Your Ethics Alarms Ethics Quiz of the Day:
Is this an appropriate—responsible, ethical— use of a minister’s position?
As a secondary question, is it ethical for him to announce to the congregation that his parents are not supportive of his son?
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Ethics Alarms 
He is an adult and can do as he chooses. Telling his parishioners is perfectly fine. Telling them that his parents do not support his decision seems like he his looking to be a victim and therefore unwarranted, wrong and unfair to his parents. A parent is not obligated to support every decision made by their offspring. His statement that his parents beliefs are more important than supporting their child is evidence of his victimization desire because he is not a child but an adult making this decision.
Words are telling. “They have chosen their convictions and beliefs over supporting their child.”
Spoken like someone who believes her intangible, evidence-less, internally subjective feelings should be the authority which determines the appropriate response of all external creation to her precious perturbations.
Curiosity wants to know how many people like this one are suffering from a form a dementia resulting from insulin resistance both of which would heal if they ate zero carb, high fat and animal protein.
Forgot to mention, I vote for double whammy.
“Words are telling. “They have chosen their convictions and beliefs over supporting their child.”
What does he think Christianity does in some families? Matthew 10:36 says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.”
This means that following the teachings of Christ will cause division in families. The parents are choosing their convictions and beliefs over the personal comfort of their (adult) child. This shouldn’t be a surprise if the minister knows his parents and understands their understanding of the Scriptures.
Yes, he was right to tell his congregation. They need to have all the information so they can make an informed judgment about his leadership of their congregation.
His parents’ opinion, like Chris pointed out, appears to be a ploy for attention. In the UMC, he might get it.
Given the stole he’s wearing, I can’t help assuming he’s literally preaching to the choir. So, I’m pretty sure the congregation will be all in on whatever he has to say on the subject. I didn’t watch all of it. Do they break into applause at the end and give him a standing ovation for his bravery and to show their acceptance?
Skipped to the end where he devolved into gibberish: “That’s o-KAY,” and “we all have to live the way we want to live.” Probably fairly typical stuff from the pulpit these days in a progressive church? Progressivism IS the new faith.
I didn’t watch it. The church is generally only about 5 years behind the culture but there are some denominations with organizational hierarchies that have adopted the cultural shifts more readily than others. UMC tends to lean in that direction.
Yeah, I’m going to guess that the rainbow was not intended to evoke the Noahic Covenant .
I really don’t want to know, be informed about or think about the sexual proclivities, preferences or exploits of a minister, priest, lawyer, actor, baseball player, contortionist, chess master or anyone else. If I want to know, I’ll ask you, and you are welcome to say, “Bugger off, it’s none of your business.” And this includes codes messages via rainbows or photos of Richard Simmons or Liberace.
Jack, you’re not living in the same world this guy and his congregation are living in.
I have always wagered that there is a satanic mocking of the covenant in the use of the rainbow because the rainbow was a sign that yhwh would not destroy the world with a flood again.
Now THAT’s and interesting theory!
That’s one, and I’ve heard a number of preachers noting the odd coincidence contrasting the language around communion and abortion. Both center around the phrase “this is my body.” But one involves the self sacrifice of an innocent for the good of the world, while the other involves sacrificing an innocent child for your own good. If it isn’t a deliberately diabolical inversion, it’s close enough to look like one.
If I heard a minister make that fatuous analogy, I’d get up mid-sermon and walk out, because I don’t listen to con artists or morons for inspiration…
At this point his chruch is neither united nor methodist, let alone true to the Gospel
I wonder if it was necessarily in purpose, but then, Lucifer trades on insidiousness as a rule.
A slight turn to get the masses to forget God’s promise, and the reason for it, is a real coup.
What’s even more interesting is how the rainbow morphed from a symbol of tolerance and happiness into something that must be bowed to (Mr. Phillips, et al.).
Satan is very good at his trade.
Well, the pastor literally says that “My parents texted me this morning and they asked for me to TELL YOU all that they DO NOT support me.” so I think following their instructions is quite ethical. By NOT telling the congregation, it’s reasonable to think that the parents would be assumed to be in support of the pastor’s decision/transition/whatever and this was explicitly against their wishes.
They told the pastor to say “THIS” to the congregation. The pastor said “THIS” to the congregation. Ethical.
I would also note two things:1) I’m limiting my comments JUST to the specific question about telling the congregation about the parents’ lack of support.2) I’m assuming arguendo that the anecdote about “My parents texted me this morning…” is factually true. If this is actually just a made-up story told as a way of bringing up the parents to slander them and play victim, then no, Not Ethical on multiple levels.
–Dwayne
And if they told him to tell them to jump out a window, would he do that? Tey have no authority to dictate what he says to his congregation. What would the church say if it were revealed that they, in fact, always told their minister what to say?
As a seven- or eight-year-old, Mrs. OB got the “if someone told you to jump out a window, would you do it” line from her mother after she (Mrs. OB) had in fact jumped out the porch window for some, in her mind, perfectly valid reason. Must be an Arlington, Massachusetts thing.
I agree, with Jack. Telling the congregation that his parents do not support him in his decision to jump genders is effectively casting his parents as unloving, cruel, transphobic bigots. I wonder if his parents are important parishioners in that church; otherwise, why would he do that to his parents? Were I his father, I would be insulted and, quite possible, feel a need to set this fellow straight. I know my wife would not be pleased.
jvb
Why would they be displeased with him for doing exactly what they asked him to do? Seems like a straight Golden Rule thing to me.
Perhaps they were being unethical by asking him to do that, but once the deed is done, I don’t see any problem with telling the congregation what they clearly wanted him to tell the congregation on their behalf.
It’s not like they texted him something in confidence that he chose to reveal against their wishes. The text specifically instructed that they wanted their position revealed to the congregation.
–Dwayne
P.S. And again, to be clear, I am narrowly restricting my comments to the part about telling the congregation what the parents said.
Do we really know his parents told him to disclose their displeasure? All we have is this word they did. Even if they did, he should have the discernment to prevent further harm. But he didn’t. Sounds like a narcissist to me.
jvb
My initial reaction was he should not be “coming out” during an actual service.
On the other hand, he probably does have an obligation to inform the church members.
Still, unless there is some spiritual or religious basis for doing it during THAT service (and there very well could be), he is probably abusing the pulpit.
As for the comments about his parents, I think there is a commandment on that.
-Jut