https://juicyecumenism.com/2021/03/16/united-methodist-drag-queen-discusses-ordination-candidacy/ And this is why I left the UMC
It would be hilarious if it weren't so lame-brained stupid! The split can't come soon enough; the more-orthodox Methodists need to leave these clowns far behind. They are an embarrassment to the church and the Gospel message.
It never used to be a problem for churches to exclude people like this, who are mentally impaired and ethically challenged what has changed or happened that makes excluding them impossible nowadays??...
My answer would be, evil infiltrated the seminaries and the bad doctrinal teaching imparted to the students (who became pastors and leaders) filtered down into the congregations. There are some who think the RC Jesuits did this by pretending to be Protestants, with the goal of destroying Protestantism. I'm not too sure about that. If it's true, the Jesuits have also damaged the RCC just as much.
Jesus Christ was an embarrassment to the church of his time on earth and it's Pharisaical 'gospel message'. He associated with entirely the wrong types of person as far as the 'Pharisee church' leaders of the era were concerned. They finally got him nailed to a piece of wood for it. He set an appallingly bad example in their estimation and spent far too much time with sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers and demoniacs, (even though the demoniacs and lepers ended up not being that way after their encounter with Jesus). Seems he could never get it right with the righteous. I don't think I need to bother quoting the Bible references to make the point though. Our 'Gospel message' admittedly is definitely NOT 'Let's all become cross dressers', (though as Anglicans we go pretty near it in a cassock and surplice) , but neither is it 'Go straight or Go to Hell'. None of us are actually 'straight' until we're 'straightened out' in the morgue. .
Some churches have become more like Jesus was? I don't remember ever reading in my Bible of Jesus excluding mentally impaired and ethically challenged people, do you? Rich young Ruler, yes perhaps. Self Righteous Pharisees, perhaps, but probably not Nicodemus. Can't think of anyone else off hand though. .
No one is saying exclude them from the church. I have yet to read that at all. They are saying people like this were excluded from the priest hood. You know people who are set to a higher standard
Which priesthood though. Not the priesthood of all believers. We're all in that. The priesthood that is chosen by members of the church on earth? Fair enough, but they are not 'straigtened out' yet either. Still plenty of bad apples there yet. The perfect has not yet come on earth. 1 Cor.13:10. Are you implying that Jesus would not have allowed a Drag Queen to go out with the 70? Luke 10:1-20. I guess the jury's out on that one but you might like to take it up with your Master when we present ourselves to him. .
Yeah plenty of bad apples in the priesthood but we need to not let in obviously bad ones and root out the already bad ones in there. Jesus told people to go and sin no more. He said we were made male and female. The Bible, breathed out by God which is also Jesus, condemns homosexuality, so yes he probably would not have sent out obviously sinners that go against the Bible, and in this case the Old Testament, as some of the 70. He would have loved them, forgiven them, and told them to sin no more just as he does all of us.
I do hope you are not drawing a false equivalence between this cross-dresser and candidate for Methodist ordination, "Penny Cost," and Jesus Christ the Son of God.
1Ti 3:8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 1Ti 3:9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 1Ti 3:10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 1Ti 3:11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 1Ti 3:12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 1Ti 3:13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 1Ti 3:14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 1Ti 3:15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
I don't think I have done that, do you? I was merely commenting on: If outcasts of polite society were an embarrassment to Jesus Christ, he never showed it, as far as I can read from the Gospels. I don't disagree that the people under discussion are an embarrassment, but if we are Christlike they shouldn't be such an embarrassment to us that we should shun them and ignore their complaints or even disqualify them from a specialised kind of ministry on behalf of Christ. (That I admit is a difficult one), but it is Christ himself that calls people to ministry and he does not always demand they become perfect before he does so. (Which is just as well for the church). I don't think Jesus Christ ever shunned anyone or ignored their complaints other than self righteous bigots who claimed religious one upmanship, and regarded themselves as being above contradiction or rebuke, namely The Pharisees, who themselves regarded Jesus Christ as a sinner and an outcast of THEIR society, finally hounding him to a humiliating death, naked on a cross. Which makes me wonder just who are the actual outcasts and sinners in The Kingdom of God. .
