed Local Pastor fron the Upper NY Conference of the UMC, I want to thank you for saying the words that so many o f us agree with you on. GOD did indeed create us all exactly as we are, and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus saves us all. I support the LGBTQIA+ community with the Love of Christ, and I wholeheartedly reject the decision of exclusion of any one of Gods children!
Insightful, forward thinking and helps give comfort to those who are feeling exclusion from the faith. We are praying for the Church.
It is factually incorrect to say that anybody is arguing for "not being in relationship with sinners". Literally no one has ever said that, as far as I can tell. Further, every Methodist is called to love all people, bar none. Again, it is factually wrong to claim otherwise and I can assure you that evangelicals love all.
The point is that evangelicals are saying that God through his word has clearly stated that some ACTIONS are not according to his will and plan, including homosexual practice. The church has always excluded certain actions from her understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Progressive sanctification and entire sanctification, our raison-d'etre, builds on that.
It is a time of crisis but facts need to remain facts even if we disagree. It is disheartning to see how the narrative is so manipulating that we accuse each other for not loving or not caring or not wanting relationships. The simple point is that all of us, I assume, seek to do and live God's will as best we can and with the best intentions (and God's will is always good). Fine, you think the church is wrong. I don't. But let's discuss THAT point instead of throwing darts.
Humbly,
Andreas
Thank heavens, a person of God without judgement . God made us in his image and I keep thinking,”you without sin, cast the first stone”. God is good and He loved us so much, He sacrificed His only Son. Let us celebrate each other with love and kindness.
The "traditional" way of looking a this is quite different. It endorses the holy value of each and every one of God's people, and it honors God's Word as the guide to His admonition, "Be holy because I am Holy." Acknowledging that we all face temptations, it rejects no person, but calls us all to holy living. Where we are willing, Jesus, and the United Methodist Church, offer His hand with the guidance and the power to actually live as Christ taught.
Thank you Bishop. I, like many others, have been struggling as to whether or not to walk away. These are powerful words, and I desperately needed to hear them.
Well said! Thank you so much !
Simply, Thank you! For your words warm my heart and fill my eyes with tears, by just being heard, being seen and being Loved. Thank you Bishop Easterling. Peace be with you.
So wrong and arrogant to show disrespect to those who voted otherwise .You wear the responsibility for not obeying scripture and causing folks to fall. If you suffer any financial loss you have earned it .
I am disappointed that a bishop of the UMC will choose to say that transgender didn't choose to be who they're. Transgender is simply telling God lie to make them a male or a female. It is a choice made by them to be what they desire to be. God made a man a perfect man. When you allow a doctor to split you up and transplant another sex organ, you tell God he is a lier.
Thank you for your clear and welcoming statement, that we are ALL created in God's image. HE is not confused, though some of us are and/or have been given circumstances that make us wonder the very core facts. I am "straight"-- I agree with what you say, but am struggling with the knowledge that our new Episcopal priest -- young and totally delightful and dynamic -- has just announced her engagement to another woman. I'm learning to accept her as she is and accept MY PREJUDICE. I know several "gay" people who have been good friends, interesting and inspiring people, who seem to have deep insights into relationships and situations -- maybe because they've had to search deeply themselves. Some DO choose a "gay" life, but as my former (retired) priest concluded, "human sexuality is a mystery, known only to God". We may have forgotten that we are ALL sinners -- but only by trusting him, our Lord Jesus Christ has (and is) saving us.
Thank you dear friends. Your words mean so much to me. Blessings
You have misquoted the wording in the Book of Discipline. It states, "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching." There is a difference between a person and the practice.
Amen!
Very wise words !!!
Thank you Bishop for this wonderful letter and for your loving support. I grew up in the Methodist Church (my father was an ordained Methodist Minister) and I have been so disappointed in their recent decisions. Please continue to express your support for all of our brothers and sister in Christ.
First of all no one is born a homosexual. The is no evidence that backs that claim. Homosexuals are always welcomed and embraced in my church. Secondly we were asked to pray for God’s guidance in this conference. He has spoken. Are you listening?
