Petition Text: 20992-DI-NonDis-O

The debate over the doctrinal standards of The United Methodist Church is whether Wesley's Sermons and Notes on the New Testament are included with The Articles of Religion and The Confession of Faith (¶ 67). This debate is not over the existence or non-existence of doctrinal standards for The United Methodist Church. This question of the existence of doctrinal standards is answered by Restrictive Rule 1 and 2 which state very clearly that The United Methodist Church does have doctrinal standards. Restrictive Rule 1 also states that there can be no other doctrinal standard established for The United Methodist Church. Every person ordained as an elder in The United Methodist Church publicly acknowledges that they are in full agreement with these doctrinal standards and will teach them to others (¶ 425, questions 8, 9, 10). The doctrinal standards of The United Methodist Church at least include The Articles of Religion and The Confession of Faith, and these two articles state that "the Bible is the true rule and guide for faith and practice" (¶ 67). And the Bible clearly calls the practice of homosexuality sin; Leviticus 20:13 calls homosexuality an "abomination" (NRSV). The Hebrew word translated abomination means "something abominable, detestable, something offensive, an offense (William Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, page 388). It is used to describe dishonest scales (Proverbs 11:1), lying lips (Proverbs 12:22), adultery, incest, bribes to shed blood, usury, excessive interest, extortion (Ezekiel 22:11, 12), is said to defile God's holy name (Ezekiel 43:8), describes idols which anger God (Deuteronomy 32:16), describes dishonest weights and practices (Deuteronomy 25:13-16), describes things that the Lord hates (Deuteronomy 12:31), is used to describe someone who rejects the Lord and worships idols (Deuteronomy 13:12-16).

The New Testament also clearly states that homosexuality is a sin: 1 Corinthians 6:9 states that homosexual offenders will not inherit the kingdom of God. The Hebrew word used in this passage means " a male who practices homosexuality, pederast, sodomite" (William Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, page 109). 1 Corinthians 6:9 says that homosexuality is viewed by God as wicked and is seen on the same level as sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, thieves, greedy, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers. In 1 Timothy 1:10 the word is translated as sodomites (NRSV). 1 Timothy 1:9, 10 places homosexuality on the same level as lawbreakers, rebels, ungodly sinful, unholy, irreligious, those who kill their mothers or fathers, murderers, adulterers, slave traders, and liars, perjurers.

It can be seen from the above that if homosexuality is a gift from God then so is adultery, incest, dishonesty, oppression, idol worship, perversity, slave trading, murdering, and a host of other practices that are condemned in the Bible.

The claim by some that the Bible is culturally bound in a bygone era is an irrelevant argument because the Doctrinal Standards calls the Bible "the true rule and guide for faith and practice." United Methodists have no other doctrinal standard (Restrictive Rule 1) and no other rule and guide for faith and practice other than the Bible.

Therefore, we call the General Conference to affirm its belief in and commitment to the Doctrinal Standards of The United Methodist Church by agreeing with the Bible and by stating once and for all that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.

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Petition Text: 20992-DI-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference