Major church splits over sexuality and theology

The United Methodist Church, a mainstay of the American religious landscape, has cut ties with 58 churches in its Louisiana conference amid a nationwide schism within the Protestant denomination. The disaffiliations, approved in a virtual conference session on Saturday, local time, were the latest in a series of decisions that many Louisiana churches have made in recent weeks to leave the national congregation. Internal tensions over sexuality and theology have roiled the church. The congregation’s delegates voted 487-35 in favour of the departures. The disaffiliations required support from two-thirds of the delegates.