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News Of The Religious Left

Sex-starved lady preacher demands liberty to lie to her bishop about canoodling
'Please, Lord, let the government protect my right to consequence-free canoodling outside of marriage,' says lady preacher (studiostoks/Shutterstock)
‘Please, Lord, protect my ability to have consequence-free canoodling outside of marriage,’ says lady preacher (studiostoks/Shutterstock)

For some western Christians, today is “Spy Wednesday,” the Wednesday of Holy Week, the day that Judas betrayed Christ. So it’s somehow appropriate that this anonymous post appeared on the blog of the Methodist Federation for Social Action, a leftie activist group made up of United Methodist clergy and laity, but not an official ministry of the United Methodist Church:

I chose to go on birth control because I didn’t want to get pregnant and I wanted to have sex. Because I am a clergy woman in The United Methodist Church, and I’m single, that information could get me brought up on charges, and I could lose my ordination.

Luckily, we don’t have an insurance plan that requires the church to sign off on the prescriptions that my doctor writes. Luckily, I can access birth control through the health insurance plan that my church pays for.

However, because I value my job, I have to remain anonymous in writing this. It strikes me as ridiculous in 2016 that this is necessary, but being a person who is sexually active while single is against the rules. I’m very grateful that the church doesn’t extend its reach into my prescriptions, and that I don’t have to justify my prescriptions to my Bishop.

I don’t think it is any of his business. I hope the US government agrees.

This woman has betrayed her vows, her calling, her congregation, her bishop, and her Lord. If she had any integrity, she would resign. More quality progressive clergy are entering the denomination, according to this comment left under the post:

Hannah Lampi Says:

Hi there. Future UMC Rev. here (starting seminary this fall.)
Thank you so much for this brave post. You body, your sexuality, and your safety are your decisions and I applaud you for your willingness to share, even anonymously. My fiance and I (he’s going to be a Rev. too) started having sex a couple of years ago and were thrilled with our decision, and it wasn’t one we made lightly, as I’m sure you don’t take sexual activity lightly.
As for the promises of ordination…perhaps it’s time to take a second look at those.

Oh good, that’ll help. In related news, last year a Methodist economist told national United Methodist leaders that the church, which has been in steady decline, has until 2030 to turn things around, or by 2050, it won’t have the funds to sustain the denomination. Nearly all Christian churches are declining, alas, but the progressive denominations are declining most of all. As Damon Linker (who supports same-sex marriage) put it last year, conservative churches are declining because more and more people in the West reject traditional Christian morals, but liberal churches are also declining “because liberal Christian moralism has no need for religious institutions or forms at all.”

Note well that Anonymous posted this on the day when the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Catholic women’s religious order, argued their religious freedom case before the Supreme Court.  I devoutly hope they prevail, but in all honesty, there are good reasons why they should not (see religious liberty scholar Douglas Laycock’s piece). One bad reason is so a selfish, horny Methodist pastor can get away with lying to her bishop about having sex outside of marriage. Honestly, these people.

UPDATE: Before one of you even says it, yes, all Christians have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Every one of us. But there’s a difference in knowing that one is a sinner, and calling vice virtue. Which is what this Anonymous pastor does. If she doesn’t believe that, she should resign her orders, and find a church that doesn’t hold her to any particular sexual standard. She’s a liar and a hypocrite.

UPDATE.2: A reader points out that Laycock has essentially retracted his op-ed, saying that he misunderstood the law.

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