GAY TRUTH

The oldest Methodist chapel in the world is about to be the site of an LGBT “celebration,” in direct contradiction of Scripture and the chapel’s own founder. On Saturday, the pro-homosexual group Christians At Bristol Pride will hold a “Service of Celebration” at The New Room in John Wesley’s Chapel in London, Christian Concern reports . The chapel was built in 1778 under the direction of English theologian John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. The pro-gay group says the event will be “an affirming service with songs, prayers and symbolic actions,” after which attendees will be invited to attend the LGBT “pride” march in Bristol town centre. Christians at Bristol Pride have also printed materials bearing the message “God affirms you” for homosexuals. “It's true that all people, made in God's image, have inherent dignity – and that all who turn to Jesus are welcomed – but the message 'God affirms you' leaves out the need to turn away from what is wrong in God'...

JANINE AND JIM EDEN/FLICKR A same-sex marriage ceremony at a United Methodist Church in New York The trial of a United Methodist Church (UMC) minister who performed a same-sex marriage ceremony has been halted by a bishop before it began. Meanwhile, a retired UMC bishop may face a trial of his own for a similar ceremony. Bishop Martin McLee of New York committed this week to stopping all such trials in his region. The New York Times has the details . Meanwhile, Religion News Service reports on the latest (and highest-ranking) dissident to potentially face punishment , and assesses how geography is shaping the "emerging dynamic that allows some pastors in the country's second-largest Protestant denomination to skirt rules banning clergy from performing same-sex wedding , while others risk costly church trials and the loss of clergy credentials." "The just resolution provisions of the Book of Discipline are clear in voicing just resolution as the pref...

The Rev. Frank Schaefer did not hesitate for a moment when asked by his gay son, Tim, to preside at his wedding in Hull. The Methodist minister was honored — and overjoyed. Last week, six years after the ceremony, Schaefer was convicted at an emotional church trial in Pennsylvania for breaking church laws that forbid United Methodist clergy from performing same-sex weddings. The jury imposed a 30-day suspension, and told Schaefer that if he could not comply with church law, he must surrender his credentials as a clergyman. “Absurd? Prehistoric?” said the Rev. Robert Coombe, who represented Schaefer in the trial, searching for words to describe his view of the proceedings. “Nobody wants a trial. It’s very painful to everyone involved, and it’s costly to the church, so why are we doing this?” Schaefer’s is one of a number of similar cases making their way through the legal system of the United Methodist Church, exposing a sharp rift within the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomi...

The Methodist Church in the UK is undertaking a consultation of its members about whether the church should become the first Christian denomination in Britain to offer church “weddings” to same-sex couples. Members of the approximately 5,000 Methodist congregations across Britain have been given until February 10, 2014 to express their views on same-sex "marriage," when the results of the consultation will be assessed by the Methodist Conference, the church’s policy-making body. The church could become the first Christian denomination in Britain to offer church “weddings” to same-sex couples. The Methodist Church currently defines marriage as a “gift of God” that is “a lifelong union in body, mind and spirit of one man and one woman.”  However, the Methodist Conference has  stated  that this definition is now "at odds" with the terms of the UK's Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, which comes into force next year.  In July the Methodist Conference set...

English: Roslyn Presbyterian Church, in Dunedin, New Zealand (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A conservative group within New Zealand's Presbyterian Church has urged Parliamentarians to reject the same sex marriage bill next week, dismissing the views of other Presbyterians who support the bill as "isolated voices." Presbyterian AFFIRM today released a statement opposing same sex marriage, saying that the concept was "spiritually offensive to many Christian people , who still constitute a very significant proportion of this country's population and its voters ." Its spokesman Dr Stuart Lange said Affirm was a "widely supported conservative network" within the Presbyterian Church, although the Church as a whole had no formal position on the bill. The statement was issued after at least 12 Presbyterian ministers voiced support for the bill by co-signing a letter from 57 clergy of the Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist Churches rejecting the Catholi...