United Methodist General Conference drops anti-LGBTQ wording in new Social Principles
The United Methodist General Conference on Thursday completed adoption of its new Social Principles document, a statement of beliefs, and for the first time in 52 years, it won’t include the phrase: “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”
The adoption of the Social Principles follows the actions on Wednesday in which the denomination officially dropped its longstanding bans on same-sex marriage and ordination of openly LGBTQ clergy from the Book of Discipline, the rule book for the United Methodist Church.
With the General Conference approaching its closing session on Friday, May 3, the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church had achieved its top priorities, which included removing anti-LGBTQ language from the Book of Discipline and the Social Principles.
The Social Principles hadn’t been updated since 1972, said the Rev. Kelly Clem, clergy delegate for North Alabama.
“This is a major update,” she said. “It’s really justice and social matters, social concerns. It’s big, broad human rights: climate change, global warming, fossil fuels, stewardship of creation, environmental racism, food justice.”
The new outline of Social Principles can be found here.
Both United Methodist bishops from Alabama, Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett, head of the North Alabama Conference, and Bishop David Graves, head of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, took turns presiding on Thursday.