United Methodists postpone church trial for Thomas Ogletree

[hrmjustin]

Renee K. Gadoua

(RNS) The trial of a retired United Methodist pastor and former Yale Divinity School dean accused of breaking church law by performing a gay wedding has been delayed indefinitely.

Bishop Clifton Ives, a retired Maine bishop overseeing the trial, and pastors representing the church and the Rev. Thomas Ogletree, all agreed to pursue a “just resolution” before resorting to a trial, said the Rev. William S. Shillady, secretary of the trial court.

Ogletree, 80, faced a church trial March 10 and 11 in Stamford, Ct., for officiating at the 2012 wedding of his son to another man. The church defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and bans clergy from performing and churches from hosting same-sex ceremonies.

The New York Conference of the United Methodist Church, to which Ogletree belongs, announced the postponement Monday (Feb. 10).

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/02/10/united-methodists-postpone-church-trial-thomas-ogletree/

[cbayer]

1. Well, I guess that is good news, but I am not sure.

[hrmjustin]

2. I think there is an uproar in the ranks going on.

A minister I know in the Methodist Church said that there is a great rift forming and that even the conservative members are scared it can split the church.

If the church splits it will be ugly. When the Episcopal Church had dissenters who left the church almost always the church retained the property. It will be a nightmare about who gets the property.

My guess is that some of the bishops want these trials to go away.

[cbayer]

3. Well, that's good news.

They need to get with the program, but a split would be fine with me.

I wonder what the numbers look like.

[hrmjustin]

4. Amost 8 million in the US.

My guess the don't want a split after all the effort to unite all the Methodists in the nation in 1968.