Melvin E. Wheatley (May 7, 1915 – March 1, 2009) was a bishop best known for appointing the first openly gay pastor in the United Methodist Church.
Melvin E. Wheatley | |
|---|---|
 Melvin E. Wheatley Jr. in 1936 | |
| Born | Melvin Ernest Wheatley Jr. May 7, 1915 Lewisville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 1, 2009 (aged 93) |
| Education | American University (BA) Drew Theological School |
| Occupations |
|
| Title | Former bishop of the United Methodist Church |
| Spouse |
Lucille Elizabeth Maris
(m. 1939) |
| Children | 3 |
Biography
editBackground
editWheatley was born in Lewisville, Pennsylvania, the son and grandson of Methodist ministers.[1]
Education
editWheatley was a well-rounded and popular honor student at American University in Washington, DC with a major in religion. In his senior year not only was he president of the Student Council, but president of the Student Christian Association, and captain of the basketball team.[2]
He went on to earn a divinity degree at Drew University in New Jersey.[3]
Early career
editWhile at Drew, Wheatley served as an assistant instructor in the department of Biblical literature. He also taught philosophy for one semester at Modesto Junior College.[4]
After graduating from Drew in 1939, Wheatley's first pulpit assignment was in Lincoln, Delaware. Three years later, he served as associate pastor of First Methodist Church in Fresno, California.[4]
Lifelong supporter of diversity and inclusion
editDuring World War II, while in Fresno, he raised eyebrows, when he moved into the home of a Japanese family that had been sent to an internment camp in order to prevent their place from being vandalized.[1][3]
In 1964, while serving as pastor of the Westwood United Methodist Church near the campus of UCLA, he exchanged pulpits with Rev. L.L. White of Holman in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, a Methodist church with a predominantly Black congregation.[1]
In 1972, Wheatley was appointed a bishop of the United Methodist Church. The same year, the Church took its first official stand against homosexuality. At the Church's 1980 General Conference he was the only bishop that refused to sign a statement condemning homosexuality.[1]
In 1981, Julian Rush, an associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Boulder, Colorado, was under fire when he came out as gay. Wheatley, who was the bishop of the Rocky Mountain Conference which includes the entire state of Colorado, hoped that a compromise could be reached that would allow Rush to stay at his post.[1]
When an agreement could not be reached with First Methodist, in a controversial move, Wheatley assigned Rush to the St. Paul United Methodist Church in Denver, which had a significant number of openly gay congregants. This was the first time that a United Methodist bishop appointed an openly gay pastor. Prior to the appointment, Wheatley wrote a letter to all of the ministers in the Conference in support of Rush which included the following statement:
Homosexuality quite like heterosexuality is neither a virtue nor an accomplishment. Homosexual orientation is a mysterious gift of God's grace communicated through an exceedingly complex set of chemical, biological, chromosomal, hormonal, environmental, developmental factors totally outside my homosexual friends' control. Their homosexuality is a gift, neither a virtue nor a sin. What they do with their homosexuality, however, is definitely their personal, moral and spiritual responsibility. Their behavior as homosexuals may be very sinful---brutal, exploitive, selfish, promiscuous, superficial. Their behavior as homosexuals, on the other hand, may be beautiful---tender, considerate, loyal, other-centered, profound.[1][5][6]
In 1984, Wheatley retired to Laguna Woods in Orange County, California.[1]
Personal life
editHe married Lucile Maris in June 1939.[3] His wife was a vocalist that sang with various church choirs.[4] This union produced three sons. His son John came out as gay to the family in 1973.[1]
Death
editWheatley died March 1, 2009, in Mission Viejo, California, after a long illness. He was survived by his wife, sons Paul and James, and three grandchildren. John died of melanoma in 1984.[1]
“So many gay men and women who have been ministers in the church were in essence thrown under the bus. He kept that from happening to me,” Rush, who remained a minister in good standing, told The Los Angeles Times shortly after Wheatley's death. “He really pushed the bishops in the church to start reevaluating. There has been a huge upheaval since then, which has been very healthy.”[1]
See also
editPaul Abels
Homosexuality and Methodism
Gene Leggett
LGBT-affirming religious groups
Karen Oliveto
Reconciling Ministries Network
Julian Rush
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Woo, Elran (15 March 2009). "Melvin E. Wheatley dies at 93; Methodist bishop caused a stir by appointing gay pastor". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
In 1980 he broke with fellow bishops when he refused to support their joint statement calling homosexuality "incompatible with Christian teaching." Two years later, he appointed an openly gay pastor, the Rev. Julian Rush, to a Denver church and was accused of heresy but was absolved by a national church panel.
- ^ Eicher, Maynard; Snavely, Jean, eds. (1936). "Aucola". Washington, DC: The Students of the College of Liberal Arts of The American University. p. 53 – via ancestry.com.
Big-Man-On-Campus? Yes, but, Mel is so much more than that. Mel is calm and unhurried. Mel has a gentle twinkle in his eye and a friendly smile; he has kindly humor, and willing selflessness.
- ^ a b c Culver, Virginia (10 March 2009). "Bishop stood with gays amid great odds". Denver Post. Denver, Colorado. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
Wheatley was a regional bishop of the church in the 1980s in Denver. Around that time, he forced the denomination to face the issue of homosexuality when he defended an openly gay man, the Rev. Julian Rush.
- ^ a b c "Modesto pastor gets local pulpit". Stockton Record. Stockton, California. 22 June 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via newspapers.com.
While in the seminary at Drew University he served as assistant instructor in the department of Biblical literature and at Modesto Junior College he served a semester teaching philosophy.
- ^ Hart Merrick, Lee (2001). Julian Rush-Facing the Music: A Gay Methodist Minister's Story. Lincoln, Nebraska: Writers Club Press. p. 58. ISBN 0595196586.
Homosexual orientation is a mysterious gift of God's grace communicated through an exceedingly complex set of chemical, biological, chromosomal, hormonal, environmental, developmental factors totally outside my homosexual friends' control.
- ^ "Bishop insists on appointing homosexual". Latrobe Bulletin. Latrobe, Pennsylvania. 12 April 1982. p. 11. Retrieved 31 March 2024 – via newspapers.com.
A United Methodist bishop is standing firm on his decision to appoint a homosexual minister to a Denver church and says he isn't bothered by the possible church trial that could result.
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