Splits

On my last post, Mezzo Forte left a great comment - much of which I agree with.  She commented on one thing that I'm not sure quite how I feel about.  That topic is of church splits.

I believe that at any time in church history, since the time of Martin Luther, you can probably find someone, somewhere talking about the need for or possibility of a denominational split.  Lately, there has been some talk about it in the United Methodist Church as well.  No, it's nothing serious right now.  I don't think that the thought has gained any strong sense of support, though the idea has lingered.

Some Methodists talk about the widening chasm of thought on some topics (namely ordination and/or marriage of homosexuals) and speak as if all hope is lost.  To some, the only option is for United Methodists to simply be Methodists and give up on the whole "united" thing.

I'm torn.  If a decision was being made tomorrow, I don't know that I could vote, knowing what I know right now.  Maybe that's why there's not a significant push for a denominational parting-of-ways?

As a pastor, I'm not a fan of divorce.  However, I acknowledge that the solution to eliminating divorce isn't the prohibition of it, but closer scrutiny of a couple to be wed and tools for building a stronger marriage.  For the modern marriage that has been poorly developed, where issues seem irreconcilable, divorce might actually be advisable.  Are churches exempt from this way of thinking?

At the other end of the discussion, I believe that dialogue amongst United Methodists is a cornerstone of the denomination.  If we've become so embittered by the difference of our opinions that we can't constructively discuss them, then we've forgotten what it means to be United Methodist.  I certainly don't have a lock on everything theological - nor does anyone else.  I know that for each of these issues and what I believe about them, there is someone else at the other end of the spectrum.  I believe that we provide balance for each other.  We keep the conservative from becoming immovable and stubborn and we keep the progressive from abandoning thousands of years of tradition and theological development.

What do you think?