Should I Stay or Should I Go?

That's the question Mick Jones sang about in the great Clash hit of 1981, and it's a question that most of us -- no, all of us -- will ask at some point about a relationship we're in, be it personal or professional or organizational. I experienced this quandary many years ago at a mission-driven non-profit I worked at. Because our ideals and conceptions of justice were involved, differences were acutely felt. How long to fight the good fight and contribute in the role of loyal opposition? That's a tough question. Often the best answer is to move on, especially if one's health and well being are being impacted, which became the case for me. Determining the right cut-off line is the trick, and mostly it's gotten right only in hindsight.

All across the US, members of mainline Christian denominations are asking themselves this question because of debates around same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy. Now, for me, these things are unambiguously good. But I'm not a member of those denominations, or of any church. Many congregations are leaving because of their opposition to these developments, and I think that can be the right choice for them. People practice their religion because of their concern for the ultimate questions and a desire to live right, so I'm sure no one on any side of these issues takes their decisions lightly.

Here's a very interesting, in-depth account at Slate of the current struggle within the Methodist church over these matters. It details the questions members grapple with as they consider the worst-case scenario for believers: schism.