The United Methodist Church has reappointed a transsexual pastor in Maryland; once a female, she had an operation to become a man.
Mark Tooley with the Institute on Religion and Democracy said the decision to reappoint "Drew Phoenix" – formerly known as Ann Gordon – to lead St. John’s Church in Baltimore sets a disturbing precedent.
“It is very troubling for the church to give a blessing to what is essentially a mutilation of the body, which is what a sex-change operation is," he said, "rather than to encourage and affirm sexual identity as God gave it.”
United Methodist ministers want their voices heard in the matter, so the issue will be discussed at their upcoming 2008 General Conference.
“We’ll be taking up the theological ramifications of sexual identity changes and establishing policies to govern how the church will address them,” Tooley told Family News in Focus.
He hopes the denomination will adopt a stance against transgenderism, while urging therapy and spiritual counseling for those struggling with their sexual identity.
Patricia Miller of The Confessing Movement within the UMC said that would just be the beginning.
“The '08 conference will have to look at the whole issue of sexuality," she said. "Sexuality has continued to be an issue in the United Methodist Church since 1972.”
