Importance of our Connectionalism shines through issues
By Peter Teo
METHODIST connectionalism – that important link which is inherent in our tradition – was pushed to the forefront in the last few months by several international conferences held in Singapore and the region.
There was plenty of sharing of ideas and experiences and a time of close fellowship at each of these conferences, beginning with the Asian Christian Women’s Leadership Training and Dialogue held here from July 27 to Aug 3, which was attended by some 80 participants from the region and the United States.
The event was hosted by the General Conference-Women’s Society of Christian Service and co-sponsored by the Singapore women, the Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church in the US, and the Global Women’s Leadership Centre-Korea.
The women were taught leadership skills and discussed a wide range of subjects, including societal issues and the role of Christian women in missions today.
The focus shifted to the region when the Annual Meeting of The Methodist Mission in Cambodia was held in Phnom Penh on Sept 7 and 8.
A high point of that meeting was the ordination of 10 local pastors – one as an Elder and nine as Deacons. The ordination was conducted by Bishop Dr Robert Solomon, Bishop Roy I. Sano of The United Methodist Church, and Bishop Han Chung Suk of Korea Methodist Church.
Then came the Regular Meeting of the Fellowship of Asian Methodist Bishops (FAMB) in Manila on Sept 10, followed immediately the next day by the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Asian Methodist Council (AMC), also held in the Philippines capital.
At the FAMB meeting, the challenge of providing proper care to Filipino workers abroad was discussed at length.
In a report to the FAMB, The United Methodist Church, Philippines Central Conference College of Bishops disclosed that some 3,000 Filipinos were leaving the country for jobs abroad every day.
Consequently, Filipino pastors based in South Korea, Japan, Singapore and the Middle East have been asked to provide spiritual needs to the Filipinos working in those countries.
The Philippines Bishops have also appealed to their brother bishops in the region to “help look after” the Filipinos working in their respective countries.
“The economic nuances of corporate globalisation and the war on terror are also affecting our people,” they said.
In his country report on Singapore, Bishop Dr Robert Solomon mentioned the Singapore Government’s emphasis on strengthening inter-racial and inter-religious harmony within the community in order to minimise tension should a terrorist incident occur.
Dialogue and engagement with people of other faiths were encouraged through community programmes where the various communities could meet and interact to build confidence, friendship and trust with each other.
He said: “The Methodist Church in Singapore supports the need for religious harmony. Together with the National Council of Churches of Singapore, we have been educating Christians on how they should conduct themselves and maintain their Christian values in inter-religious relations.”
One of the outcomes of the FAMB and AMC meetings was the issuance of a statement on the issue of homosexuality.
The Asian Bishops unanimously decided to send a letter to the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church (UMC) stating that:
“Our Asian Methodist Churches and communities have held, and continue to hold to the teachings of Scripture and our historic Christian faith on the issues of marriage and sexuality. Sexual relationships outside marriage are against the teachings of Scripture. The marital relationship is also between a man and a woman. We have also held that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings. We expect our clergy and lay to abide by these teachings and standards. We appreciate that the United Methodist Church has taken a position similar to that of the Asian Methodist churches and pray that the UMC will continue to make a clear stand. The unity of the global Methodist family will be seriously affected if any member of this family moves away from the biblical and historical position on the issues of marriage and sexuality. We therefore pray that together, we will be committed to maintain the teaching of Scripture and the historical and unanimous tradition of our global Methodist, and wider Christian, family.”
The letter was sent in the light of the UMC’s upcoming General Conference in April next year at which the homosexuality issue is expected to be raised again.
Following the FAMB and AMC meetings, about 200 leaders from all over the world converged in Sydney from Sept 15 to 20 for the World Methodist Council (WMC) Executive Committee meeting.
It was decided that the next World Methodist Conference will be held in Durban, South Africa in 2011. It is expected to be held from Aug 2 to 9.
It was also decided that the next WMC Executive Committee meeting will be held in Santiago, Chile in 2009.
The World Methodist Conference meets once in five years. The last conference was held in Seoul from July 20 to 24, 2006 amidst heightened tension on the divided Korean peninsula and the unrest in the Middle East.
Durban was a runner-up to Seoul when the location of the 2006 World Methodist Conference was selected. With more than 3 million residents, it is South Africa’s second largest city.
