Just a few weeks ago, the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church found a Methodist minister, Rev. Irene Elizabeth Stroud, guilty of violating the Book of Discipline because of her lesbian lifestyle. As a result of the trial, she lost her ordination credentials and is no longer authorized to perform sacraments in Methodist churches.
Rev. Stroud has just announced that she is appealing the results of her trial to the Northeastern Jurisdiction. She feels that the Book of Discipline allows for diversity within the church. Since the Northeastern Jurisdiction is a more liberal jurisdiction, there may be a good chance that the ruling by the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference could be overturned, which would lead our denomination into yet another controversy concerning same-sex marriage.
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