Posted on 05/28/2007 11:43:56 AM PDT by Zakeet
A United Methodist minister in Baltimore informed the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church of a name change, along with a change of gender. The former Rev. Ann Gordon now reportedly adopted a male identity as Rev. Drew Phoenix.
The issue will be discussed Thursday at a closed session during the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. The minister's name change is already reflected on her church's website, www.stjohnsbaltimore.org, Christian Newswire reported Tuesday.
In 2002, the Baltimore-Washington Conference had a similar controversy, when Rev. Richard Zimostny had a sex change operation and became Rebecca Steen. That minister's request to return to the active pastorate was ultimately sidetracked and Zimostny/Steen left the ministry.
The United Methodist Church has no explicitly stated, official policies regarding sexual identity changes or sex change operations, but does officially disapprove of homosexual behavior. Rev. Phoenix' congregation supports the "Reconciling" movement within United Methodism, which campaigns to overturn the church's official teachings on marriage and sexual ethics.
Institute for Religion and Democracy Director of UMAction Mark Tooley commented, "Christianity, in contrast to gnosticism and much of current popular culture in America, rejects the suggestion that sexual identity is merely a state of mind or a preference. Gender and physicality, in Christian and Jewish teaching, are intrinsically linked to God's order of creation, as first described in Genesis. The God whom we worship knew us as male or female before He created us. Gender is not a choice but a reality.
"Someone struggling with sexual identity issues needs the ministry and guidance of the church. But the church would be wrong to bless a so-called sexual identity change, with or without surgery."
ST. JOHN'S OF BALTIMORE CITY
A Reconciling United Methodist Congregation
WE WORSHIP A RADICALLY INCLUSIVE GOD!
More about the church, including their Monday and Wednesday T'ai Chi Classes, here.
The minister thanks Snap-On-Tools for their support.
They just use the religion angle for tax breaks and to provide a veneer of respectability for those yokels who have not caught on to their pernicious nature.
None of this would have happened if Methodist ministers were allowed to marry a man, er, a woman, er.....
I thought it was Strap-On-Tools...
(BTW: Ann ----------> Drew... Clever?)
Drew Phoenix? Where'd s/he get that name - a comic book?
Sounds like a porn name.
If she switches back, rumor has it that she will be named Amazon Rivers.
If God really wanted her to have a weenie.....
You discovered the Reverend's moonlighting gig.
.....he would have married one.
(There, I finished it for ya.) ;)
LOL, good one. That reminded me of a radio talk host that had people call in and tell him their first pet’s name and the name of the street they grew up on. Then you combine the pet’s name and the street name for your “porn name”. Mine turned out to be Ginger Swayze. LOL
And she's gonna get an addadicktomy. It's a brave new world.
Mine would be Skipper Haywood
Frisky Oakland
Remember.
This is equivalent to the Republicans signing on to the immigration bill. I guess the Methodists envy the schism in the Anglican fellowship.
You probably couldn’t tell it wasn’t a man (baby) anyway.
What Edwards and his gummy bears have done today is exactly the same as if his wife or other family member were to die and his opponents continued to campaign against him relentlessly without cutting him or his family any slack......pretty despicable bunch, aren’t they?
(posted this comment here because I suspect Edwards supporters would be interested in the progress of faggot activism trumpeted in this article)
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