An Open Letter: The Lord is using the California Pacific Conference to preserve our church

By Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell

Letter Context: Resolutions passed by California-Pacific Annual Conference:

"While we recognize that we are governed by the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, we support those pastors who conscientiously respond to the needs of their parishes by celebrating same-gender marriages, and we envision compassion and understanding in any resulting disciplinary actions."

"The California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church acknowledges celebrates the Supreme Court decision regarding marriage equality."

"The California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church support same-gender couples who enter into the marriage covenant and encourage both congregations and pastors to welcome, embrace and provide spiritual nurture and pastoral care for these families."

"The 2008 Session of the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church OPPOSES the California Marriage Protection Amendment, and calls upon all United Methodists, in favor of defeat of this act to work with all their might for its defeat, and

We call upon the laity and clergy of our churches in the California-Pacific Annual Conference to answer the call of General Conference by providing a witness against heterosexism and any discrimination based on sexual orientation, and in so doing, to be actively involved in protecting the civil rights of all Californians as they pertain to the right to civil marriage, working through correspondence with elected officials, through public venues such as newspapers, periodicals, radio and television, and the venues offered by the internet, and through other opportunities as they arise."

(Source: 2008 Annual Conference Summary)

An Open Letter:

To: Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, The California Pacific Conference and The Western Jurisdiction

One of our United Methodist brothers, after delegates from Africa at the recent General Conference helped to preserve our "Incompatible with Christian teaching" Book of Discipline language concerning homosexuality/homosexuals said this; "The Lord is using the Africans to preserve our church." The recent actions by the California-Pacific Conference in their 2008 Annual Conference session have done more to preserve the history and heritage of Methodism than our 30 plus year history of discriminating against same gender loving persons has. The actions of the Conference in response to the now-legal same gender marriages in California will be noted by historians as an important turning point in the life of our denomination.

A background comment that illustrates our United Methodist understanding of the the ministry of the church and of clergy. Many United Methodists are in radical disagreement with our current war in Iraq. Our Council of Bishops and other sectors of the denomination have said so. Yet, no United Methodist clergyperson or church is expected to withhold ministry from those who got us into the war, those who lead the war, those who fight the war, those who are veterans of the war and certainly not the families of those who lost loved ones in the war, nor those who have been injured in the war. If our ministry is not withheld from those associated with a war about which we disagree, why would we be expected to withhold ministry from same gender couples who are preparing for marriage and desire United Methodist clergy to offer ministry before, during and after their marriage ceremonies in California (and Massachusetts)?

Many of us pray and hope that the Western Jurisdictional Conference, in its discernment in response to the leading of God, will affirm the actions of the California Pacific Conference and other Conferences as they have sought to preserve the inclusivity and integrity of ministry in the United Methodist Church.

The passion that I express in this letter and in some of my other writings is shaped by my 74 years of living and engagement with race, as it has shaped both the church and society. We have wasted so many, many years debating, dividing and coming together in response to race. My length of life has given me reason to be in despair that on matters related to same gender loving persons, we are again as a denomination wasting God's good time; this time by separating and segregating persons because of their sexual orientation. As different as matters of race and sexual orientation are, to allow either of them to distort our ministry by denying ministry to some because of legislation and Book of Discipline language, is a distortion of Scripture, Experience, Tradition and Reason. We learned this in the long nightmare of race-based slavery, segregation and discrimination; all at one time supported by Methodist legislation. The California-Pacific Conference actions enable us to end the long nightmare of withholding ministry from same gender couples.

George Santayana, philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist is identified with these words that have been preserved in paraphrase fashion by many of us: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I remember the past through the stories my paternal grandfather told me about slavery. I remember the past because I was born into and lived much of my life in racial segregation. I remember the past as I have read in Methodist history, the discussions and debates that divided the church because of slavery. I was 5 years old when my preacher-father came home to tell us that in Kansas City in 1939, three branches of Methodism held a "Unification Conference" to end the long debate and division over slavery by establishing the racially segregated Central Jurisdiction.

The white Methodist preacher/Bishop for whom I am named, Gilbert Haven, in the midst of the vile and vicious debate in the church about the humanity of blacks in the 19th century, dared to become an outspoken proponent of interracial marriage. Some Methodist Annual Conferences dared to speak out about racial equality and integration, even as General Conference legislation at that time, declared the opposite. Always there have been Methodist clergy and laypersons who have been on the side of God's inclusive intent, while their sisters and brothers allowed their prejudices to shape a God of exclusive and biased intent. History has proven that the former were right, and the latter were wrong!

The California-Pacific Conference and other Conferences, through their actions have remembered the past of racial slavery and segregation. They love the denomination so much that they do not want it on matters of sexual orientation and same gender loving couples to repeat the separation and segregation of the past. State governments in their judicial, executive and legislative branches are ahead of the United Methodist Church in their understandings and actions regarding the constitutional meaning of equality and equal access. May we as United Methodists at least have the courage to be in ministry to those whom the state has now granted the right to marry.

As Martin Luther King suggested, "The Church has been a taillight rather than a headlight" in it slowness to lead on matters of racial justice. Legislation enacted by Annual Conferences to affirm same gender commitments and support of those actions by the coming Jurisdictional Conferences will begin to make our Book of  Discipline "Called to Inclusiveness" words a reality, rather than a public relations slogan.

Gil Caldwell
July 3, 2008
"May God Bless the United Methodist Church"

Additional Coverage:

California United Methodists react to same-sex ruling (United Methodist News Service)