Their duty to their sexual proclevities and to those like them is greater than their duty to God.

Matthew 7.21-23

Looky here, can we recommend our Realtor, KJS? She’s first rate at disposing of church property, and if you’re going to start trying to leave your denomination and take the church with you, why, she’s the most experienced church realtor around!

The jury found the 44-year-old not guilty of a second charge of being a “self-avowed practicing homosexual.” That vote was 12-1.

What? According to the referenced article:

“DeLong said she told her supervisors years ago that she was in a lesbian relationship and felt comforted by the support and caring she received in response. She admitted later marrying the lesbian couple and said she was speaking out because she could no longer let protect the church’s policy. Church officials replied that their longstanding rules were clear.”

So the decision means that the United Methodists (or, not to tar the whole denomination with one brush, at least the ones involved in this case) are perfectly happy if you’re engaged in what we old-fashioned types quaintly refer to as “living in sin”, but try and get a blessing for that and you’re in trouble?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy they enforced church discipline, but I can see where the lady pastor got the wrong impression: she’s been living with her girlfriend for sixteen years and everyone was perfectly happy with that, but she does a church ceremony for a legally civilly-partnered couple who are in the same circumstances as she and her partner, and suddenly this is a bad thing?

Chris, remember that the Methodist church is the red-headed step-child of the Anglican church. There are many, many similarities between the two. One is that local church property ultimately belongs to the Conference, which is comparable to a diocese. It will be interesting to see how it plays out down the road.

Well, all I can say about the Methodists, given this:

help jurors recommend a penalty that could range from suspension to defrocking

is that they are going to have to significantly broaden the array of penalties if they hope ever to challenge the Spanish Inquisition’s reputation for rigor. Their current range of choices is scarcely worth the cost of newsprint to report on the penalty. And I am not even mentioning thoroughness in dealing with all the known infractions!

Pax et bonum,
Keith Töpfer

I will wait till a penalty’s been enforced before concluding that any meaningful discipline has happened. Maybe I’ve been jaded by Episcopalian experience, but I am half expecting a one-day suspension as punishment.

Had an interesting conversation with my retired Presbyterian minister father in law, his wife and their female pastor. All three are ready to walk out of the PCUSA, and the majority of the congregation is behind them.

If this was an Anglican diocese, you would call it the usual Fudge.

With Methodists, you call it Half-a**.

If defrocked, she can always go to the PCUSA since unchastity, adultery and sexual immorality will be just fine and dandy starting July 10, 2011. Oh, and you don’t have to be obedient to the Word of God either.

Darn it, I was way off. She got a twenty day suspension.