Commentary

We Are A Religion, Not A Social Club!

From: George Don Spruill donspruill@hotmail.com
To: letters@salon.com letters@salon.com
Date: Saturday, July 31, 1999 10:11 PM
Subject: The Disobedient Don Fado

To the editors of Salon:

After reading your interview with Don Fado [Gay Marriage in the Methodist Church], it is apparent that you don’t understand the difference between a church and a social club or political party, and perhaps neither does Don Fado.

The United Methodist Church is a denomination of the Body of Christ…His church on earth. As such, the United Methodist Church bases its beliefs on Holy Scripture, not on what is currently politically correct or in vogue by members of the media…like Salon magazine.

What does this mean?

Scripture is clear. It doesn’t equivocate.

1. Marriage is only spoken of, in both the old and new testaments of the Bible as between a single man and a single woman. There is not a single instance where marriage is mentioned in any other way.

2. Sex outside of marriage is always considered to be a sin. Homosexuality (same sex congress outside of marriage), pedophilia (sex with a child), bestiality (sex with an animal), fornication (sex between a man and a woman outside of marriage), incest (sex with a direct relative) and adultery (sex outside of the vows of marriage for a person who is married) all are considered to be sinful.

In the main Christian denominations – Roman Catholic, Southern Baptists, United Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian – same-sex commitments are forbidden. As a matter of fact, these same denominations forbid the ordination of homosexuals as ministers.

Since the politically correct media, much of the public, lots of opinion makers, etc. feel that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice and, by the way, what’s the big deal…why do churches fly in the face of what almost seems to be the prevailing view in this country? Because churches are guided by scripture, not by the opinion of people. What man considers to be correct, changes over time. God never changes and His word (Holy Scripture) never changes.

The United Methodist Church has its “laws” delineated in the Discipline of the United Methodist Church. Same-sex marriages are forbidden. It doesn’t matter whether Don Fado, Greg Dell and Jimmy Creech (all ministers of the United Methodist Church who have performed same-sex marriages) agree with the church’s position or not. They are disobedient to the law of the church. If they don’t agree with church law, they should leave the church.

All the PR, articles in magazines like Salon, interviews, and the like, won’t change the fact that Don Fado is disobedient to the law of the church.

Again, we are a religion, not a social club or a political organization…something that Don Fado has forgotten. When he was ordained a minister in the United Methodist Church, he took a vow to uphold the directives of the church. By breaking those vows, he has become an outlaw.

Don Spruill, member United Methodist Church Atlanta, Georgia