Korean Churches do not Wecome to LGBTQ+

 

 

Korean Churches do not Wecome to LGBTQ+

 

The United Methodist Church, USA, has experienced divisions for decades over rules that prohibit the blessing of same-sex marriages for clergy and the ordination of openly LGBTQ+ individuals. The debate on LGBTQ+ issues continues, with the recent approval of 96 member churches in Ohio for disaffiliation.

 

Within the Korean Methodist Church, there is a movement strongly advocating for the denomination to withdraw from the World Council of Churches (WCC) due to religious pluralism and LGBTQ+ concerns.

 

Christian media outlets in Korea frequently cover news related to religious pluralism and LGBTQ+ issues in American and European societies. 

 

Recently, the Korean Christian Daily quoted a report from the Christian Post regarding the following news:

 

In late October 2023, the UMC Western Ohio Annual Conference approved the disaffiliation requests of 96 churches. The conference, with the participation of approximately 800 clergy and laity, gathered together and supported the disaffiliation.

 

Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, the presider, stated in his address, "We have been entrusted with making some difficult decisions. We have glorified God by communicating with each other patiently, honestly, and respectfully. Despite the challenges, we have overcome them. God is mighty, and our future is open."

 

In June 2023, the Western Ohio Annual Conference of the UMC approved the disaffiliation of 172 churches. In 2022, this conference allowed 80 churches to leave the UMC. This regional conference includes more than 50 counties, and just over 600 member churches remain.

 

Palmer mentioned in his June statement, "Even during storms, it is our mission to serve this age. One of our storms is disaffiliation." He added, "This is not a matter of blame. It is just a reality." He noted that "we have given much attention to this issue."

 

UMC has experienced divisions for decades over rules related to same-sex marriages and LGBTQ+ ordination for clergy. The theological liberals within the denomination attempted to remove the restrictions on LGBTQ+ issues, but the UMC General Conference decided to maintain the prohibitive rules regarding LGBTQ+ ordination.

 

Despite this decision, modernist groups within the denomination did not comply, leading to mass disaffiliation by conservative churches.

To date, over 6,600 churches have left the UMC over LGBTQ+ issues.

 

Nearly half of these churches joined the "Global Methodist Church" (GMC), a conservative alternative denomination formed in 2022. In September, the GMC announced that it had approximately 3,200 member churches in 50 U.S. states.

 

In the Korean Church, modernist groups support LGBTQ+ issues and religious pluralism, but a significant number of Korean Christians are negative on the issues of LGBTQ+ and religious pluralism. Evangelicalism in terms of Reformed Orthodoxy is predominant in Korean Christianity.

 

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