Where does it say in the Bible the God says it's alright for a Man to lay with a Man or a Woman to lay with a Woman. YES, the Lord says we Love All But we do not accept actions of all. Did the Lord intend for a Man to lay with a Man .... can they by nature reproduce? Did the Lord physically allow us to reproduce unisex? Has it been determined that truly homosexual individuals are born or created subjects of environment in all cases?
My personal opinion is that gays should be welcome to our church as children of God. I am also of the opinion that gay people should not be allowed to have a Christian marriage or be ordained as clergy because they are living in sin as the scriptures states. I pray that the church will rectify this and return to the Traditional Church.
Bishop,
Thank you for these words! I too believe that this is a time for us to "rise above exclusionary practices to say unequivocally that we will recognize the dignity and sacred worth of all." I am praying for you as you seek to be a prophetic leader in this conference, and will continue to work to care for and minister to all of God's children.
This is not about Love or the great commandment. I love all my LGBQTI friends, I do not agree with their life style and believe they are living in sin but I love them. God loves my worst enemy as much as he loves me. God loves every child that has ever been born, all just the same. Sin is sin. No sin is to great to be forgiven by God because of Jesus Christ. To be forgiven we must ask for forgiveness and turn away from that sin. The whole thing about the LGBTQI is that they do not recognize their sin to be a sin and neither do you. To justify a sin as not being a sin is a terrible injustice to our Lord and his Holy Word. The day will come for those that are false teachers and preachers of the word. Teachers, Preachers and yes Bishops will be held more highly accountable before our Lord. Be careful what you preach and teach.
Thank you for your amazing insight and for having a heart open to all.
Thank you for this important letter stating clearly that what has been done is misguided, discriminatory, heartless and painful. What I need to know now is, what are the next steps? What action is the Baltimore-Washington Conference planning to make, and how can congregants get involved? I can be reached at mark-angie@comcast.net
Excellent comments by Bishop Easterling. I am in complete agreement
Many of you are disappointed because of the outcome of this general conference but, its just a reflection of your "true selves," and what you truly believe within the "privacy" of your thoughts. Its your private thoughts that "we" who are truly called by God have come to understand and side with the God of the marginalized about. One day your secret thoughts will be exposed upon a greater stage and the hope is you will find the grace and mercy you deny others won't be denied you. God Bless!
By the very tone of your letter it screams "if you believe like I do you are good and if not you are some kind of OGRE. Homosexuals have been around us for ever, I do not care what they do in private, but neither do I have to approve of what they do in private. You can either read or you can't. The lord told me not to do some things, I believe him, that doesn't mean that I have to kick someone who does.
I am so heart-broken...and all I can think about as I read these articles, letters and comments is...
2 Chronicles 7:14 "if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (NRSV) God have mercy on us all... Yes, You are a God of Love...but you are also a Holy God...and we are called to be transformed, to be made new in Christ Jesus.
I am stunned and disappointed at the tone of this letter.
What I heard this bishop say is that he is only supportive of LGBTQ+++ people and couldn't give a crap about those who don't feel the same. So much for the "dignity and sacred worth of all".
But more importantly, I also heard that he was going to continue to VIOLATE THE VOWS he PROMISED TO UPHOLD, instead of resigning his position as would be honorable. This bishop, along with all the others who are pushing their position, should be ashamed. Your job and responsibility, and what you took an OATH to do, is lead people to follow God's word (whether it's in the red letters or not).
Open Letter to Bishop Easterling and the Baltimore-Washington Conference
Baltimore-Washington Area Chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association · Tuesday, March 12, 2019
The Board of the Baltimore-Washington Conference Chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association offers this letter in response to Bishop Easterling’s recent Pastoral Letter to the Conference.
Bishop Easterling and People of the Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church:
We write to you today with hearts of peace and out of a deep love for God and each of you. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be yours in abundance in these trying times!
Bishop, we listened intently to your words at the briefing session held in Fulton on March 2, 2019. We were encouraged and thankful for your comments at that time which emphasized your intention to be “the Bishop of all and for all.” While we both understand and lament the deep divisions evidenced in the outcome of the Special Session of General Conference, especially the pain from all parties, we welcomed your conciliatory tone and attempts at unifying our Conference. Therefore, your recent pastoral letter both saddens and alarms us. We found your latest strong denunciation of what we believe, and questions of our Christian character, very concerning. Further, despite your title to the letter, we did not receive these words as “pastoral.” We do not wish to ascribe any uncharitable motives on your part, but are wondering if this signals some change in your position. Your clarification in this matter would be greatly appreciated.
