Glossary
Hospitality
Hospitality is the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers. It is the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way. Synonyms are warmth, cordiality, geniality, friendliness. (From www.dictionary.com)
Hospitality is the attitude and practice of providing the atmosphere and opportunities, however risky, in which strangers are free to become friends, thereby feeling accepted, included, and loved. The relationship thus opens up the possibility for eventual communion among the host, the stranger, and God. (Steve Clapp, Fred Bernhard, and Ed Bontrager. Deep & Wide, Hospitality and the Faithful Church. Fort Wayne, IN: LifeQuest; 2008, p. 21)
Hospitality involves recognizing the presence of Christ in family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and complete strangers. It means responding to others as we would respond to the presence of Christ in our midst.(Steve Clapp, Fred Bernhard, and Ed Bontrager. Deep & Wide, Hospitality and the Faithful Church. Fort Wayne, IN: LifeQuest; 2008, p. 22)
Six Degrees of Separation
Popularized by American playwright John Guare, who in 1990 wrote a play by that name that was released as a film in 1993. The idea is to choose any person from the 1.5 billion inhabitants of the earth - anyone
Protective factors
Protective factors make it less likely that individuals will consider or attempt suicide. Protective factors include access to effective care, restricted access to lethal means, community support, coping skills, and strong family connections.
Risk factors
Risk factors make it more likely that individuals will consider or attempt suicide. Risk factors include such things as harassment, victimization, discrimination, lack of support, dropping out of school, family problems, suicide attempts by acquaintances, homelessness, substance abuse, and psychiatric disorders.
Inclusiveness
Inclusiveness means openness, acceptance, and support that enables all persons to participate in the life of the Church, the community, and the world; therefore, inclusiveness denies every semblance of discrimination. The services of worship of every local church of The United Methodist Church shall be open to all persons.
The mark of an inclusive society is one in which all persons are open, welcoming, fully accepting, and supporting of all other persons, enabling them to participate fully in the life of the church, the community, and the world.
Source: Part III, The Ministry of All Christians, Section VI. Called to Inclusiveness, 139, The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church-2008. Nashville, TN: United Methodist Publishing House; 2008.
Full Inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People
Full inclusion would mean applying the Discipline's definitions of inclusiveness to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people with no exceptions, no one left out, and no semblance of discrimination or second-class citizenship. That would means that all rights, responsibilities, and privileges of being part of the family of God were accorded equally--that no one would be excluded from membership, ordination, baptism, leadership roles, blessing of relationships or marriages, or anything else because of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church
A fundamental book outlining the law, doctrine, administration, organizational work and procedures of The United Methodist Church. Each General Conference amends The Book of Discipline, and the actions of the General Conference are reflected in the quadrennial revision. Often referred to as The Discipline.
Source: Sharing God's Gifts Glossary of United Methodist Terms.
The Social Principles
A document setting forth the basic position of The United Methodist Church on important social issues. The Social Principles represent the effort of the General Conference to speak to human issues in the contemporary world from a sound biblical and theological foundation. The Social Principles document is reviewed by each General Conference and is printed in full in The Book of Discipline
Source: A Dictionary for United Methodists, Alan K. Waltz, Copyright 1991, Abingdon Press.
The Book of Resolutions
The volume containing the text of all resolutions or pronouncements on issues approved by the General Conference and currently valid. The Book of Resolutions contains not only the resolutions and policy statements passed by the most recent General Conference, but also all such statements still considered to represent the position of The United Methodist Church. The text of any resolution is considered the official position of the denomination on that subject.
Source: A Dictionary for United Methodists, Alan K. Waltz, Copyright 1991, Abingdon Press.
General Conference
The highest legislative body in The United Methodist Church. The voting membership consists of an equal number of clergy and lay delegates elected by the annual conferences. General Conference convenes every quadrennium (four years) to determine the denomination's future direction. It is the only body that can speak officially for the denomination.
Source: Sharing God's Gifts Glossary of United Methodist Terms.
General Council on Finance and Administration
The agency that administers the finances and serves as the central treasurer of the denomination. As such it receives and disburses all general funds. The general agencies are accountable to the Council of their fiscal administration. The Council reports to and receives direction from the General Conference. Its offices are in Evanston, Illinois.