The Rev Dr George Freeman, General Secretary of the WMC, said that South African Methodists wanted their global counterparts to meet in Durban “so they could experience the changes that have taken place in southern Africa since apartheid ended”.
The Sydney meeting centred on strategic planning of the WMC and the proposed changes to the WMC Constitution.
Reports on subjects such as Family Life, Theological Education, Worship and Liturgy, Ecumenics and Dialogue, and Evangelism were also tabled by the various committees for discussion.
The Ecumenics and Dialogue Committee reported that the dialogue between the WMC and the Roman Catholic Church was continuing with an emphasis on “the Sacramental Nature of the Church.” The dialogue with the Salvation Army will continue with an emphasis on “Mission and Evangelism”.
A recommendation from the Division of World Evangelism that member churches of the WMC dedicate the first Sunday in Advent as a “Day of Prayer for Peace” was enthusiastically approved.
The WMC has also sent word to The Methodist Church of Lower Myanmar and The Methodist Church of Upper Myanmar reminding them of the prayers of the WMC family for their country and for the witness of their Church during the current political crisis.
Peter Teo is the Editor of Methodist Message.
Methodist Message: Importance of our Connectionalism shines through issues (Nov 07)
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Religion News Service: Aligning Psyche and Sex
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Methodists Meet to Evaluate Transgenderism, Starting With Baltimore Pastor
By Daniel Burke
Religion News Service
Saturday, October 20, 2007; B09
The Rev. Drew Phoenix is many things to many people.
To congregants of St. John's of Baltimore, he's the fun-loving pastor who counsels them, takes their children hiking, explains Scripture and plunges into worthy causes.
To conservative Methodists, Phoenix embodies another front in the culture wars: a rebel who has defied God and nature and should be removed from ministry.
To mainstream society, Phoenix is an enigma who transcends traditional sexual boundaries, provoking uncomfortable questions about the interplay between body, mind and soul.
To the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church, he's number IV on the docket for its Oct. 24-27 session: "A Review of Bishop's Decision . . . Whether Transgendered Persons Are Eligible for Appointment in The United Methodist Church."
The issue of transgenderism seems too hot to touch for religious Americans already bitterly divided over sexual orientation. A number of Methodist theologians and ethicists asked to comment for this article declined.
But as scientific advances and changing sexual mores allow transgender people to slowly move into the mainstream, religious leaders will soon have to grapple with the theological implications of sexual identity, scholars say.
In practical terms, they have to consider Phoenix and whether he should remain in ministry. The judicial hearing of the United Methodist Church, one of the largest Christian bodies in the United States, may be a high-water mark for transgender awareness in the pews.
"The theological issues here are very important," said Mark Jordan, a professor of Christian ethics at Emory University in Atlanta. "It's not just an issue of church discipline, and it's not just a freak show."
About 18 months ago, after 46 years of feeling trapped in the wrong body, the Methodist minister had sexual reassignment surgery, at last aligning psyche and sex.
The Rev. Ann Gordon became the Rev. Drew Phoenix.
Phoenix, now 48, describes the transition from female to male as a homecoming. "For me, now it's very much about being embodied. My spirit is in a body now," Phoenix said. As a female, "my spirit was just, like, homeless."
The 40 or so members of St. John's, who say they pride themselves on being the most accepting and inclusive Methodist church in Baltimore, said their minister's sex change was no big deal. They had some questions, which Phoenix answered in individual meetings, but no large theological hang-ups.
"It was like, 'Okay, great, congratulations. You're living as God intended now. How wonderful,' " said Kara Ker, 33, a social worker and lifelong Methodist. "Every now and then, people struggle with the pronouns. That's the biggest challenge."
But to some Methodists, Phoenix's ministry posed larger problems.
At a meeting of the Baltimore-Washingto n Conference in May, several pastors questioned whether the ministry should be open to transgendered people.
Baltimore-Washingto n Bishop John Schol reappointed Phoenix, reasoning that the Methodists' Book of Discipline has no rule forbidding transgender pastors. Now the nine-member Judicial Council -- the United Methodist Church's supreme court -- will rule on Schol's decision in San Francisco this month.
James Holsinger Jr., President Bush's nominee for U.S. surgeon general, heads the council. Senate Democrats have stalled Holsinger's appointment in part because he has described gay sex as abnormal and unhealthy.
Conservatives have promised to pass a ban on transgendered pastors at the Methodists' next General Conference in 2008.
