Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Oregon Bound: Day One

I made it on the longest leg of the route. It took me about 9 hours. Not too bad. It was funny, during the last about 15 minutes of the drive I got two business calls, one from Denver and one from Salem. It was a little odd. The Denver call was asking me to play at a service at Iliff. I can't do it. The Salem call was firming up details for the service that I'm preaching on this Sunday.

The audiobook that I'e been listening to, Ireland is great. It's really engaging. I'd recommend it.

Well, tomorrow, I'm off to Haines. Probably won't get a chance to blog there.

Friday, May 27, 2005

School's Out!!

I just turned in my last assignment today. It's done. I am off of school for three months. Yeah!! It's been a long Spring quarter.

Anyway, that means that I'll be heading out on my summer pilgrimage to Oregon soon. Next Tuesday, in fact. I've got my listening scheudle ready to go for the 20 hours of driving. I call it my Celtic Road Trip. I'm listening to an audiobook called Ireland by Frank Delaney. Then I'm interspacing that with Altan's Another Sky album, also new to me. Finally, if there is still time left, I'm closing up with House of Pain's self titled album.

So, I'll be heading out on Tuesday the 31st and staying with my friend Jon in Tooele, Utah. Then on to my grandma's in Haines, Oregon on the 1st. And finally to my parents' in Salem, Oregon on the 2nd. I'm looking forward to Brian and the fam and with Colby. And I have 5 preaching gigs lined up so far. Two at Salem First UMC, then McCabe/Dundee UMCs, West Salem UMC, and Englewood UMC. Should be a good time.

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Iliff Evening Away

These pictures are late, but we had a great time dressing up for the Iliff Evening Away, themed this year as Iliff Circa 1905. Click on me to see the whole album.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

All Good Things...

The quarter and year are coming to end at Iliff. I have 2.5 weeks left, and 2 papers. Only about 12 pages total. Not bad at all. About 500 pages of reading, but only 12 of writing.

This summer I'll be spending quite a bit of time back home in Oregon. I'm excited to see my parents and hang out with friends. I'm also glad to be going back to Annual Conference and to Methodist churches back home. Plus, I really miss the rain. It hardly ever rains here, and when it does, it's just not real rain. Tragic.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Stroud Reversal II

Brian makes a good point in my last post that the committee cited legal errors as the reason for the reversal. However these errors seem to have a fairly global nature. It seems like if we follow the committees logic then additional legislation or Judicial Council rulings would be required before anyone could be successfully convicted. Check out this excerpt from the UMNS:

The committee noted two legal errors.

In the first, it cited an earlier ruling by the United Methodist Church’s supreme court, the Judicial Council, regarding the rights of ordained elders—"members in full connection"—to an appointment or ministry in the church.

"It is the judgment of the committee that Judicial Council Decision No. 702, which binds this committee, makes it legal error to try, convict and deprive a member in full connection of her right to an appointment pursuant to Paragraphs 304.3 and 2702.1(b) of the Book of Discipline, when, as in this case, neither the General Conference nor the pertinent annual conference has defined the words, ‘practicing homosexual’ and ‘status.’"

The General Conference is the church’s top legislative assembly.

Second, the committee wrote that "legal error was committed by trying and convicting (Stroud) on the basis of Paragraph 304.3 because that provision constitutes a ‘new standard or rule of doctrine’ which has not been declared by the General Conference to be ‘not contrary’ to the present standards, in violation of the First Restrictive Rule and paragraph 102 of the Discipline."

The First Restrictive Rule, found in the church’s constitution, states that the General Conference shall not establish any new standards or rules of doctrine contrary to the church’s existing standards of doctrine.


If I'm reading this correctly, the committee found that Paragraph 304.3 is in effect out of order since they are defining as a "new doctrine" and it hasn't yet met the requirements of the Restrictive Rules. That ruling seems to put any future convictions in jeopardy. Assuming other UM bodies listen to this ruling, then it effectively freezes homosexuality trials until either a Judicial Council ruling or the action of the next General Conference in 2008. That's my reading, anyway.