"Rev. Phoenix merits compassion for a lifelong struggle
over gender identity issues, as related at the
conference. But the church helps no one when it fails to
faithfully transmit the Gospel of hope and
transformation. -- Mark Tooley, Director of UMAction
WASHINGTON,
May 25
/Christian Newswire/ -- A United Methodist minister in
Baltimore who underwent a surgical change of gender
identity has been reappointed, it was announced at the
Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference of the United
Methodist Church, meeting now in Washington, D.C. The
former Rev. Ann Gordon, now known as Rev. Drew Phoenix,
told the annual conference of a "spiritual transformation"
since the sex change procedure.
The decision, announced by Bishop John Schol, was not
uncontroversial. During the closed conference, some
ministers asked for a "ruling of law," that automatically
takes the issue to the Judicial Council, United
Methodism's highest court. The Judicial Council next meets
in October.
The United Methodist Church has no explicitly stated,
official policies regarding sexual identity changes or sex
change operations. The denomination does officially
disapprove of homosexual behavior. Rev. Phoenix'
congregation of several dozen people supports the
"Reconciling" movement within United Methodism, which
campaigns to overturn the church's official teachings on
marriage and sexual ethics.
Director of UMAction Mark Tooley commented:
"Gender is not a choice but a reality. The church's
calling is to facilitate healing, not echo the secular
culture's mantras about 'diversity.'
"Because the issue of gender change is a relatively
new one, UM Action is calling for legislation at the
2008 General Conference of The United Methodist Church
to fully address the issue of sexual identity change.
"The decision to reappoint the former Rev. Gordon to
St. John's church in Baltimore, with no wider discussion
in the church, sets a troubling precedent. Once again,
liberal church elites, presiding over dwindling
churches, are making decisions without regard for
historic Christian teaching or a wider consensus among
the church's membership.
"Rev. Phoenix merits compassion for a lifelong
struggle over gender identity issues, as related at the
conference. But the church helps no one when it fails to
faithfully transmit the Gospel of hope and
transformation.
"We hope The United Methodist Church will act, where
the leadership of the Baltimore-Washington Conference
has failed, by establishing clear ethical and
theological guidelines about the role of gender is God's
creation."
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