Recently global representatives of the United Methodist Church gathered in St. Louis for a special meeting to try and find middle ground on the issue of changing the language in our denominations rule book about LGBTQ persons to be more inclusive. The results were less than pretty. Here is my sermon immediately following that conference.
To my friends who can no longer be my friends because of my stance and belief on this subject all I can say is I'm sorry. Your friendship means a great deal to me but it does not mean enough for me to ignore the harm our denomination is doing in the world when it comes to LGBTQ+ people. St. Louis, among other things, obliterated the center and since I can no longer stand there in good conscience I must stand where all who follow Christ should, with the oppressed and the marginalized.