United Methodist church bosses in Lebanon, Penn., defrocked a pastor on Thursday after he served as the officiator at his son’s gay wedding ceremony in Massachusetts.
The Associated Press reported that the Rev. Frank Schaefer met with church officials to discuss whether his suspension would be lifted, expanded – or altogether turned into something else. Church officials opted for option No. 3, and outright defrocked him.
He was first given the chance to resign, AP reported. But the pastor said he wouldn’t voluntarily give up his credentials – and he wouldn’t abide the church’s Book of Discipline and its rules on homosexuality, which he said were discriminatory.
So Mr. Schaefer was told to give up his flock. He vows to continue his fight, however, AP reported.
“I am actively committing to having those discriminatory laws changed and banished from our Book of Discipline,” he said, AP reported. “That’s the only way I can reconcile being a United Methodist at this point.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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