"Most church people instinctively recognize there are problems with the church affirming a gender change but haven't really thought through all the implications, " said Mark Tooley of UMAction, a branch of the conservative Institute on Religion and Democracy.
Christians and Jews have traditionally derived fixed notions of sex from the Hebrew Bible, in which God creates Adam and Eve. To mess with that, some argue, is to mess with God's plan for creation.
Other conservatives point to Deuteronomy, which says, "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment; for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God."
"There's the issue of what's God's intention for us," said the Rev. David Simpson, a United Methodist pastor from Ellicott City who challenged Phoenix's reappointment. "Is that something that we get to choose?"
On the other hand, some medical professionals and transgendered people say sexual identity and sexual orientation are separate things.
"It's not about whom I love," Phoenix said. "It's about who I am."
Moreover, they argue, science is demonstrating that sexual identity is fluid and not fixed into binary categories. And it's innate, not a choice.
Finally, those who argue the "God doesn't make mistakes" and "Don't mess with creation" points of view readily make use of medical procedures to change their bodies, Phoenix said. "Think of all the vaccinations, medications and pharmaceuticals we take," he said. "We completely alter our bodies."
But to many Christians, there's a fundamental difference between taking a vaccine and changing something as basic as sex.
In 2003, the Vatican said transsexuals suffer from "mental pathologies" and barred them from Roman Catholic religious orders. Last year, a Christian college in Michigan fired a transgendered professor for failing to live up to Christian "ideals."
Other mainline Protestant churches haven't banned transgender pastors, but they haven't exactly welcomed them, either.
The Rev. Erin K. Swenson, a Presbyterian pastor who transitioned from male to female in 1996, has written that "transgendered individuals are modern lepers in a culture that worships at the altar of sexual stereotypes. "
ST Forum: Rev Dr Yap doesn't speak for Methodist Church (Jul 19)
Friday, July 20, 2007
July 19, 2007
Rev Dr Yap doesn't speak for Methodist Church
I REFER to the article, 'MP Baey all for repealing anti-gay law' (ST, July 16).As the article may create misunderstanding among readers regarding the position of The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS) concerning the issue of homosexuality, we wish to state the following.
Rev Dr Yap Kim Hao retired from active service in 1994 in the Trinity Annual Conference, a component body in the MCS. He does not speak for the MCS. The official body authorised to speak for the MCS is its General Conference.
The position of the General Conference regarding homosexuality is found in the Book of Discipline of the MCS (which contains the doctrinal statements, and administrative rules and principles of the church). Relevant sections include:
a.. We consider the practice of homosexuality to be incompatible with Christian teachings. However, we do recognise that homosexual persons are individuals of sacred worth. They need the ministry and guidance of the church as well as the spiritual and emotional support of a caring fellowship.
a.. Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practising homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as itinerant ministers or approved to serve in the MCS.
a.. Every itinerant minister of the MCS shall accept that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings.A fuller explanation of the church's position is found in an article endorsed by the General Conference in 2004. The article can be found at our website at http://www.methodis t.org.sg
Bishop Dr Robert Solomon
The Methodist Church in Singapore
ST Forum: Rev Dr Yap doesn't speak for Methodist Church (Jul 19)
It's a shame that Rev Dr Yap doesn't speak for the Methodist Church. He certainly speaks more sense than alot of Methodists I know.
July 19, 2007
STINews: Rev Dr Yap doesn't speak for Methodist Church
I REFER to the article, 'MP Baey all for repealing anti-gay law' (ST, July16).As the article may create misunderstanding among readers regarding the position of The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS) concerning the issue of homosexuality, we wish to state the following.
Rev Dr Yap Kim Hao retired from active service in 1994 in the Trinity Annual Conference, a component body in the MCS. He does not speak for the MCS. The official body authorised to speak for the MCS is its General Conference.
The position of the General Conference regarding homosexuality is found inthe Book of Discipline of the MCS (which contains the doctrinal statements, and administrative rules and principles of the church).Relevant sections include:
We consider the practice of homosexuality to be incompatible withChristian teachings. However, we do recognise that homosexual persons areindividuals of sacred worth. They need the ministry and guidance of the church as well as the spiritual and emotional support of a caring fellowship.
Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practising homosexuals are not to be accepted ascandidates, ordained as itinerant ministers or approved to serve in the MCS.
