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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 1998)
BARB CHURCHILL is a graduate studentinsax• ophone perfor mance and a Daily Nebraskan columnist The issue of gay marriage has again come to a head in Nebraska, with the suspension (and trial) of the Rev. Jimmy Creech, head pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Omaha. What? You haven’t heard about this issue? Well, it’s simple. Creech performed a commitment cere - mony for two lesbians in his church rectory in Sept 1997 against the express wishes of his church bishop, the Rev. Joel Martinez. Martinez, along with most of the I Methodist Church hierarchy in Nebraska, believes these two people shouldn’t be allowed to make a commit ment to each other because they are not straight According to the Feb. 14,1998, edi tion of the Lincoln Journal Star, Nebraskan Methodists have split down ; the middle on this issue. Half of them believe that Creech should be expelled from the church for going against 1 yjT .7 7*# 7 7 church discipline and performing the commitment ceremo 11/f OT rl Oifl 7 Of O h 7 / VO f) nY against the Methodist hierarchy’s wishes. 1/I i/vJ\A/ vU 1/ \sl 1/LA/1 v// 1/ The other halfbelieve Creech is right by pointing out the true issue - that Methodists are discriminating against these 7. _ 7 _7 _ * I lesbians because of their sexual orientation. ^ fl (]IJ I fl JjPVffljT It seems the United Methodist Church in Nebraska has a U f I 1/1/1/ quandary it cannot solve without alienating half its member • ship. No matter which way it decides, many church-going TY1flJTl Cl, $P. ^ Methodists will be confused and upset This is a no-win situ O The basic story is as follows: Two lesbians held a commit ment ceremony in September, officiated by the Rev. Jimmy Creech, at the First United Methodist Church of Omaha. Every pastor at First United Methodist wanted this couple to have their union sanctioned. The parish seemed to be in agreement, seeing no fundamental difference between these two lesbians and any other couple who wants a ceremony. Creech agreed to perform the ceremony because he was the head pastor, and if there was going to be any fallout, he wanted the consequences to affect only himself. Creech’s justification for performing this ceremony was simple. He said, “(the commitment ceremony) was . a very simple event in the life of two people who love each other dearly and wanted to make a commitment within the context of their faith and have that rela tionship affirmed. It hardly seems like a radical thing or an unusual thing or an earth-shattering thing.” Right on, brother, right on. Because the couple was not straight, the Rev. Martinez promised that Creech, or any other who performed this ceremo ny, would be disci plined. Punishment indeed has come to pass, with Creech fac ing an imminent trial before the Nebraska Conference of the United Methodist Church. The trial, which started this week, is in Kearney (of all placesX and the Rev. Leroy C. Hodapp of Indiana has been named the presiding minister. Hodapp has oversight of this trial and is equivalent to a judge. The Methodist Committee on Investigation has ordered Creech to stand trial forviolating die chinch’s social princi ples. These principles state that although gay or lesbian par ticipation is warmly welcomed in die United Methodist. Church, any expression of gay or lesbian behavior, even a positive expression such as a commitment ceremony, is NOT allowed or sanctioned. Creech has said he believes that even though the Methodist church officially forbids same-sex unions, it should be up to the conscience of individual ministers whether or not to allow same-sex marriages. He believes the prohibition against same-sac unions is unjust and discrimi natory. Creech says this larger issue is die real reason he’s been called before the ecclesiastical court, and not die ephemeral “violation of the social principles.” Recently, the Daily Nebraskan ran an editorial by anoth er university newspaper outlining the problems gays, les bians, bisexuals and transgendered individuals have exercis ing their civil rights. For instance, lifelong gay/lesbian couples must over come sometimes insurmountable obstacles when they wish to adopt children, leave an inheritance, obtain medical insur ance or even get family discounts. This is unjust and extremely discriminatory. io make matters worse, bisexuals, gays, lesbians and transgendered individuals are deemed second-class citizens in the eyes of the Methodist Church (as well as in most of the civilian population), unless they are denying their inpulses by getting married in a “straight’ ceremony. This is a crying shame. People should not have to deny their true selves in order to take part in their religion. Religion is intended to provide solace, ease, comfort and understanding. It is not for intolerance, guilt, martyrdom or despair. There is absolutely no excuse for the second-class treatment of gays and lesbians (as well as bisexuals and transgendered individuals) in the church. There are a few sections in the Bible that label homosex uality a sin - the Book of Leviticus is the most noteworthy. But the interpretation of these passages is currently in dis pute among ministers, as Creech’s dilemma illustrates. My best friend’s father is a pastor, and he told me that between bad translations of the Bible, and some misinterpre tations, it is easy to understand how ministers can honestly disagree on this issue. Ministers are being forced to choose between their heads and their hearts. However, we generally do not follow much of the Old Testament teachings, as they have proved to be too violent and too xenophobic for pur pore civilized times, We.tepd to quotes to ponder. f t The first one is simple. The Bible commands us to “love one another.” Notice it doesn’t state “love one another, unless you are of the same sex. Then you can foiget it” Next, whatever happened to “he who has not sinned may cast the first stone?” Another good point to consider is this: Heterosexuals aren’t solely defined by their sexuality 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So why should gays, lesbians, bisexuals or transgendered individuals be defined solely by their sexuali ty? sexuality is only one facet of a balanced human being. It is not the whole person. And God surely knows this, far bet ter than we possibly can. It’s extremely difficult to believe a loving and forgiving God could disapprove of genuine and true love, regardless of whether it is a man and a woman, two men, two women or two aliens. He or she must understand, far better than we, that none of us is perfect Gay people have one more cross to bear than most of us - the cross of our eternal misunder standing. It’s no surprise the Methodists are so confused. As a “conciliatory sect,” they have changed their mind on this issue three times in die last 15 years, with the last reversal coming in 1996 when the church hierarchy decided on this version of their social principles. In effect, the Methodists decided that if lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered church participation was going to happen, it should be allowed but not flaunted. “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” in other words. So, ministers such as Creech have to use their best judg ment Sometimes, as is the case now, they get burned. It’s easy to understand why the conservative Methodists are so upset regarding this commitment ceremony. They grew up in one church, and now find themselves in another, which is probably quite disconcerting. However, making the conservative Methodists either accommodate the gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgen dered individuals or find a new church seems much less painful than denying a decent-sized section of the popula tion equal treatment under church law. There is some hope for Creech yet, although I wouldn’t bet my bottom dollar he’ll be retained. Prosecuting minister the Rev. Lauren Ekdahl of Lincoln said he believes an exchange of views on this matter is valid. “While a lot of people see a downside to engaging in this rather controversial subject, there is an upside—and the upside is that we proceed cautiously and with great delibera tion to resolve this issue,” FJcdahl said The issue is simple, folks: Are gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered individuals equal under Methodist Church law, or aren’t they? Ifthey are, Creech keeps his ministerial credentials and his church. Ifthey aren’t, Creech loses them. Hard to believe a simple act of love could cause all this trouble, isn’t it?
