Join me in this important effort. Brother Talbert is a Bishop (retired) in the United Methodist Church, but above that he is a follower of Christ, as such he must follow his heart and the lead of the Holy Spirit. There are many things that Bishop Talbert and I do not see eye to eye, but to ask that he be silenced is like trying to silence an Army general because he speaks about the immorality of the war and urging that we end our intervention in Iraq (i.e.,Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton) . Bishops did not have to check their brains at the door when they entered the episcopal office. We need Bishops with conviction and passion for justice, people willing to speak truth to power, and therefore Bishops who can speak in support of those who are at the margins of our church as well as society. Read below, join in and share.
Dear friend,
In September 1960, a young pastor named Melvin Talbert was arrested and jailed alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. for sitting in at a segregated lunch counter. He went on to become a bishop in the United Methodist Church and serve as president of the National Council of Churches.
Fifty years later, Bishop Talbert is under attack again - this time for calling on Methodist pastors to join him in an "act of biblical obedience" by putting Jesus' commandment to love our neighbors ahead of "immoral and unjust" church rules that prohibit same-sex marriage.
Now a group of conservative pastors are accusing him of "advocating anarchy and chaos" and demanding that the Methodist Council of Bishops take action to "hold those who have been disobedient .. accountable for their inflammatory actions."
This story has gotten some media attention, and we've got a chance to show the world how everyday Christians are standing in solidarity with Bishop Talbert as he continues to struggle against the church's discriminatory policies towards LGBT people.
Will you join me in standing with Melvin Talbert? Sign this petition to the United Methodist Council of Bishops:
http://salsa.
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