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Thoughts on the Recent Dammann Trial

Recently our denomination was rocked by the "not guilty" verdict from a church trial that was conducted to determine if the Rev. Karen Dammann was in violation of church law as it pertains to homosexual clergy. The Rev. Dammann had previously notified her bishop, Bishop Elias Galvan, by letter that she was in a partnered relationship with another woman. Bishop Galvan filed a complaint against Rev. Dammann which eventually led to the church trial that was recently completed.

It appears that the outcome of this trial is a flagrant attack of the Book of Discipline and against the beliefs of the majority of members of the United Methodist Church. The Book of Discipline clearly says, “Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.” (Par. 304.3). There was absolutely no way that the church trial could come out with anything except a "guilty" verdict against Rev. Dammann and the immediate revocation of her ordination.

The fact that the church trial in fact affirmed Rev. Dammann as an ordained minister and failed to find a violation of church law should not be taken lightly. This was clearly a biased attempt to bring this matter to a head at General Conference, scheduled in just a few weeks. While many bishops have expressed outrage and concern at the ruling, the bishops do not have a voice at General Conference. Votes on issues, including votes on the inclusion of homosexual ministers, will be left up to the laity and clergy delegates to the conference. Clearly, the proponents of homosexual ministers hope that the delegates will be more liberal than the bishops and will affirm a change to the Book of Discipline.

This brings up a great point about the United Methodist Church. We are a diverse church with an equally great diversity of opinions. We have allowed into our midst a sizeable liberal contingent, which brings with it liberal notions such as the inclusion of homosexual ministers, opposal to all war, approval of abortion, approval of homosexual marriages, and even liberal spirituality, which can include the denial of the deity of Christ and the denial of the miracles. The majority of our denomination, however, tends to be more conservative, both in regards to moral issues and in spiritual issues. However, it is the liberal branch of our denomination that gets the most press.

This is a time for us to rise up and defend the spiritual truths on which our denomination was founded. Ours is a denomination that believes in the Bible, that believes in the deity of Christ, that believes in the virgin birth, the miracles, the atonement of Christ on the cross, and the resurrection on the third day. Ours is a denomination that believes that the Holy Spirit can touch and redeem all lives and all circumstances, including redeeming homosexuals from a life of sin to a life of holiness. It is time for us to reclaim our denomination and to stand firm on our biblical foundation. For years groups like the Confessing Movement and the Good News organization have been the vanguards in this fight. It is time the laity and clergy in the United Methodist Church stand up and fight to restore our traditional beliefs before it is too late. Let us pray the Dammann trial will be a wake-up call to our church.