Stay or leave?

My dad sent me a link to a letter by A.W. Martin, a progressive pastor in the United Methodist Church from Arkansas. He labels himself a progressive and laments the deep divide in the denomination over homosexuality. He doesn't see a way out of the conflict any time soon.

Alas, he doesn't mention the possibility of the American branch of the church restructuring its governance so it can decide its own response to important questions without being weighed down by the African branch. Instead, he suggests it is probably time for departure, of whole congregations joining another denomination or forming a new denomination.

Many of the comments in response say essentially, "Bye. Don't let the door hit your backside on the way out."

I talked to a gay United Methodist friend about this. His response was essentially, "We're staying. They can leave." We want to keep the honorable United Methodist name. They can call themselves something else.

That left me wondering if we keep the name are we stuck with the conservative Africans?