Every itinerant minister of the MCS shall accept that the practice ofhomosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings.A fuller explanation of the church's position is found in an articleendorsed by the General Conference in 2004. The article can be found atour website at http://www.methodist.org.sg
Bishop Dr Robert Solomon
The Methodist Church in Singapore
Clarification from Rev Dr Yap Kim Hao
Methodist Message Article (July): Beyond Biology and Public Opinion
Monday, July 9, 2007
| Beyond Biology and Public Opinion |  |
A GROUP of researchers caused a stir in 1965 among scientists studying human aggression. In a review of several studies they found that 3 per cent of the male prisoners in maximum security prisons and hospitals in a British region had an extra Y chromosome in the 23rd pair, i.e. they were XYY males.
Normally humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes in their body cells; the 23rd pair determining a person's gender. Women have an XX pair while males have an XY pair.
Due to abnormalities, there are rare incidences of other combinations. For instance, an additional Y chromosome may sometimes be found in the 23rd pair. But the incidence is only 0.03 per cent. The finding that 3 per cent of male prisoners had XXY chromosomes was 100 times higher than usual. Subsequent studies seemed to support this finding when it was discovered that imprisoned males were 15 times more likely to be XYYs than unimprisoned males. This, understandably, caused great excitement among interested scientists. Was the root cause of human aggression and violence finally found?
While these studies suggested the strong possibility of genetic causes for violent behaviour, later studies minimised the significance of this link. For example, a study of thousands of male prisoners in Denmark found that XYY prisoners committed less violent crimes than the general prison population. It was also established that XYYs performed less well on standardised intelligence tests suggesting that they were "not more violent, only less clever as criminals and therefore more likely to be caught". The XYY theory, which caused such a stir in the 1960s is now generally discredited.
The lesson here is that we have to be careful about explaining human behaviour by using scientific studies. While science has unearthed some of the ways our bodies or minds function, what we don't know is still greater than what we know. After all, human behaviour and motivation are complex processes. It becomes even more implausible when science is used to make moral statements.
Take, for instance, the argument that homosexual behaviour is biologically based. Therefore, it is not an aberration, but a variant of normality. Therefore, it should become socially acceptable as an alternative lifestyle. There are two key problems with this line of thinking. Firstly, there is yet no clear evidence that homosexuals are born that way. Secondly, even if a strong biological link is made between biological makeup and behaviour, who is to say whether it is aberration or variance? In other words, who is to say it is right or wrong?
We are faced with the limits of science. Let us take the 1965 research finding concerning the genetic basis of human aggression and violence. Supposing that finding has since been consistently upheld through scientific studies, where does that leave us in terms of our response to violence? Should we accept it as normal biology, and, therefore, normal behaviour? The problem is that while science can describe what is, it cannot prescribe what should be. We have to turn elsewhere for moral guidance.
Some would suggest that we should turn to public opinion to determine the moral directions we should take. On first thought, that may sound very reasonable indeed. But then again, public opinion has a very mixed history. To rely on public opinion for moral guidance is at best a shaky adventure. The reason is that public opinion can change so easily, especially when it is shaped and manipulated by powerful media. To follow public opinion for moral guidance is to take a path, the foundations of which have more to do with that which is fashionable or pragmatic. Moral foundations must be sturdier and more reliable.
As Christians (in fact, as humans created by God), we will have to turn to God's revelation in Scripture for moral guidance. While science and public opinion are important voices to be heard, nevertheless, it is God's Word alone that can guide us in thinking about what is right or wrong. It has the final say and authority on matters of faith and practice. God's Word, as the psalmist so aptly puts it, is a light for our path (Ps. 119:105).
GOD'S Word, in fact, has a thing or two to say about the connection between biology and behaviour, and between biology and destiny. Sin has affected our world in more ways than we can imagine. In Rom. 8, we read that even creation is subjected to frustration and suffers from bondage to decay (v. 20-21). If the cosmos is thus affected, then all the more our own biology too. We read of the "sinful nature" of human beings. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires … (v. 5). Elsewhere in Scripture this sinful nature is termed the "flesh", the "old self". This sinful nature operates in the way we function or malfunction.
