General Conference 2008

Don't ask don't tell

Okay, I have discovered that I have to be more disciplined about blogging.  Maybe i do and maybe I don't have any original thoughts, but I am going to express them any way.  We shall see if it makes any sense at all.  I am going to say what comes to my mind....It occurred to me today that I could actually be putting some of my gay friends, family, or associates, who happen to be United Methodist Pastors, at risk just by mentioning their name in this blog.  It is possible that some of the folks who are so adamantly against anyone gay entering or remaining a United Methodist clergy could comb this blog site, take names, and sentence them to death siting the Old Testament.  Or they could turn their names into the Bishop for punishment....Then as I took this further in my mind I started thinking about my experiences as member and chair of Staff Parish Relations Committees in 2 United Methodist Churches...The situations and personalities that I encountered  led to divorce of one pastor and other mean and nasty things but yet they don't want people that I know, who happen to be gay (not be choice but by nature) who are moral, ethical and caring people, to become Pastors in this Church...My Church..(I love that piece of the Reconciling Ministries video in which the guy says "Hey, they are talking about ME...they want to keep ME out"  or something like that.....It began to get absurd and make me mad...I began to think that if this was anything else (except the armed services) somebody would be getting sued.  If a person is baptised in the U Meth faith and told that they are a child of God how can they become not so?  I keep trying to reconcile myself, thinking this is just one issue in our Church, but daggonit, this is serious.  This flies in the face of  Jesus...This is my Church too and I strongly disagree with Don't Ask Don't Tell.  I think rational thinking people know that people do not choose their sexuality....People who are not heterosexual can be just as moral or immoral as anyone.  Generalizing any population is bad business...Enough....

Justice

My name is Stephen.  This is my first ever effort as a blogger.  I have never even read another person's blog, but I think i get the idea.  I am the father of two sons and one daughter in law.  My wife, Leigh, and I are anxiously awaiting our first grandchild.  We are also awaiting the events of General Conference 2008, hoping that our church's Open Hearts, Open Doors, Open Minds refrain is real.

One of my sons is a Deacon in the United Methodist Church.  He has always fought injustice and bigotry.  I have always admired that about him.  He and I stand together in opposition to the current U Methodist position which discriminates against people on the basis of their sexuality. 

I believe that our sexuality is part of who we are and not something that we choose.  I do not pretend to understand all of the reasons for the spectrum of sexuality and I think it is arrogant of others to presume that they do.  Exclusion is not the way of Jesus.  He did not suggest that anyone should be excluded for any reason. I'll take my cue from Him.

I'll have more to say.......