How to deal with same-sex unions? It’s a question fracturing major Christian denominations.
Catholics globally find themselves sharply divided over the Vatican’s recent declaration, granting priests more flexibility in blessing same-sex couples. While supporters of LGBTQ inclusion applaud the move, some conservative bishops view the new policy as a betrayal of the church’s stance against sexual relations between gay or lesbian partners.
This internal turmoil within the Catholic ranks coincides with developments in two other international Christian denominations—the Anglican Communion and the United Methodist Church—both grappling with fractures over LGBTQ-related policies.
The Anglican Communion, second only to the Catholic Church in global reach, has long been troubled by divisions on marriage, sexuality, and LGBTQ inclusion. Tensions heightened on December 17 when Church of England priests officially blessed same-sex partnerships for the first time, leading to dissent among conservative Anglican bishops from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific.
The United Methodist Church is undergoing a slow-motion separation, losing a quarter of its U.S. congregations due to disputes over LGBTQ-related policies. The denomination, once the third-largest in the U.S., now faces financial challenges as it prepares for lower revenues from church offerings.
Ryan Burge, a political science professor and American Baptist pastor, notes the increasing difficulty for Christian denominations to reconcile opposing views on same-sex relationships, especially as such marriages become legal in many parts of the world.
For global denominations like Catholics, Anglicans, and United Methodists, another source of tension arises from their substantial growth in socially conservative African countries where same-sex relationships are taboo.
Kim Haines-Eitzen, a religious studies professor at Cornell University, emphasizes the historical division within Christianity over theological views, citing issues such as the ordination of women.
In the United Methodist Church, the ongoing debate over same-sex marriage rites and the ordination of LGBTQ individuals has led to a slow but significant breakup. A new denomination, the Global Methodist Church, has emerged for congregations adhering to conservative views.
Other mainline Protestant denominations have experienced similar splits over the past two decades due to irreconcilable differences on LGBTQ inclusion. The debate over same-sex unions remains less divisive in non-Christian religions, with varying stances within Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
