Posted on 12/27/2004 4:37:48 AM PST by Woodworker
A Methodist minister who was defrocked for declaring that she is a lesbian living with her partner ... Ms. Stroud decided last week to appeal, but delayed the announcement until after Christmas weekend. ... Ms. Stroud said she hesitated to appeal because she is tired and dislikes being in the spotlight, but "there are questions the larger church needs to discuss and wrestle with." She said one factor in her decision was something retired Bishop Joseph Yeakel, the judge who presided at her church trial, said to her after the verdict. Bishop Yeakel told Ms. Stroud "the day will come when the church apologizes for this decision."
Ms. Stroud was tried by her own Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. The case now goes to an appeals panel of the Northeastern Jurisdiction, which covers 12 states and the District of Columbia. At the trial, Bishop Yeakel barred testimony from six witnesses for Ms. Stroud who oppose the Methodist ban, citing both legal and theological arguments. But the six filed material that is part of the trial record and the Northeastern Jurisdiction will review that. Ms. Stroud wants the appeals panel to consider that Methodist law, known as the Book of Discipline, "calls us a church to stand against every form of discrimination" and "treat all people as equally loved by God. When you look at those provisions of the Discipline and some of the prohibitions on homosexuality, you have to make a choice," she said. The six witnesses' filings made similar points.
The case originated last year when Ms. Stroud announced her same-sex partnership in a sermon. At the trial, an all-clergy jury voted 12-1 that she was guilty of violating Methodist law. In a subsequent penalty phase, jurors voted to defrock her by 7-6.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
Jesus loved the sinner. He also said, "Go forth and sin no more." Equally loved by God is not a "Get out of Hell Free" pass.
When are these people gonna get the second part???
Never. Theya re typical libs, they only hear and see what FITS THEIR BILL OF GOODS.
maybe someone can connect THIS thread with the one that ran yesterday about the Episcopal CHurch in the US closing 85 parishes and losing untold contributions after consecrating the homosexual bishop in NH.
Ms. Stroud's being homosexual is really HER affair, not the Church's. She's not banned from attending the Methodist church, simply from being one of its clergy. The church in Washington DC that the Clintons and Doles attended lost its pastor when he had an affair with a woman who was not his wife (and he was a superb preacher), so why would they not defrock a woman having a lesbian affair? Churches are entitled (required?)to have rules and standards for their clergy.
I don't think this has as much to do with laziness as it does with the outright desire to destory the foundations of our country. LOL Not that liberals are'nt lazy as a rule.
No, I think it's more than mere laziness. IMO the objective is to bend all institutions of "Traditional" Society to their will and, in the process, undermine them so as to render them meaningless in the affairs of all people.
This is a gigantic case of tail wagging the dog and it will not stop until people react in a serious way.
Pretty soon the gay priest will be breaching to row after row of empty pews. Hard to pay the heating and light bills with no parishoners.
But then the Boy Scouts would still exist, and there's the rub. They cannot abide any organization that does not tolerate, nay, PROMOTE their lifestyle. It's either convert or destroy for them. Sound familiar?
no, to be homophobic you would have to be doing or saying something that is very wrong. To see homosexuality as sin is not wrong, therefore, you can not be homophobic.
Thanks, agree. Was just presaging the typical accusation foisted on anyone who has a disagreement with any "Victimized" minority. :-)
Isaiah 3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
They already have the Uniterian and a few others who embrace all forms of sexuality.
Wise Up: We tried to kill off Usama's philosophy by shutting off his funding. Aren't we doing the same thing by shutting off funds to the Boy Scouts? and other organizations who promote "GOODNESS" via Christianity?
We had a gay priest who took half the congregation with him. I should look around and see if he is still "fat calfing" it at the expense of these liberals. I bet not...but hey, it worked for a while. He was having a blast....ordaining female priests, marrying homosexuals....doing his own thing. Unfornately, the church moved too slowly on the matter.
Ping!
Yea like is the church ever going to start listening to the word of God and call queers un-natural? And yes God loves everyone regardless of their sin, but He doesn't love their sin and at same time He offers them salvation He says "go and sin no more."
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