You now refer to the outcome of the Special General Conference as a “crisis,” and we note that our WCA Board advised of this possible outcome in the months leading up to St. Louis. Yet, at the time, you and other leaders assured us that this was an overstatement. In light of your previous communications, what has transpired for this change in attitude? Members of the BWC-WCA believe that God honors the process of Holy Conferencing. For more than forty-five years our denomination has been praying, talking and studying together in order to discern God’s best for our Church. At every General Conference our elected delegates have voted to retain our language and position regarding same-sex practice. Why are we now in crisis? Why is it that we cannot continue to respect our differences under the provisions of the Covenant we all agreed to at our ordination and membership?
It will indeed be difficult for us to live together when the more progressive members of our covenant community continually distort the Discipline, the position of the more traditional members, and accuse others of being unloving. It is not true that traditionally minded people cannot live with sinners. If this were true then we could not live with ourselves, since “we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” None of us have said we cannot be in communion with sinners. What was stated was that we could not continue in a denomination that condones sin. We believe the practice of homosexuality is sinful, but just like every other sin, is completely atoned for in Christ.
We acknowledge and make room for disagreements about Scripture and its interpretation. We welcome it in fact, for we all grow from increased understanding of God’s Truth. However, while there is some scholarship that reads the Scripture differently on the issue of same-sex practice, the overwhelming majority of scholarship, over all time, does not. And while we agree that the Bible has been, and continues to be used by some in ways that justify practices like slavery and women’s exclusion from leadership, there is significant Scriptural witness and Church Tradition (inside and outside our Wesleyan heritage) to show us that this is not an authentic Christian understanding. But where are the places in Scripture/Tradition that offer a word of confirmation regarding same-sex practice? Most often the arguments for same-sex practice are either made from silence or from a significant sitz im leben of certain passages. A careful reading of the whole Bible reveals that Scripture never promotes any sexual practice other than heterosexual practice, and that within the context of marriage.
Thus, the question before us: How can we continue to live together with these differences and make room to love one another? We believe that begins as we refuse to demonize each other. Traditionally minded members have felt demonized, bullied and been accused of being unloving. This is beneath the level of discourse that God would have for His Church. We understand that at times traditionally minded people have practiced the same and we reject this just as profoundly.
Traditionally minded members ask that we honor the Covenant that we all voluntarily entered. If the restatement of the traditional language in the Discipline makes covenant fidelity now impossible, perhaps there are better structures for our unity which would end our constant temptations to demonize one another. We differ on the way we read Scripture. Some differences are acceptable and even welcomed, but when these differences produce such dramatic divergences in practice, we wonder at the continued wisdom of unity at all costs. Out of personal integrity, traditionally minded members were prepared to leave if the covenant changed. Would we want to investigate those new forms of unity together rather than perpetuating harm on all sides?
Traditionally minded members are aware of the pain this whole process has caused and continues to cause to the people in the LGBTQIA+ community. All people are indeed created in the image of God and are of sacred worth. Let us work to communicate this to our LGBTQIA+ brothers and sisters. Our doors stand wide open for any and all who would come to Christ. We seek to exclude no one, but we also recognize the church’s call to holiness. We believe in the power of Jesus Christ to transform in every situation, and that power is nothing but love. In this, we learn the depth of Christ’s love. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross cancels both sin and its power to enslave. This is the gospel in every circumstance, both societal and personal.
Therefore, let us talk more openly about the call of God on all of us to holiness and the dying-to-self required of us all. Traditionally minded members agree that the focus on this issue has led to a distortion that places it as some sort of “super sin.” Traditionally minded members welcome a more thorough and robust discipleship that calls all of us to levels of purity of heart and hands that honor God and blesses people. We agree that issues like divorce, heterosexual immorality, use of pornography have been glossed over for too long. We reject the characterization of our hermeneutic as simply a “literal” reading of Scripture that is childish and comical. We also reject a “red-letter” theology that makes the words of Jesus the only real Scripture.
