Live from Fort Worth Texas… IT’S GENERAL CONFERENCE

I have now been in Fort Worth for the General Conference of The United Methodist Church since last Wednesday. This is my third trip to General Conference (which meets every four years) as a delegate. As with other years, my favorite experiences are worship and connecting with people (old friends and new). I recognize many people from prior years, and that has been a joy. Two General Conference friends from Fort Worth and I had a wonderful dinner on Friday night. We ate on a fourth floor deck on a beautiful evening – when it was snowing in Minnesota! I have already spoken twice at the Conference session, about as many times as the other two years combined. I have had these opportunities because I am on the rules of order committee and we made some changes in the rules this year that needed a little ironing out.

Two more profound events/insights have come to me since arriving. One evening, within the Faith and Order Legislative Committee, one committee member shared his experience at a local restaurant. This person is from New York state, but his roots are Afro-Caribbean. He speaks with a marvelous accent (and I have been reminded that we all have accents when others hear us!). Anyway, this man had gone to dinner with others from his delegation, and they ordered food. He ordered the same thing as another person, but his food did not arrive. For forty-five minutes, his food did not arrive. When he finally asked about it, he received a polite apology, but it still took some time to get his food. The others from his delegation who were served more promptly were white. It felt like a racial slap in the face, and the man wept as he sat down after sharing his story. In the midst of our work, we gathered around this person to pray for him – all of us, with our different ideas and experiences, with our different backgrounds – came together to pray for a hurting friend. That’s the church at its best.

The second insight I’ve gained is this. I am on a committee which has debated one petition dealing with homosexuality, specifically a petition which would delete language in our Book of Discipline that prohibits “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained. As I was thinking about this petition, and the kinds of arguments I anticipated hearing about it, something struck me. Within my committee are people who speak French, Portuguese, Swahili, Russian, and various dialects of English. As we have at times struggled to make sure that we were understanding all that was going on, I was again stuck by the beautiful complexity of language. The meaning of words can be shaded this way and that, sometimes simply by their sound. And the words Paul used to discuss human sexuality were difficult words. Scholars debate just what Paul was trying to say when he seemingly condemned homosexuality. Did the words he used mean what we mean today by homosexuality? Certainly Paul was upset by some of the sexual expression of his time, but what upset him? In at least one instance during the debate on this petition, Scripture was used a bit like a weapon, wounding many in its path. The person doing so did not mean to injure anyone, but we would all be helped by a deeper consideration of the mystery, beauty and complexity of language, especially as we talk about the Bible.

The petition to change our standards on ordination with regard to homosexuality was defeated in committee and will be reported to the plenary session next week. For certain, it is tiring, and I need to get some sleep.

With Faith and With Feathers,

David