By Heather Clark
STANFORD, Conn. – A retired United Methodist minister and former Yale Divinity School Dean is set to face a church trial in March for officiating his son’s same-sex “wedding” in 2012.
Thomas Ogletree, 80, will stand trial on March 12 at First United Methodist Church of Stanford following complaints filed by fellow clergy who accuse him of violating church doctrine.
“I could not with any integrity as a Christian refuse my son’s request to preside at his wedding,” he said in a statement this week. “It is a shame that the church is choosing to prosecute me for this act of love, which is entirely in keeping with my ordination vows to ‘seek peace, justice, and freedom for all people’ and with Methodism’s historic commitment to inclusive ministry embodied in its slogan ‘open hearts, open minds, open doors.’”
Ogletree is formerly an elder with the New York Conference of the United Methodist Church, which has reportedly passed resolutions expressing support for same-sex “marriage.” However, officials state that regardless of the conference’s stance, Ogletree’s actions violated the United Methodist Book of Discipline.
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At least one mainline church is following its own book of rules, as well as thousands of years of Biblical teaching. Sad to say, the PC(USA) will probably bend the knee at the altar of current culture and turn its back on said Biblical teachings.
This is very sad. He quotes integrity and then “act of love” yet, he shows neither towards the LORD of the universe. By violating God’s law he exposes himself as a charlatan. It’s a shame it took this long. There are now countless misinformed congregants, students, etc., out there that he has lead astray. May he repent.