We must be careful to not say that the material body is evil (for we can possibly also link our biology with our good behaviours, the same way we may find links with our sinful behaviours, the linkage here not necessarily pointing to a direct cause-effect relationship). We must, however, recognise that our biology has been affected, causing sickness and fallen inclinations and dispositions that often collude with sin.
In C. S. Lewis' words, "we are all a bent race". But when we believe in Jesus, He lives in us and, through His grace, helps us in our infirmities, and delivers us to deny our propensity to sin, even as we look forward to the resurrection where our biology will be revamped and rescued from the effects of the fall, when we shall be given new bodies. Meanwhile we must look beyond our present biology for our destiny - to Christ.
As for public opinion, wasn't it responsible for making the golden calf (Ex. 32), or crucifying the Lord (Mt. 27:11-26), or a decision that led to a shipwreck (Acts 27)? It is not a reliable way of deciding what is right or wrong.
UMNS Report: Pastor speaks of transgender experience
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Pastor speaks of transgender experience
The Rev. Drew Phoenix, a transgender United Methodist pastor, shares his story during the May 24 plenary session of the Baltimore-Washingto n Annual Conference in Washington. A UMNS photo courtesy of the Baltimore-Washingto n Conference.
A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom
May 25, 2007
A transgender United Methodist pastor has shared his story with other members of the denomination' s Baltimore-Washingto n Conference in the hopes of promoting a broader discussion about gender identity.
The Rev. Drew Phoenix - formerly the Rev. Ann Gordon - spoke at both a closed clergy session and a general plenary session on May 24 during the annual conference meeting at the Wardman Park Hotel in Washington. He is pastor of St. John's United Methodist Church in Baltimore.
"I was very grateful for the opportunity to be able to share my story and who I am," Phoenix told United Methodist News Service in a phone interview following those sessions. "I was very pleased at the number of people who were very honest in their reflections and questions."
He said he has been undergoing medical procedures for the transition from female to male during the past year, with "a great team of medical people who helped me think it out."
In his statement to the plenary session, the 48-year-old pastor explained that "last fall, after a lifelong spiritual journey, and years of prayer and discernment, I decided to change my name from Ann Gordon to Drew Phoenix in order to reflect my true gender identity and to honor my spiritual transformation and relationship with God."
By sharing the story of his spiritual journey and relationship with God, Phoenix said he hoped the conference participants "will commit ourselves to becoming educated about the complexity of gender and gender identity and open ourselves to those in our congregations who identify as transgender. "
Phoenix, who was ordained in 1989 and previously served in the Bethesda area, said he joined the ministry because of "a calling to be in service to folk who are oppressed, who are poor, who are excluded, who are marginalized. "
Although he was named Ann and declared a girl, Phoenix said he always felt he was male and had trouble understanding "the disconnect I was experiencing between my physical, external self and my internal, spiritual self."
"Fortunately, today, God's gift of medical science is enabling me to bring my physical body into alignment with my true gender," he told the plenary session.
No church policies
Bishop John ScholHe had informed his bishop, John Schol, and his congregation about his decision to undergo the transition. Schol told United Methodist News Service that he, the conference cabinet and the congregation have approached the matter in a serious and prayerful manner.
The United Methodist Book of Discipline has no specific policies regarding gender reassignment. "The cabinet and myself have done everything to ensure that the Discipline is being carried out," Schol said.
Both Phoenix and St. John's staff-parish committee requested that the pastor be reappointed to the church as part of the normal appointment cycle, which begins July 1. That request will be granted, according to the bishop.
Church members told Schol that under Phoenix's leadership, membership has grown and the congregation' s financial situation has improved. "There is a spirit within the congregation that hasn't been experienced within a number of years," the bishop reported.
More effective pastor
Phoenix believes his transition is making him "even more effective" as a pastor and said his greatest concern "is that the congregation continues to grow and thrive."
That growth, he pointed out, is evident at St. John's, located just north of downtown Baltimore. With a membership spanning a wide range of ages and backgrounds - including the first youth group and confirmation class in years - the congregation is planning to renovate its historic building.
Phoenix is not the first transgender clergy member in the Baltimore-Washingto n Conference. In 2002, the Rev. Rebecca A. Steen decided to leave the denomination after controversy over her desire to return to active ministry after gender reassignment.
She had sought voluntary leave from the conference in 1999. Prior to that time, Steen, who was then the Rev. Richard A. Zamostny, had served churches in three Maryland communities during a 17-year career.
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