Posted on 10/31/2005 9:36:14 AM PST by xzins
Disciplinary news from the Methodist case on the ex-Rev Shroud, a self-avowed, practicing lesbian who defied the denominational rules. First, she was convicted and defrocked by her annual conference. She appealed to the regional (Jurisdictional) committee and they overturned the conviction (and defrocking) on a process technicality.
The denomination's highest court (The Judicial Council has just upheld the original conviction and defrocking.
One other important case (The Johnson vs Viriginia Bishop Kammerer case) remains to be decided. Johnson was unfairly fired from his church by his radical, liberal bishop when he refused to accept into membership an unrepentant, self-avowed, non-celibate homosexual who refused to consider stopping his self-destructive behavior. (The Methodist guidelines (Discipline & Member Vows) say: 1. Homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, and 2. The new member renounces all sin.)
We expect the Virginia bishop to be overturned.
Statement from Bishop Marcus Matthews regarding the Judicial Council decision in the case of Irene Elizabeth Stroud
October 31, 2005
Today, the Judicial Council of The United Methodist Church announced its decision in the case of Irene Elizabeth (Beth) Stroud to reverse the Northeastern Jurisdictional Committee on Appeals decision, and to reinstate both the guilty verdict of the trial court of thirteen of Stroud's peers, and the penalty that revoked Stroud's clergy credentials. In a church trial in December of 2004, Stroud was found guilty of violating a United Methodist Church law that was in effect in April 2003 when she declared that she was in covenanted, homosexual relationship. That law states that self-avowed, practicing homosexuals are not to be ordained or appointed.
Stroud appealed the verdict and penalty, and on April 29, 2005, the Northeastern Jurisdiction Committee on Appeals overturned the trial court's verdict and penalty, citing legal error, and restored Stroud's clergy standing. The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference then filed an appeal with the United Methodist Church's top court, the Judicial Council. In an open hearing on October 27, representatives of Stroud and The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference were each allowed 30 minutes to present their arguments. Deliberations of the Judicial Council followed the hearing.
The Judicial Council specified in its decision that Stroud was "accorded all fair and due process rights enumerated in the Discipline and in Judicial Council decisions." The council additionally decided that the Committee on Appeals was without jurisdiction to declare that para. 304.3 of the Discipline established a new standard of doctrine contrary to established doctrine. That law declares, "Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church."
Further, the council decided that legal error did not occur in respect to the law as it was stated to or deliberated by the trial court. There is no further appeals process in this case. Church law is made or changed by a vote of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church, when clergy and lay representatives of the worldwide denomination gather every four years. The next General Conference will be held in the spring of 2008.
Please continue to keep The United Methodist Church, in particular its bishops, pastors, and other leaders, in your prayers.
ping
"Stroud rounds third and is headed to the plate. Here come the throw and she is ..... OUT!!
On other news, the Methodists have announced that player Beth Stroud has been traded to the Episcopalians for 210 disgruntled players"
She can always join the Capenters' Union since he specializes in tongue-in-groove.
Great nrws for your denomination. May this be a continuation of your church's efforts to rid itself of humanist influences.
Good news for your team, padre!
Do you think the ELCA could borrow the Methodist's Judicial Council?
The good news is they made the right decision.
The bad news is that it took so much effort to make that decision.
The correct decision was originally taken. The technicality used to overturn that decision was a pretext by a very liberal regional appeals committee.
Many don't know that the rights of accused persons in the Methodist church are nearly identical to the American legal system.
It's very hard to falsely accuse someone in our denomination. On the other hand, that means an accuser really has to have his ducks in a row to make it stick.
I have no problem with that kind of protection.
Actually, the good guys are winning.
Thank you.
Their losses are beginning to tell on them.
Retired bishop and radical liberal, Joseph Sprague, wrote a "cryin' in muh beer" article lamenting their many losses to those conservative Christians. He didn't sound upbeat at all.
I'm not trying to cast dispersions on the Methodists. All churches are having this problem. It just seems to me when a minister states that they are an active homosexual/lesbian and proud of the fact, it shouldn't take a trial and an accuser to boot them out the door. Something tells me this isn't the end of the story.
Homosexual Agenda Ping.
I agree - those in the Methodist Church making these decisions do need our prayers. Maybe they can throw off the relativist/faux Christians who want to turn the Methodist Church into another ECUSA (did I get that acronym right?). Fight the good fight.
Freepmail me if you want on/off this pinglist.
Note: Some more detail on the homosexual who was refused membership, and what happened to the minister who did the right thing. Hope he's re-instated.
Kudos to the Methodists, in any case.
Hello,
Is there a "family tree" available as to the different types of Methodists and the differences?
Just curious so I have some idea of what context this article should be judged in.
how can you post this good of news without a link I spam people with?
LOL
Er, I don't know of a family tree diagram offhand, but the rundown is...
United Methodist Church (direct descendant of the original American Methodist denomination, The Methodist Episcopal Church). Mainline denomination, liberal and conservative wings.
Free Methodist Church (split from Methodist Episcopal Church in 1860s[?]). Holiness Movement denomination; predominantly -- if not totally -- conservative.
The Wesleyan Church (descended from a split with the MEC in 1840s). Also Holiness Movement denomination. Predominantly conservative.
The Evangelical Methodist Church (1940s split from The Methodist Church, the UMC's immediate predecessor). Also Holiness Movement. Also conservative.
There are also The Association of Independent Methodists, the Congregational Methodist Church, the Southern Methodist Church, the Bible Methodist Church, etc. All of these are conservative and are part of the Holiness Movement.
The major difference between the UMC and all the other Methodist derivatives (including almost all Pentecostals, if you go far enough back) is that the UMC has the lion's share of theological liberals. Even then, they are not the majority--just the ones who have held power for some time.
That, and more eschatological leeway is given in the UMC than in any other group excepting perhaps the Assoc. of Independent Methodists and the Congregational Methodists. The Evangelical Methodists, the Wesleyans, the Free Methodists, the Southern Methodists, etc., tend to have statements of faith that espouse Premillenial Dispensationalism.
Hallelujah! Score one for the Good Guys.
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