PJM: The United Methodist Church has relieved an Indiana pastor of his duties after the pastor appeared in drag on an HBO reality series.
Rev. Craig Duke was pastor of Newburgh United Methodist Church when he appeared on the HBO series We’re Here, about a group of drag queens who travel the country teaching people how to perform in drag. In his episode, Duke preached to his congregation before changing into his drag persona and singing Ke$ha’s song “We Are Who We Are” with his “drag mother” Eureka O’Hara.
Duke said he appeared on the show to support his daughter, who has declared herself pansexual. The pastor has spoken out in favor of the LGBT community on other occasions as well.
Mitch Gieselman, superintendent of the South and Southwest Districts of the Indiana UMC Conference, sent a letter to the congregation, in which he stated that Duke and his wife Linda, who served as the church’s youth pastor, would continue to live in the church’s parsonage until the end of February. He also urged the congregation to pray for the Dukes and stated that:
Craig has not “resigned,” nor has he been “fired,” as these are not actions that are consistent with our appointment system. While there is a diversity of opinion regarding the moral implications of Rev. Duke’s actions, he has not been found to have committed any chargeable offense or other violation of the United Methodist Book of Discipline.
In short, Craig has reached a place where he feels unable to continue to serve in parish ministry at present. During his time of being relieved from pastoral duties, he will be engaging in a process of renewal, reflection, and recovery that will be monitored by our conference Director
of Leadership Development, Bishop Trimble, and myself. Our desire is to provide an opportunity for Craig to again be able to utilize his numerous gifts as a pastor in a local congregation. He will not, however, be returning to the NUMC pulpit.
I guess the method in methodist involves planting your feet and plenty of Astroglide.
Good.
Duke is a minister!
Duke is a drag queen!
Minister!
Drag queen!
He’s TWO! TWO! TWO Methodists in one!
Certainly NOT above reproach.
I honestly do not know what Methodists Believe but I say Good call.
I attended a United Methodist (totally different from the Methodist church) for a month. I got nothing from the sermons except politically correct blather. I finally left when I really needed to hear from God because my life had turned to crap and I needed his help.
The last service was, “Be good to your neighbor. Now, let’s have some fun!”. They started singing and clapping. I didn’t belong and neither did God. They didn’t want him there. I left. Didn’t go back to any church for 12 years. I had had it with organized religion. I much later learned that was what the United Methodist church is all about. Social Justice before it became newsworthy.
I finally attended a Bible believing/teaching, Spirit filled church. I sure missed a lot those 12 years. But God made sure I got caught up!
strike 1) “Rev. Craig Duke was pastor of Newburgh United Methodist Church when he appeared on the HBO series We’re Here, about a group of drag queens”
strike 2) “Duke said he appeared on the show to support his daughter, who has declared herself pansexual”
strike 3) “his wife Linda, who served as the church’s youth pastor”
aaand…
“he has not been found to have committed any chargeable offense or other violation of the United Methodist Book of Discipline”
…?
Oh! That kind of “discipline”!
When the state becomes your god, God is left behind.
But…He is never out of the picture, and he is always trying to reach his people. It is never too late, you are never too bad. God forgives when men cannot or will not.
Guess I felt a little preachy there. Sorry for not addressing the actual issue.
This “pastor” seems to love his daughter more than he loves the Lord. Whenever we put any one or any thing above God, we are in trouble.
Deut 22:5
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Even ignoring that, the dude’s a holy mess. What a leader in his own family.
At least my FiL had the integrity to quit being a preacher because his wife was so wild. He returned years later after divorcing her and finding a believing wife.
All this drag queen stuff seems very anti God in my opinion. Very,very anti God in fact. The kind of thing God came to save men from not something a minister of the gospel would promote. Unless he was a closet homosexual masquerading as a minister.
Just my opinion.
Of all the deviant behaviors that exists, the drag queen transgenderism seems to be an intentional mockery of God. A high level of contempt and hatred.
In The Holy Bible, Satan trapped Eve into sin and as payback, ingeniously God used a woman Mary to carry God’s promise of Christ the Savior – Emmanuel – God with us.
You bet Satan is pissed. So, the devil does what he can in his defeated state to corrupt men like that “pastor”. In this instance, convincing men to disrespect womanhood by imitating women as farcical as possible.
The so called pastor/drag queen has a reprobate mind. Nothing in God’s Word condones his behavior. The fact his “church” sanctions his perversions further proves that the United Methodist doctrine is reprobate as well.
BTW, Dadof4’s scripture reference is spot on and still applies according to God.