Judicial Council Screws Up
This news was enough to rouse me from my long blogging slumber. The UMC Judicial Council has ruled that a pastor has the right to refuse church membership to a person because they are gay. See the UMNS report here. I don't care where you stand on the issue of homosexuality, this is just plain wrong. The UMC has always had open membership. This strikes at the very foundation of what it means to be Church. And there is absolutely no justification for this ruling. Listen to the dissent position from Council member Rev. Susan T. Henry-Crowe:
"This decision compromises the historic understanding that the Church is open to all. The Judicial Council cannot interpret something that is not stated in the Discipline. Nothing in the Discipline gives pastors discretion to exclude persons presenting themselves for membership in the Church."
This is just pure bigotry, and as far as I can tell, has no biblical, theological, or ecclesiastical justification. How ironic that on the Feast of All Saints, when we are supposed to be celebrating the contributions of the entire Body of Christ, that the Judicial Council decides that it needs to make some amputations. For shame.
"This decision compromises the historic understanding that the Church is open to all. The Judicial Council cannot interpret something that is not stated in the Discipline. Nothing in the Discipline gives pastors discretion to exclude persons presenting themselves for membership in the Church."
This is just pure bigotry, and as far as I can tell, has no biblical, theological, or ecclesiastical justification. How ironic that on the Feast of All Saints, when we are supposed to be celebrating the contributions of the entire Body of Christ, that the Judicial Council decides that it needs to make some amputations. For shame.
posted by david at 10:26 AM
3 Comments:
Amen. God, how utterly sickening.
Mary Ann
I know how you feel, I think, though it's probably worse for you because you're further along in the ordination process then I am. I will probably become a declared candidate tonight. It' won't feel as good as it should.
I'm glad to see that you're back. I suppose this is probably a "technically" correct decision, but how can this be good for the church, much less our souls? Maybe we should start kicking out Democrats, adulterers, those who covet, etc. It makes me ashamed to be a Methodist.
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