The BWC-WCA looks forward to working together to make disciples of the whole world. We reject the notion that we will lose an entire generation because of our grace-filled stand on the issue of homosexual practice. Many of the largest churches in our culture are reaching young people with the Gospel and hold a traditional theological position. We trust God when God said even the gates of Hell could never prevail against the Church. God continues to reconcile and restore the world and we believe we have a significant role to play in that work as the UMC.
We invite us all to a season of repentance for our anger, bitterness and fighting. In light of GC2019, we hope to approach our upcoming Annual Conference with humble spirits, ready to live within our covenant in grace-filled dialogue about our future. We pray for the Spirit’s guidance of all of us.
Board of the Baltimore-Washington Conference Chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association
The hypocrisy of "love gay people" and deny them a Christian marriage is as plain as the plank in your eye. I belong to a UMC church where the pastor has preached "we cannot agree to disagree on the issue of gay marriage". The founders of our beloved nation, at its conception, tried and were unable to find a financial or legal solution to ending legal human enslavement. Thomas Jefferson wrote the next generation would have to find the solution. Approximately 74 yrs later, our only official Civil War took place. With the benefit of 154 yrs of hindsight, it is clear to present day Americans and Christians that enslavement of another human being was and is morally wrong. I pray there is no Christian pastor today preaching that it is. The Holy Spirit guides me to believe, one day medical science will identify why one person is gay and one straight. This new knowledge may or may not come in my lifetime. And, just as I KNOW Jesus died for my sins, I KNOW he intends for my LBGTQ friends to find the love/spouse/partner of their lives. My God does not deny children love. My God does not ration the love we may receive from others. 154 yrs from now, I believe Christians of all denominations will agree denying a Christian marriage to any two consenting adults is wrong, immoral and un-Christ-like. Priase God, I do not have to wait 154 years to take that stand. I endorse it today. I celebrate the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. The arrogance of those who would limit my God's guidance to the covers of a book saddens me. We preach our God is all powerful! And yet, some would limit his words and guidance to what is on a piece of printed paper. Earthly fire can destroy that in an instant. The fire of the Holy Spirit cannot be snuffed out! How appropriate a flame is part of the UMC symbol! Priase be to God, the FATHER, the SON... AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. Amen. Peace be with you.
The morals of society are constantly changing - not always for the better. Never the less, society wants the Christ's Church to accept and validate those changes. God's TRUTH does not change with the wind or with society. All God's people are welcome and can be accepted -- but their practices are not always accepted or blessed.
Dear Bishop,
I am disappointed that your written response as it is so much different than your public response. I also must ask why you deliberately misquote the Book of Discipline which states: "The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching." As a Bishop, you of all people, know this difference, as it cuts to the heart of the matter; it is the difference between the sin and the sinner. As a Bishop, you of all people, know that there is not one positive homosexual relationship documented in the bible, there is not one same-sex married couple in the old testament or in the new testament, and there is not a single place where homosexuality is mentioned in a positive manner, but many where the act is condemned. Thus the Book of Discipline states: "The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching." This is a statement of fact. It is not a judgmental statement, nor is it a condemnation of people. Please note that by misquoting the Book of Discipline and then following up with the phrase: "With those six words, we have laid on the altar of polity an entire group of persons and told them that their lives are unholy and damned," you are being deceitful. Yes, a deliberate attempt to deceive and lie. There is no other way around this. Ms. Oliveto entered into a covenant with the members of the Methodist and took an oath, but she LIED in the taking of that oath. So I must ask why? No one forced her (or you or anyone for that manner) to join the Methodist organization. So why do you lie? For several years now, you, as well as many other Bishops in the Methodist church have striven to disregard the scripture for man's opinion on homosexuality, but I say, "We ought to obey God rather than men."
The Methodist Church has a bigger issue than Homosexuality and Gay Marriage. It has an issue with leadership, with Bishops who have taken oaths before God and who have lied in the taking of those oaths. So I ask, Bishop, do you support the Book of Discipline or not? And if not, are you willing to do the honorable thing and resign.
Your stand is clear which against UMC doctrine and your oath.
Please resign your position responsibility!
Oh thank you for your words. You have shed a light in a dark time.