“The dispute among United Methodists over recognition of same-sex couples has lapsed into a doctrinal donnybrook, pitting clergy who are presiding at gay weddings in defiance of church law against proponents of traditional marriage who are trying to stop them.”

This is the lead in an Associated Press story carried by the Burlington Times News on February 10, 2014. Official Methodist church reaction to gay marriage is of special interest to Alamance County people because the Rev. Jimmy Creech, Methodist preacher and North Carolina resident, has spoken here twice to large groups.

Here is another quote from the AP story: “The intensity of the conflict was laid bare over the last several months, when the church tried, convicted and defrocked Frank Schaefer, a Pennsylvania pastor who presided at the wedding of his son to another man. Berryman said the case galvanized Methodists advocating for recognition of gay marriage, increasing donations to the group and traffic on Reconciling Ministries’ online sites. Schaefer has since been traveling the country giving talks and sermons on gay acceptance.”

The full story can be read at: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_REL_METHODISTS_GAY_MARRIAGE?SITE=VALYD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT.
We are grateful to the The Times News because they do not ignore LGBTQ issues, but often carry thoughtful stories.