Church court reviews gay pastor's case

By Rachel Zoll
The Associated Press

Karen Dammann

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The Judicial Council was to deliberate privately over the case of the Rev. Karen Dammann as delegates to the Methodist General Conference considered hundreds of proposals on church policy. Several of the measures address the church's internal rift over homosexuality, but none would repeal the ban on gay clergy.

The 8.3 million-member denomination, the third-largest in the country, holds its national legislative meeting once every four years. The gathering has been a forum for bitter debate over homosexuality for decades.

Responding to a question from delegates, the high court released a ruling Saturday that church law clearly declares gay sex "incompatible with Christian teaching." The court said in its 6-3 decision that violations could lead to removal from church office.

In light of that ruling, delegates directed the council to review the case of Dammann, a lesbian who was found not guilty of breaking church law by a jury of 13 pastors in Bothell.

Dammann had acknowledged she was in a relationship with a woman, and the March 20 verdict outraged conservatives. They have proposed expanding the judicial council's power to intervene in such trials.

The council is expected to rule on Dammann's case before the meeting ends Friday.

Dammann said yesterday she figured her case would be vigorously debated at this year's conference but hadn't expected such a review of the verdict.

"This sort of seems like an end-run appeal process to me," she said.

Dammann's lawyer, Lindsay Thompson, filed briefs yesterday with the court, challenging its review of the case and accusing the church of breaking its own rules.

"Essentially, they are trying to create a means of appeal of something that is not appealable," he said, noting that church rules state the church cannot appeal a not-guilty verdict.
 
Stephen Drachler, a spokesman for the church, declined to comment on any specifics of the case.

Delegates have voted by large margins over the years against greater acceptance of openly gay pastors. That voting trend is expected to continue among this year's nearly 1,000 delegates.

Already, they have affirmed that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, on a 624-184 vote Saturday. And much of the gay-related legislation from liberal groups has been killed.

One proposal that has survived so far would add a phrase to the church Social Principles acknowledging that Christians disagree on homosexuality. The full conference will vote on that measure this week. Delegates also will consider a proposal making it easier to charge openly gay pastors with violating church law.

"It is discouraging," said Marjorie Carlson of Pittsburgh, who is among gay advocates standing outside the meeting each day wearing colorful stoles to make their presence known to delegates.

"But this is the church I grew up in and this is the church that taught me about social justice and I'm not going to leave."