Beth Stroud defrocked
 

Beth is defrocked by Judicial Council of the UMC

It looks like the Judicial Council decided to follow the letter of the church law. So perhaps now, church law should be challenged!

I get so angry and frustrated with news like this. :mad: It depresses me when we have worked so hard to bring change to the church and things only get worse. Thanks Beth for standing up for us all.

I have such a range of reactions to all this. at the moment, I have the sense that the Judicial Council that made the ruling is acting like the Pharisees: "That's the church law; we can't let people go around breaking our laws and not do something about it." Yet, they don't see how damaging the law is to all of God's children.

the same Judicial Council also ruled that it's ok for UMC ministers to deny membership to individuals deemed unworthy, and in this particular case, it was a gay man who was denied membership.

Stroud etc.
 

Just thought I would drop a line to commiserate. I must admit, my pessimistic side thought they'd probably defrock Beth Stroud, but I was blindsided by the decision allowing a minister who denies membership to a gay man to continue with his "ministry." What can he teach about Jesus' radical
acceptance? How can he possibly lead a community of open, loving, forgiving individuals united in God's love, when he slams the door in the face of a man who wants to know God better? This is crazy. Does the United Methodist Church really have that many new members lining up at the door that it can afford to be this judgemental? Does it have that many ministers,
for that matter? I just read about Harry Knox, another would-have-been UMC minister, who was just appointed to a post in HRC, yesterday
(http://www.whosoever.org/v10i2/knox.shtml).

I know it's not all like this... but really. Do ministers now have the right to search their congregants for adulterers and hypocrites (biblically speaking, much more egregious) and toss them out on their ears? How can this possibly be for the good of the church?

It makes me heartsick to see the chuch I grew up in going down this road. I just wish I could say I were more surprised.

Challenging Church Law
 

As a member of the UMC, and Reconciling - I was very heartened to read the Council of Bishops reaction to that ruling

http://www.streetprophets.com/story/...1/3/13229/2762

2008 will be yet another interesting General Conference - and we RMN members have much to do to try and change the wind before then.