The trials of Jimmy Creech

I just finished reading the book Adam's Gift by Jimmy Creech. I started reading it as I went off to General Conference almost three weeks ago, but another book took over while I was there.

Creech is famous in United Methodist circles for being the first pastor to be convicted and defrocked for performing same-sex commitment ceremonies. This book tells the whole story about what led up to that conviction and a bit of what happened since. The story opens in 1984 when "Adam" walked into Creech's office. He announced he was gay and that the actions of that year's General Conference had spiritually wounded him. Adam wanted to make sure Creech knew why he was leaving the church. Creech was astonished by the revelation and felt moved to do something.

The first thing he did was to educate himself about what the Bible says about homosexuality. That alone makes the book worthwhile. While that changed his mind and convinced him God doesn't condemn gay people it took working with gay people to change his heart.

In 1987 he became pastor of Fairmont UMC in Raleigh, NC. While there he became active in LGBT advocacy and assistance programs (this was the peak of the AIDS crisis). It was through those programs he met his second wife Chris. Part of this advocacy included performing same-sex commitment ceremonies. His work outside the church was not appreciated by those in it. In 1991 Fairmont wanted him gone. Another church welcomed him, but on finding about his advocacy work, rejected his appointment. That left him without a church.

He spent a few years advocating for progressive causes before the North Carolina legislature. Then in 1996 the District Superintendent of Omaha, Nebraska called, offering him a job at First UMC of Omaha. He made sure the DS knew about his LGBT advocacy and she assured him that she wanted him because of it. He later found out the DS had come up with that on her own and had not shared his advocacy work with the congregation.

In Creech's first year in Omaha the church developed an inclusive vision statement. He felt that gave him cover to preach about inclusiveness for gays and to perform a same-sex commitment ceremony. The General Conference in 1996 banned pastors from performing commitment ceremonies, but put that ban in the Social Principles.

This ceremony upset a large number of church members. They stopped attending, though when the fall Charge Conference came around they tried to get themselves elected into church leadership roles.

The ceremony also got a strong reaction from other pastors in Nebraska. Bishop Joel Martinez had plenty of complaints to choose from when he put Creech on trial.

The Social Principles are not considered law -- a pastor may disagree with them. So a good deal of the trial was about whether a pastor could be put on trial for something in the Social Principles. That was enough for Creech to be acquitted -- by one vote. The book contains a big chunk of the trial's testimony and Creech's commentary on it.

Those in the church leadership and those who were in favor of the vision statement rallied around Creech before, during, and after the trial. They strongly urged Martinez to reappoint Creech. The bishop's actions leading up to the trial and especially afterward made me think of him as quite the snake. He didn't want to deal with Creech, so didn't appoint him to any church in Nebraska (much less First UMC Omaha) -- but told him so late in the annual appointment process that Creech couldn't seek a job in another Annual Conference.

Back in Raleigh Creech began a speaking career, urging acceptance of LGBT people in the United Methodist Church. And when asked to officiate at another gay wedding, this time at a UCC church, he eagerly accepted. In the meantime the UMC Judicial Council ruled that even though the ban on officiating at a same-sex covenant service is in the Social Principles it has the force of church law. Martinez put Creech on trial again -- not for participating in the service, but because Martinez told Creech not to take part and Creech disobeyed. This time Creech was defrocked.

The Reconciling United Methodist group in the Durham, NC area met once a month and rotated through several churches. They did so without any problems. When Calvary UMC hosted the gathering the pastor invited Creech to speak. The sanctuary was packed with LGBT people who were hungry for the acceptance Creech offered. But because Creech had spoken from the pulpit -- at their pastor's invitation, no less -- regular church members began pulling their membership, perhaps a handful every week. Within six months the church had dropped so much in attendance and income the remaining congregation began to think of closing. When the LGBT community heard about it they flocked to the church that had welcomed them, checkbooks in hand. Calvary was the first church in North Carolina to become a Reconciling Congregation. Quite the resurrection.

Throughout Creech praises the United Methodist Church for its core beliefs and mission, and is quite harsh on the denomination's violence against LGBT people. He is especially harsh on the Council of Bishops They are either actively participating in that spiritual violence or are wimpy in trying to do anything about it.

There were times the book was difficult to read. Creech discusses the anti-gay policies put in place by the 1996 General Conference, the 1998 Judicial Council ruling, and the additional anti-gay policies enacted at the General Conference in 2000. Each time he declares the spiritual violence that is done to LGBT people. I just attended General Conference here in 2012 -- fourteen years after Creech's first trial -- and all we managed to do was not make that spiritual violence worse.

That other book I mentioned at the top of the post was, A Political Reading of the Life of Jesus by George W. Baldwin. I found it at the MFSA table in the Coalition Tabernacle at General Conference. I stuck it in my backpack, then my water bottle leaked on it, so I decided I had better read it. Baldwin shows there are oppressors and oppressed. There is no in-between -- if you aren't oppressed you have a stake in the oppressors maintaining their oppression (is that ever hard to hear!). The way the oppressors stay in power is to spread the idea that their power is the way things are supposed to be (and perhaps ordained by God), then declare rules (laws) that must be followed (and keep them in power), and cause violence (physical, mental, spiritual, economic) to anyone who breaks the rules. Jesus came, then, to teach us how to defy the oppressors through freeing our minds from their right to power, offering grace, and taking up non-violent resistance.

All through Creech's trial, he described the anti-gay position as one of following rules. The result of those rules is ongoing spiritual violence against LGBT people. I kept thinking, yup, this is the talk of an oppressor, someone who gains by enforcing the way things are done now, no matter who gets hurt.

I highly recommend both books.

You can read about my experiences at General Conference starting here. Then in the blog archives on the left side, look for these posts:
Arriving at General Conference (under April)
An agenda of hospitality (under May)
Pain
Waiting
Why it happened