"Lesbian Minister Has Setback at Trial"

[intheflow]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=718&e=9&u=/ap/20041202/ap_on_re_us/methodists_gays

PUGHTOWN, Pa. - A Methodist minister being tried by her church for announcing last year that she lived with a lesbian partner faced a setback when the presiding judge excluded expert testimony from six defense witnesses who believe the church's gay ban violates its own legal principles.

(snip)

The defense witnesses believe the church's gay ban violates its own constitution. But the judge, retired Bishop Joseph Yeakel of Washington, D.C., said Wednesday that constitutional questions were "not relevant to this case." He issued no formal explanation.



More...

[gratuitous]

1. Justice and the Holy Spirit will prevail

In a more benighted time, the Church of the Brethren sought to exclude women from the pulpit. It pleased God to raise up a spirit-filled woman named Anna Mow to confound the wisdom of men, and she preached openly in many Brethren congregations.

The elders of the denomination went to Anna's house to confront her over her disobedience to denominational polity, and came away from the encounter changed men. One of them remarked that he couldn't in good conscience forbid someone to speak who preached better than he did.

Beth Stroud has been called by an authority greater than the United Methodist Church, and for all their denominational wrangling, they will be unsuccessful in stopping the Spirit from blowing where it will.

[intheflow]

2. What a wonderful post!

Other female spiritual leaders who rocked the church:

Mary Magdelene
Mary Baker Eddy
Olympia Brown
Phoebe
The Iowa Sisterhood
Elizabeth Fry
Antoinette Brown Blackwell
and many, many more.

All ran into problems and were persecuted for preaching.

Viva chicks in the pulpit!!

[Fridays Child]

3. He prefers an in camera demonstration of lesbianism...

...so that he can decide if it's really dirty or really, really dirty.

/sarcasm