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A Case Study on Clerical Dissension in the United Methodist Church Erin E Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2015 The am rriage division: a case study on clerical dissension in the United Methodist Church Erin E. Meek Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Meek, Erin E., "The am rriage division: a case study on clerical dissension in the United Methodist Church" (2015). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 14601. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/14601 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The marriage division: A case study on clerical dissension in the United Methodist Church by Erin E. Meek A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major: Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies Program of Study Committee: Adam Foley, Co-Major Professor Susan Stewart, Co-Major Professor Robin Veldman Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2015 Copyright © Erin E. Meek, 2015 All rights reserved. ii DEDICATION To so many who helped me in completing this study- thank you seems far too perfunctory to express my gratitude. I share the credit for this composition with you, just as you shared the workload with me. To my parents- had it not been for your undying support, even in the face of that which you did not understand, I would not have had the opportunity to do this work that I love. Thank you for always reminding me where I come from and where I have the potential to go. To my son- thank you for your warm and loving greetings after I had been gone writing for days, which seemed like years when I saw how much you had changed. I hope to share this with you some day, but in the meantime I will joyously settle for being able to join you for your soccer games and sing with you before bedtime. To my wife- there is no universe, no point in time or space that I would have been able to complete this without you. My gratitude is as immeasurable. You took sole responsibility for our home and our family, giving me the greatest gift any scholar can ask for: time. No matter how difficult it became you never protested. I am in awe of you. I look forward to thanking you for that invaluable time with home-cooked meals, living room dancing, and last minute adventures. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................. vii NOMENCLATURE ................................................................................................. viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................ ix ABSTRACT………………………………. .............................................................. x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH ............................................. 1 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................... 7 Relevant Theoretical Frameworks ...................................................................... 8 Institutionalization ........................................................................................ 8 Trauma of change as resistance .................................................................... 10 Use of social power and capital ..................................................................... 11 A Brief History and Structural Overview of the United Methodist Church ....... 13 Moments of Dissension ....................................................................................... 14 Slavery and racial prejudice in the nineteenth century .................................. 15 Civil rights movement ................................................................................... 16 Historical Perspectives on Same-Sex Marriage .................................................. 16 Global and Domestic Struggles .......................................................................... 20 Inclusion and Same-Sex Marriage in the Church ................................................ 22 Current UMC language and interpretations ................................................... 24 Actively resisting change ...................................................................... 27 Gay and lesbian visibility............................................................................... 28 Current activism and allyship ........................................................................ 29 Current state of the denomination .................................................................. 31 CHAPTER 3 METHODS AND METHODOLOGY .......................................... 32 Qualitative Research Design ............................................................................... 32 Use of grounded theory .................................................................................. 33 Positionality of the researcher ........................................................................ 33 Reflexivity............................................................................................. 34 Case study methodology ................................................................................ 35 Why the UMC? .................................................................................................... 35 Pastor Adams ....................................................................................................... 36 iv A young pastor ............................................................................................... 37 Role as an ally ................................................................................................ 38 Research Site ........................................................................................................ 39 Data Collection .................................................................................................... 41 Intensive interviews ....................................................................................... 41 Pilot interviews .................................................................................... 42 Sampling .............................................................................................. 43 Member checking ................................................................................. 45 Interview tools, transcriptions, and coding .......................................... 45 Protection of privacy and confidentiality ....................................................... 46 Summary ......................................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .................................................... 48 Participant descriptions ........................................................................................ 48 Pastor Adams ................................................................................................ 49 Ms. B ......................................................................................................... 49 Mr. C ......................................................................................................... 50 Mr. D ......................................................................................................... 50 Mr. E ......................................................................................................... 50 Superintendent F ............................................................................................ 51 Mr. G ......................................................................................................... 51 Ms. H ......................................................................................................... 51 Ms. I ......................................................................................................... 52 Ms. J ......................................................................................................... 52 2012 Statement..................................................................................................... 53 Use of Grounded Theory to Develop Overarching Themes and Subthemes ....... 55 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 56 Dialogue ........................................................................................................ 56 A “culture of silence” ........................................................................... 57 Education/ miseducation ...................................................................... 60 Exposure .............................................................................................. 62 Forced discourse .................................................................................. 64 Congregational response to Pastor Adams .......................................... 65 Generational concerns .................................................................................... 69 Aging
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