Resistance against the LGBT agenda has permeated various sectors of society, including legislative bodies, educational institutions, and religious organizations. This divide is clearly observed among religious leaders, including those within Catholic, Anglican, and now Methodist circles. The United Methodist Church (UMC), the second-largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., has seen an exodus of over 5,000 congregations due to its pro-LGBT stance. This disaffiliation movement has gained momentum over recent weeks, leaving the UMC with just 25,500 Methodist churches, as per the UMC’s official news service.
The mass departure of Methodist churches is reportedly triggered by liberal leaders in the UMC disregarding a 2019 vote that supported the church’s prohibition of ordaining LGBT clergy and hosting or officiating same-sex marriages. In 2022, Fox News highlighted the concerns of numerous conservative members of the Methodist clergy who felt that, instead of resolving the issue, the 2019 vote was ignored by many liberal leaders within the UMC who chose to stay in the denomination while openly commissioning gay clergy and officiating same-sex marriages.
The Methodist General Conference in 2019 approved a church law that allowed UMC churches to disaffiliate with their church property if approved by two-thirds of their congregation and regional governor body. This law has paved the way for the recent mass exodus over the open acceptance of the LGBT agenda.
This resistance against the normalization of homosexuality and transgender ideology is not confined to religious sectors. Legislative bodies both domestically and internationally, as well as commercial markets and other religious hierarchies, are echoing these sentiments. Various states have introduced bans on procedures and treatments such as transitional surgeries and puberty blockers for minors. Internationally, the government of Uganda has stiffened its penalties for sodomy and homosexual child rape. Also, several African Anglican bishops have severed ties with the Anglican Church of England due to its approval of same-sex union blessings.
Despite a handful of dissenting Catholic U.S. bishops and cardinals openly supporting or passively allowing the LGBT agenda, the U.S. Catholic bishops have staunchly condemned the aggressive promotion of transgender ideology and the so-called “transitional” treatments for children. The growing backlash against the “woke culture” offers a glimmer of hope, potentially signaling a momentum shift towards the reclamation of traditional culture and family values. The latest fallout within the Methodist church is yet another indicator of this paradigm shift.