Reconciling Ministries Network Photo
Thomas Ogletree
Compiled from News and Staff Reports
The Rev. Dr. Thomas Ogletree, who officiated his son’s same-sex wedding, will be prosecuted by The United Methodist Church March 10 at First UMC in Stamford, Conn., for having violated the Book of Discipline's ban on such ceremonies.
“I could not with any integrity as a Christian refuse my son’s request to preside at his wedding,” explained Dr. Ogletree, 80, who is a retired professor and a past dean of both Yale Divinity School and United Methodist-related Drew Theological Seminary. “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.’”
United Methodist News Service reported that a group of clergy led by the Rev. Randall Paige of Christ Church UMC in Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., filed the complaint against Ogletree, according to United Methodist News Service. The Huffington Post noted that "Theologically conservative Methodists have said they file formal complaints reluctantly, hoping to find another resolution for their disagreements, but feel clergy must be held accountable when they violate church policy."
A press release from the Reconciling Ministries Network linked Dr. Ogletree's action to a movement known as "Biblical Obedience." Initiated at the 2012 General Conference by retired Bishop Melvin G. Talbert and repeated by Talbert at the Western Jurisdiction Conference that year, Biblical Obedience calls on United Methodist clergy to perform same-gender marriages in defiance of the UMC's prohibition against its clergy officiating at such ceremonies. Biblical Obedience proponents contend that the Bible's overarching theme of God's love and justice for all people compels ordained ministers, especially in states where same-gender marriage has been legalized, to offer marriage services to gay and lesbian couples as acts of pastoral ministry.
Matt Berryman, executive director of Reconciling Ministries Network, said of the development: “We stand alongside him as he continues his life-long commitment to Biblical Obedience and we celebrate his commitment to the gospel for the transformation of the church and the world. His act alongside the acts of many others demonstrate that God is with us all as we work for full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in the life of the UMC. We are deeply disappointed that the Church’s response to such an act of unbridled grace and love is an anachronistic juridical procedure culminating in trial rather than an outright celebration that there are Christian leaders whose wisdom and faith enable the effective interpretation of the gospel of Jesus Christ in changing times. Woe unto us when our fear and lack of insight stymie the work of the Holy One for such a time as this.”
Announcement of Dr. Ogletree's trial comes a month after an Eastern Pennsylvania pastor, the Rev. Frank Schaefer, was defrocked for officiating his son’s wedding. Schaefer is appealing the decision, and has since been offered a ministerial position in the California-Pacific Annual Conference by Bishop Minerva G. Carcano (Los Angeles Area).
Two other United Methodist clergy are awaiting word on whether they, too, will face church trials for having officiated and same-gender weddings. Bishop Talbert himself officiated at a gay wedding in Birmingham, Ala., over the protests of the resident episcopal leader, Bishop Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett, and the Executive Committee of the Council of Bishops. (The Council's ecumenical officer, retired Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, later repudiated the statement, saying her name was signed without her permission or approval). The Council has since directed that Talbert be investigated, the first step toward bringing a charge against him.
Meanwhile, the Rev. Stephen Heiss of the Upper New York Annual Conference also expects to face trial for conducting at same-gender marriages, including his daughter's 2002 wedding.
Reconciling Ministries is sponsoring an online initiative, “Altar for All,” through which some 2,250 clergy and congregations have agreed to officiate or allow same-gender weddings.
Information from a Reconciling Ministries Network press release by the Rev. Andy Oliver, and from United Methodist Insight coordinator Cynthia B. Astle, were used in this report.