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from Theological Issues
Methodists Uphold Church Policy On Homosexuality
On April 29, 2004, at the United Methodist Church (UMC) convention in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the church's Judicial Council voted 6-3 to uphold the
Book of Discipline's policy on homosexuality.
The Judicial Council, which is described by the UMC as the denomination's
supreme court, reaffirmed the Book of Discipline policy that "the practice of
homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching."
Paragraph 304.3 of the Discipline reads: "While persons set apart by the Church
for ordained ministry are subject to all the frailties of the human condition
and the pressures of society, they are required to maintain the highest
standards of holy living in the world. Since the practice of homosexuality is
incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not
to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in
The United Methodist Church."
According to a UMC press release, this decision affirms a ruling issued in
October, 2003, that the Book of Discipline is "the law of the church which
regulates every phase of the life and work of the church."
Updated: 8 February 2008
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