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(This minister is in open defiance of the General Rules of his denomination. Regardless of our opinions regarding gay marriage, we must acknowledge that this minister has a duty to uphold the standards of the organization to which he claims allegiance. If he cannot do so, he should leave the organization.
Even after being found guilty of breaking church law, he persists in his rebellion. By any standard, a defiant, rebellious minister is unsuitable for the ministry.
------------------------------- SPRING CITY, Pa. (AP) — A United Methodist minister convicted of breaking church law by officiating at the same-sex wedding of his son said Tuesday he is unrepentant, declaring he has been called by God to be an advocate for the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people. (God calls people to political positions?)
The Rev. Frank Schaefer, testifying at the penalty phase of his church trial in southeastern Pennsylvania, also refused to promise he wouldn’t perform another same-sex union. (He therefore needs to leave the Church. He has no other alternative.)
The church “needs to stop judging people based on their sexual orientation. (There's that well worn leftist hammer blow: judging. The Left never tires of its favorite biblical misrepresentation. But more to the point, hasn't Rev. Schaefer just made a judgment about the Church? Why aren't his judgments bad?) We have to stop the hate speech. We have to stop treating them as second-class Christians,” he told a jury of fellow United Methodist pastors.
A day after convicting him, the 13-member jury reconvened to decide his punishment following a church trial that has renewed debate over the denomination’s policies on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
Schaefer donned a rainbowcolored stole on the witness stand and told jurors it symbolized his commitment to the cause.
“I will never be silent again,” he said, as some of his supporters wept in the gallery. “This is what I have to do.” (Well, he can be just as talkative as he wants. That is his right. However, the Church is not required to grant him a podium.)
His declarations put him in jeopardy of being defrocked.
Jon Boger, who filed the initial complaint against Schaefer, was outraged by the pastor’s recalcitrance.
“Frank Schaefer sat here and openly rebuked the United Methodist Church, its policies, standards and doctrines,” Boger said. (Exactly. Rev. Schaefer is engaging in judgment, apparently unaware of his own irony.
The Rev. Frank Schaefer, testifying at the penalty phase of his church trial in southeastern Pennsylvania, also refused to promise he wouldn’t perform another same-sex union. (He therefore needs to leave the Church. He has no other alternative.)
The church “needs to stop judging people based on their sexual orientation. (There's that well worn leftist hammer blow: judging. The Left never tires of its favorite biblical misrepresentation. But more to the point, hasn't Rev. Schaefer just made a judgment about the Church? Why aren't his judgments bad?) We have to stop the hate speech. We have to stop treating them as second-class Christians,” he told a jury of fellow United Methodist pastors.
A day after convicting him, the 13-member jury reconvened to decide his punishment following a church trial that has renewed debate over the denomination’s policies on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
Schaefer donned a rainbowcolored stole on the witness stand and told jurors it symbolized his commitment to the cause.
“I will never be silent again,” he said, as some of his supporters wept in the gallery. “This is what I have to do.” (Well, he can be just as talkative as he wants. That is his right. However, the Church is not required to grant him a podium.)
His declarations put him in jeopardy of being defrocked.
Jon Boger, who filed the initial complaint against Schaefer, was outraged by the pastor’s recalcitrance.
“Frank Schaefer sat here and openly rebuked the United Methodist Church, its policies, standards and doctrines,” Boger said. (Exactly. Rev. Schaefer is engaging in judgment, apparently unaware of his own irony.
The Left never tolerates other points of view. It cannot leave people alone. A church is a voluntary association of people pursuing their private, consensual concerns. This is unacceptable to the Left. The Left demands absolute conformity throughout society. What it cannot achieve via external pressure it will attempt via infiltration. And because most people are tolerant and accepting, they allow these infiltrators a forum. Once they have acquired power, they begin to dismantle the organization, rebuilding it into their vision.
If people value their churches, their traditions, and their institutions, they would literally show these people the door at the first sign of trouble. There is no virtue in allowing usurpers into their midst. Remember, wolves in sheep's clothing, anyone?)
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