In a sort of follow-up to the post concerning the sacking of Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, we have a Methodist (now-ex) minister who decided that the Methodist Church had no authority to refrain from approving gay marriages. Typical of the new radicals, who will not leave organizations that actually support core teachings but rather will stay to destroy the edifice from within, he performed a marriage ceremony for his son. He then promptly refused to recognize his defrocking that followed and stated that he will not leave the position that he no longer has.
Again, this is how the Left and their allies have worked for the last few decades. In the past, if one hated the teachings of abortion, they would simply leave the church. Saul Alinky's followers, however, have realized that that can do far more damage by remaining in place and tearing the place apart by actions and words that are often more contrary to (for example) church teaching than what would be done or said by a secular person. The damage is all the more effective as the individual has the advantage of being able to pretend that he is a true member of his respective organization.
I even see this with radical feminists who, desperately wanting priestesses to function as types of bridegrooms for the Church, (which is the bride of Christ), will make no attempt to leave the Catholic Church but continue to attend mass while they take very opportunity that they can to display their anger for the refusal of the Church do do something that it cannot do (ordain women). Do they leave to join the Episcopalian Church, which has for some time had priestesses in a fatherly (and that of a husband) role? Of course not. Episcopalian Church services are very similar to the Catholic mass, and many actual church buildings of theirs are far better example of church architecture than the horrid and nonspiritual butcheries that we see in many modern Catholic Churches today, but in the catholic church they stay, all the while insisting that things be done their way.
Frank Schaefer is one of many radical and semi-radials that we see today. In his case, he may also have fallen victim to an extreme case of selfishness. It is entirely possible that he may have supported the Christian position on marriage - which by its very nature cannot be between two people of the same gender, until his own son announced that he was gay and wanted to be married. No advice on how to live a Christian life while have homosexual desires is given; the parents just switch gears and become active supporters of the radical gay agenda. He now appears to be attempting to start a battle in the courts and force the Methodist church to initiate legal action to make him leave.
Hubris.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/12/19/christian-pastor-defrocked-after-officiating-gay-sons-wedding/
"NORRISTOWN, Pa. (TheBlaze/AP) — A pastor from central Pennsylvania was defrocked by United Methodist church officials on Thursday after officiating his son’s gay wedding — an action that ran counter to the denomination’s central beliefs.
As TheBlaze previously reported, Rev. Frank Schaefer of Lebanon, Pa., had already been suspended when he met with church officials to determine whether he would continue as a pastor.
Schaefer had presided over his son’s wedding in 2007 in Massachusetts, where gay marriage is legal. While Methodist regulations allow for gays and lesbians to join, homosexuality itself is seen as being “incompatible with Christian teaching.”
The pastor had been told to resign from the clergy by Thursday if he could not follow the denomination’s Book of Discipline.
But Schaefer, unwilling to stand down, has said the book discriminates against gay people and vowed this week that he would not voluntarily surrender his credentials.
In the end, though, the decision was out of his hands, as spokesman John Coleman said that officials decided to defrock him. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the meeting with church officials only lasted 15 minutes.
There was no indication that a different resolution would be met, as earlier this week, Schaefer publicly said he would defy the religious order to surrender his credentials for performing the same-sex wedding.
“I am actively committing to having those discriminatory laws changed and banished from our Book of Discipline,” Schaefer said. “That’s the only way I can reconcile being a United Methodist at this point.”
Jurors who convicted Schaefer in a church trial last month — which resulted in a 30-day suspension — said he should use the time off to decide whether he could follow church doctrine. If he couldn’t do so, he was told to step down.
Schaefer gave his answer publicly Monday during a news conference at Arch Street United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, surrounded by dozens of sympathetic ministers and laity.
“I cannot voluntarily surrender my credentials because I am a voice now for many — for tens of thousands — of LGBT members in our church,” he said then.
Making his stance clear, he added, “I cannot uphold those discriminatory laws and the language in the Untied Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline that is hurtful and harmful to our homosexual brothers and sisters in the church.”
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