The United Methodists' surprising - and positive - move - and the immediate resistance to it

I'm not a Methodist on paper, but for the last five years I've attended a small country Methodist church. I got started because a former community-college student of mine was the minister, and I checked him out and was blown away by his sermon. He's since been moved to a big-city congregation, but I've stayed. I don't have a clear feel for the leanings on matters of doctrine and ideology of the minister we've had since last summer (the former pastor was a staunch traditionalist, another level on which we bonded), but he's a nice enough fellow. I've become increasingly involved and now even serve on a committee.

That former minister had told me that he looked for the UMC to split in two at some point. For now, unity seems to be holding sway, but I think his prognosis will still be borne out.

This move did not sail through. Quite the contrary.

Delegates to the United Methodist Church Conference voted today. They voted to strengthen certain prohibitions regarding declared and practicing homosexuals from serving in the Church Leadership and to prohibit the sanctification of same-sex marriage.
As noted in The Atlantic, this result came as complete surprise, especially to the Church Bishops, who had determined a fore-ordained result, just not this particular one.

At a special conference in St. Louis this week, convened specifically to address divisions over LGBT issues, members voted to toughen prohibitions on same-sex marriage and LGBT clergy. This was a surprise: The denomination’s bishops, its top clergy, pushed hard for a resolution that would have allowed local congregations, conferences, and clergy to make their own choices about conducting same-sex marriages and ordaining LGBT pastors.

The Mandarins pushed hard, but came up short. And, as always when defeated at the ballot box, the leftists turned ugly. The below is just part of the Ugly. I watched a live stream of the event. When faced with ballot box defeat, these leftists were anything but Christian in their responses.

In the final hours of the conference on Tuesday, the debate turned acrimonious: One delegate alleged, without clear evidence, that people at the conference were bribing others for votes. Another speaker’s mic was silenced when he threatened to filibuster any vote before the end of the day. And the debate came to an abrupt halt: Delegates had to clear out of the conference hall so that it could be turned over for a monster-truck rally.

And, as is the case with the Left in any realm in post-American society, they don't accept outcomes other than the ones they insist on:

Below are the most important paragraphs from the article.

Some Methodists, however, seem determined to keep fighting this battle within their denomination. “I am a 32-year-old, and I am one of the youngest delegates here. For a denomination who claims so desperately to want young people in our churches, maybe we need to reevaluate,” said Alyson Shahan, a delegate from Oklahoma, who seemed to support LGBT inclusion in the denomination. “This body is not where the disciple-making happens. Thank the good Lord, am I right?”

There will be another General Conference again in 2020, where any of these issues or proposals can be taken up again. “With the traditional plan that adds teeth, you’ve not only alienated progressives, but also centrists,” said Hamilton. “Do you think these churches will quietly accept this regressive, traditional plan with teeth? Will these churches protest less, or more, for LGBTQ persons in the future?”

“You’ve inspired an awful lot of people who were not really engaged in this struggle before,” Hamilton said. “And for that, I thank you.”

So once again, we are at the crossroads of sound doctrine versus feelings, of biblical inerrancy versus "truth" made up out of whole cloth.

If this should lead to a split, it will be interesting to see which branch grows the fastest.