I'm sorry, I should clarify my use of the pronoun 'they.' The 'they' I was referring to was the body of progressive, heterodox United Methodists who accept false teachings to the point where their ministry committees would unanimously vote for the ministry candidacy of a person who plainly does not qualify as "dignified... proven blameless... sober minded." Thus, I wrote that they (the liberal wing of United Methodists) "are an embarrassment" from which the orthodox members should split, sooner and not later. BTW, regarding the unsuitability of Simmons a/k/a Penny Cost for ordained ministry, did you read this comment he made? “So being a drag evangelist for me is less evangelizing to gay bars and drag shows, and more about evangelizing to conservative caucuses, and saying ‘We are here, and we are beautiful, and we want you to be a part of this with us.’ So, it’s really a radical reclamation of power.” That prompted a supporter, J.J. Warren (another openly gay ministry candidate), to respond: “You’re converting the way we imagine pastors in Christianity.” As we can see from this, Simmons and Warren are highly motivated to gain ordained ministry status because they want to advance the LGBTQ+ cause. They want to change the way the church sees their pastors. They want to reclaim the power that gays once had (in Sodom and Gomorrah, no doubt, since that's the last time they really held power). Out of these wolves' mouths comes their inner thoughts, and their words reveal what is in their hearts is not love for God and desire to lead the lost to Christ, but rather their hearts are filled with love for a specific type of perversion and a desire to make it acceptable in the eyes of the greater church. They want to 'evangelize' the conservative, still-orthodox members and win them, not to Christ, but to the LTBTQ cause. Unquestionably, these bozos should have been turned down for candidacy. The fact that they were not turned down reveals the general rot in the UMC. If Simmons and Warren wanted to follow Jesus, they would 'take up their crosses', lay down their own physical yearnings, and follow Him. Instead, they follow their own fleshly desires and the machinations of Satan that have been implanted in their minds, and they yearn to bring all of the UMC down to their level.
Heyyooo I am the one and Only Ms. Penny Cost that yall are talking about (yes all the way from Bloomington, IL, USA) Thank you Tiffy for your wise words! My mission in drag is to simply bridge the gap between queerness and spirituality Here is some more information on my ministry and story! https://juicyecumenism.com/2021/03/12/the-umc-drag-queen-clergy-candidate/ https://juicyecumenism.com/2021/03/16/united-methodist-drag-queen-discusses-ordination-candidacy/ https://rmnetwork.org/2021/03/16/why-i-don-my-drag-today-isaac-simmons/ https://hackingchristianity.net/2021/03/yes-virginia-drag-queens-can-be-called-to-ministry-too.html
I mean no disrespect and love you as a Christian but how can you theologically justify being drag/queerness and the call to ministry? The Bible is clear about what it teaches in that aspect.
I bear you no malice, and I'm glad you found a church home in which you feel comfortable; hopefully you will be taught well from God's word and be open to your pastor's counsel. Are you setting aside some time each day to read the Bible through in a systematic way? Or have you read the Bible all the way through yet? God's written word will help you to discern His direction and path for your life. The Holy Spirit's guidance will always be consistent with the written message. As an individual, you are entitled to do whatever is legal. As a Christian, you are (or should be) constrained by love for others. What if your behavior causes some Christians to stumble in their faith and leave the church, or if it causes unbelievers to say there is no difference between an unbeliever and a Christian? A person might openly proclaim themselves to be a Christian filled with lust or covetousness or a desire to get drunk, but what would this profit the brethren? 1Cor. 6:12 says, “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. How is it helping others draw closer to God if you publicize your indulgence in temptations? How does it help the cause of Christ to show yourself being dominated and defined by your physical yearnings? Shouldn't you rather consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11)? Shouldn't you place your body under submission (1 Cor. 9:27) and serve God by following the perfect example of Jesus Christ? Jesus did not advertise the temptations that confronted Him (although He was tempted in all ways just as we are). Jesus did not dress like a woman or give Himself a woman's name. Whose example do you follow, Isaac? Who is your Redeemer? Who is the one that bought you at the price of His own blood? Whom do you serve? You have referred elsewhere to "God the Mother" and appear to doubt Jesus' knowledge of the fact that we should address God as "Our Father, who art in heaven..." Do you really think you meet the qualifications for leadership that Paul outlined to Timothy?
Thank you for the compliment. Stick around and get to know us. Welcome Ms. Penny Cost. I hope you hang around long enough to describe to us what it is that attracts you to the person and therefore the teachings of Our Lord Jesus the Christ and what compells you to serve his cause on earth, (which is obedience to his eternal words [Matt.24:35, Mk.13:31, Lk.21:33], and compassion for his 'sheep' of whatever fold of his they feel themselves to be in). John 10:16, John 21:15-17. There may be many folds yet, but there is only one shepherd. .
My friend you do know that the Holy ghost ie God himself has written the scriptures? how said the citizens of Sodom were an abomination to him, how he said the catamites and sodomites (among the adulterers, murderers) would not inherit the Kingdom of heaven in short have you ever actually opened the holy scripture?..
I hope you repent... it is very scary to play monkey business with God’s own anointed ministers, pretending that bc. God is invisible, that he’s not really in charge of the world Psalm 14- [1] The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. [2] The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. [3] They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy