Love is Love!
Many are familiar with the phrase “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” Here at Puyallup United Methodist Church, we believe that this message is contrary to the gospel and that the core belief behind it is still hate. Watch our Pastor, Rev. Margaret Gillikin, share a sermon on this “Toxic Truism.”
Below are some resources for anyone interested in learning about a more progressive understanding of scripture around the subject of LGBTQIA2S+ inclusion in the Christian faith.
Resources on LGBTQ+ Inclusion
This article, “How to Read the Bible’s “Clobber Passages” on Homosexuality,” by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, a Jewish professor of New Testament at Vanderbilt Theological Seminary.
This online course (cost: $30), called “Clobbering the Clobber Passages,” from the Queer Theology Podcast.
The documentary film 1946: The Mistranslation that Shifted a Culture.
The book UnClobber: Rethinking Our Misuse of the Bible on Homosexuality, by Colby Martin.
The accompanying website, www.unclobber.com, has further resources, including helpful "cheat sheets.”
The book The Widening of God's Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story, by Dr. Richard B. Hays, a prominent scholar and emeritus professor at Duke Divinity School, and his son, Dr. Christopher B. Hays.
Inclusion in the United MethodisT Church
In 2023, the United Methodist Church experienced a historic split when roughly one-quarter of its U.S. congregations disaffiliated. These churches formed the new “Global Methodist Church.” This schism was driven by decades-long theological debates regarding human sexuality, specifically the inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals, the ordination of openly LGBTQ+ clergy, and the performance of same-sex marriage. Read more about this split here. During the United Methodist Church General Conference in May of 2024, all bans on LGBTQ+ clergy and same-sex marriage were repealed. The United Methodist Church (as opposed to the Global Methodist Church) supports the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals within our religious communities.
Statement of Affirmation
Here at PUMC, we affirm that every person is a beloved child of God endowed with dignity, value, and beauty. We welcome all people into the life and ministry of our church regardless of their race, class, age, gender identity, ability, sexual orientation, national origin, cultural heritage, or legal status. We reject any effort by the world to divide, demean, or dominate the human family. We are a community grounded in the principle that when we love each other, we love God because God is love and therefore seek to live a life together that is life-giving, welcoming, and generous.
