:)

An update: Late Friday (the last day of the conference), several progressive amendments were passed. They are basically token gestures, which annoys me a little, and the biggest of them must be ratified by 2/3 of conferences. There’s some hope for that, but I’m not holding my breath.

Also, James Holsinger, outgoing president of the Judicial Council and failed Surgeon General nominee was overwhelmingly censured for a variety of reasons including the Heath ruling, and the new JC has been charged with going over every decision made on his watch.

As I said in the post, the best news out of all of this is that while the GC technically speaks for the United Methodist Church, many individuals within the church don’t know what’s going on. I’ve heard from several people, some of whom are very involved in the church, who didn’t know about the Joey Heath expulsion until they read my blog. The job for me now is to make sure that people do know about it before the next big vote in 2012.

It’s also important to note that when women were first granted full ordination rights in 1956, the vote was close. There was much debate, there was rhetoric that seems obvious and silly today, and the measure passed with a 57% majority and only 92 votes between pass and fail. We’ve danced this dance before.

Finally, these words from Bishop Melvin Talbert (retired) directly after the vote on April 30th. (audio link)

“My name is Melvin Talbert. I am one of your bishops. In this General Conference we have been reminded that in 1939 this church took an action that separated my sisters and brothers into a separate jurisdiction. That action was wrong. That action was a sin against God. Thank God we have moved through and discontinued that segregated structure.

“But my sisters and brothers, here we are again. In the name of Jesus Christ, we have taken an action that is wrong. At least for the Central Jurisdiction we remained within a structure and we worked out the relationships. But for these sisters and brothers we have chosen to leave them out rather than invite them in to work out our relationships in the name of Christ.

“I can do no other than to say what’s on my heart. General Conference, General Conference, This. Is. Wrong. I invite you to reconsider.”

I second the motion of loving Matt.

In keeping with your request, I’ll stay any further comments. :)

Except to say this. I love you, Matt. You are more of a Christian than most of those ignorant, old white men could ever hope to be. Keep fighting for the rights we know you deserve. But more importantly, keep doing the work that God has set before you. In that, you can never go wrong.

Deal?