Source: A Dictionary for United Methodists, Alan K. Waltz, Copyright 1991, Abingdon Press.
Sexual Orientation
Our internal experience of being physically and romantically attracted to people with particular characteristics, including their biological sex. Everyone has a sexual orientation; we may call ourselves heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or something else.
Heterosexuality
An enduring romantic, emotional, and/or sexual attraction toward people of the other sex. The term "straight" is commonly used to refer to heterosexual people.
Source: A Time to Seek: Study Guide on Sexual and Gender Diversity, Debra Haffner and Tim Palmer. Westport, CT: Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing; 2006. (free download)
Homosexuality
An enduring romantic, emotional, and/or sexual attraction toward people of the same sex. The term gay can refer to homosexual women or men, while the term lesbian refers only to homosexual women.
Source: A Time to Seek: Study Guide on Sexual and Gender Diversity, Debra Haffner and Tim Palmer. Westport, CT: Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing; 2006. (free download)
Bisexuality
An enduring, romantic, emotional, and/or sexual attraction toward people of all sexes. A person who identifies as bisexual may have relationships with a partner of the other sex or the same sex. A bisexual person may be more attracted to one sex than the other, be equally attracted to women and men, or consider sexual orientation and gender unimportant.
Source: A Time to Seek: Study Guide on Sexual and Gender Diversity, Debra Haffner and Tim Palmer. Westport, CT: Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing; 2006. (free download)
LGBT
A collective abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Some versions of the abbreviation include "Q," which can refer to people who are questioning or who prefer the term "queer"; some include"I" for intersex and "A" for ally.
Transgender
An umbrella term that refers to a wide range of people whose gender identity or gender expression differs significantly from what society expects of their biological sex.
Intersex
An umbrella term that refers to people who have physical or genetic attributes that are considered atypical for either males or females. For example, a boy may be born with a smaller-than-usual penis, or a girl with a larger-than-usual clitoris. Sometimes genitals are ambiguous, and some intersex conditions may not be visible at birth.
Biological Sex
Our physical anatomy-male or female or reflecting a range of variations in parts and chromosomal makeup, some of which may not be evident at birth.
Assigned Sex
The declaration at birth that a person is female or male based on what that person's biological sex appears to be.
Gender Identity
Our internalized, deeply felt sense of being male, female, both, or neither. Gender identity may or may not match a person's biological sex.
Gender Expression
The external ways we express our gender, including clothing and jewelry, hairstyle, mannerisms, way of speaking, and interests, as well as how we walk, play, and use our hands. How we express gender may or may not align with society's expectations for our biological sex or our internal gender identity.
Questioning
Some individuals don't identify with any of the current terms that define sexual orientation or gender identity; others are struggling to understand their own sexual orientation or gender identity. They may choose to refer to themselves as "questioning," "third gender," or "gender queer," or they may choose to use no term at all.
Source: A Time to Seek: Study Guide on Sexual and Gender Diversity, Debra Haffner and Tim Palmer. Westport, CT: Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing; 2006. (free download)
Heterosexism
Like racism or sexism, this term refers to the privileging of heterosexuality over other sexual orientations, or to the assumption or assertion that a particular orientation-in this case, heterosexuality-is the preferred cultural norm.
Source: A Time to Seek: Study Guide on Sexual and Gender Diversity, Debra Haffner and Tim Palmer. Westport, CT: Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing; 2006. (free download)
Homophobia
Fear, dislike, or hatred of, or prejudice against, homosexuality and homosexual people.
Source: A Time to Seek: Study Guide on Sexual and Gender Diversity, Debra Haffner and Tim Palmer. Westport, CT: Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing; 2006. (free download)
Reparative or Conversion Therapy
Therapy aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation. All major national mental health organizations have officially expressed concerns about therapies promoted to modify sexual orientation. To date, there has been no scientifically adequate research to show that therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation (sometimes called reparative or conversion therapy) is safe or effective. Furthermore, it seems likely that the promotion of change therapies reinforces stereotypes and contributes to a negative climate for lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons. This appears to be especially likely for lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals who grow up in more conservative religious settings.
Source: American Psychological Association.
There is no published scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of "reparative therapy" as a treatment to change one's sexual orientation….
Source: American Psychiatric Association.
