The Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, a council member, said in a dissent that the decision “compromises the historic understanding that the church is open to all. The Judicial Council cannot interpret something that is not stated in the Discipline . Nothing in the Discipline gives pastors discretion to exclude persons presenting themselves for membership in the church.” Council members Beth Capen and Jon R. Gray also filed their intent to write dissenting opinions to Decision 1032.
Woo Hoo! You go Susan! Yeah!
and also
At the oral hearing, Kammerer said the language of the Discipline stresses that “all people” can become professing members in the connection. “The emphasis in our Constitution is on inclusiveness, not exclusiveness,” Kammerer said. “I believe the Book of Discipline requires membership for this gay man. Rev. Johnson singled out one sinful behavior. Offering only participation in church amounts to second-class citizenship.”
“What will this mean,” she asked, “for the hundreds and hundreds of pastors, hundreds and hundreds of churches, who have already accepted gay persons into membership? We should err on the side of grace.”
Woo Hoo Bishop Charlene! You go girl!
Update:
I am getting hotter and hotter under the collar. If we can deny a person membership in the church (denying them a form of grace) because they are sinners and continue in sin, then the churches are going to be pretty dern empty. I better think about it; after all I'm a sinner and I continue in sin. If we are only letting in people who aren't sinners, then the Methdoist church is going to be empty....
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