Star-Telegram: New council members may tilt Methodist 'supreme court' to left

According to the Star-Telegram:

Five newly elected members to the United Methodist Church's Judicial Council -- the denomination's "supreme court" -- could change the dynamics of the nine-member council on such issues as homosexuals in leadership roles, denomination insiders said Monday.

The council previously had a 6-3 conservative majority. But only one of the council members elected Monday is conservative, joining the sole conservative member remaining on the council, said Mark Tooley, director of the UMAction program of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, a conservative and evangelical organization.

"The big question is whether the moderates and liberals will follow personal convictions, which might be different from the church teaching, or whether they will follow the straightforward intent of the church's law," Tooley said.

The Rev. Adam Hamilton, author of Confronting the Controversies, said that the council's new makeup is "certainly a shift to the left from where it was. But I think it's more of a shift to center."

He said many delegates are weary of ongoing conflicts and polarization.

This year, "progressives and centrist United Methodists worked hard to advocate for a slate of candidates they believed would bring greater balance to the council," Hamilton said. "Interestingly, a couple of the candidates appeared on the recommendation lists of conservatives, progressive and centrists."

The Rev. Tim Bruster, senior pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth, said the new council members are "a very capable group, a very fair group."

"We won't know anything about how they might lean or make decisions until they begin making decisions," said Bruster, the lead delegate of 12 from the Central Texas Conference, which comprises 26 Texas counties.

One new council member is William B. Lawrence, dean of the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Others are from Minnesota, North Carolina, California and the Philippines.

Church law dictates that clergy and laity be represented on the council, Bruster said, but it is also inclusive in terms of gender, ethnicity and geographical representation.

Twenty-seven candidates were nominated for the five slots, denomination officials said.

Full Story:
New council members may tilt Methodist 'supreme court' to left
Click here