African Delegates Could Block GLBT Acceptance at Methodist Convention

According to a report in The Dallas Morning News Religion Blog (one of the better sources for religious news I've found), if it was strictly up to American delegates of the United Methodist Church's General Conference, the denomination's official position on homosexuality could very well change.

This report says that many Americans would be in favor of no longer classifying homosexuality as against biblical teaching, but there is strong opposition to that coming from African delegates:

Among the delegates I chatted with was Boniface Kabongo. He's a student at Africa University and a pastor from the Congo, and this is his first General Conference. He's part of a much larger African contingent of delegates than at the last General Conference, in 2004. This reflects the growth of the UMC in Africa.

He said the African delegates are opposed to ordination of non-celibate homosexual pastors in the UMC.

"I don't think any delegate from Africa can accept this," he said.

Many American members of the UMC favor changing the denomination's official position that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Many also would like to see the church open itself to non-celibate gay pastors. But the growing influence of the conservative Africans doesn't bode well for such changes.

Mr. Kabongo said that the Africans would also likely oppose any restructuring of the UMC intended to give the U.S. churches the chance to adopt for themselves a more accepting position on homosexuality.

Click here to read the rest of the story from The Dallas Morning News.