This post has been updated

Last year the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church ruled that a local pastor in the UMC could reject membership for gay and lesbian people based simply on their sexual orientation.  Today the Judicial Council reaffirmed their decision.

The United Methodist Bishops had asked the Judicial Council to reconsider this issue and groups such as Reconciling Ministries Network had called for the decision to be overturned. 

The outcome today was hailed today by the Republican Party - aligned Institute on Religion and Democracy.  "It is right that the Judicial Council affirmed once again a local pastor's right of discretion about who is ready for church membership," commented IRD spokesperson Mark Tooley, who sent out a press release commending the decision. 

IRD is in part an anti-gay activist group.  Last year the Klu Klux Klan thought so highly of IRD's anti-gay publications that the Klan reprinted them as a resource for their membership.

IRD is funded not by United Methodist Churches but by conservative political foundations and activists. They state their goal is to "reform mainline" churches but their president is not a member of any mainline church and was ordained in a denomination that does not allow women clergy. 

More reaction will be coming in the days ahead.  For additional background visit this post with The Rev. Dr. Joretta Marshall, president of the Reconciling Ministries Network, and hear her reaction to the case when it first broke.    

Update: Here is some additional reaction from leaders involved with Reconciling Ministries Network:

The Rev. Dr. Joretta Marshall, Reconciling Ministries Chair and Professor of Pastoral Care at Eden Theological Seminary:

It is a sad day and a day to lament when the simple act of opening doors to persons who want to join the United Methodist Church as members becomes a major battle. The heart and soul of the United Methodist Church -- the one that publicly proclaims that we have open hearts, open minds, and open doors -- is in perilous danger. We have lost our way as a body of Christ. It is difficult to work toward the transformation of people's lives and the world when these kinds of decisions destroy the very soul of the Church and wreak havoc on people's spiritual lives. Reconciling Ministries will continue to respond with care for persons of all orientations and gender identities, with a prophetic voice to the church, and with great clarity about our mission to move The United Methodist Church toward greater openness of heart, mind, and spirit. We can afford to do nothing less than be bold in our efforts to change each and every incompatibility statement in the Discipline at the 2008 General Conference.

The Rev. Troy Plummer, RMN Executive Director:

The majority of the Judicial Council, the highest court of the United Methodist Church in a 5-4 vote ignored the will of 80% of the Virginia annual conference clergy session, the unanimous Council of Bishop's letter and rejected the 2004 General Conference's affirmation to continue the vision of a church with Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.

With closed minds, the majority refused to even reconsider.

The Judicial Council's slippery slope nurturing prejudice against faithful United Methodists who are gay or lesbian while disregarding church polity reinforces that ¶304.3 must be abolished, along with all phrases asserting the "incompatibility" of homosexuality with Christian teaching.

God's Spirit lives, speaks, comforts and guides many people in many ways, and the church is most honest when it affirms Christian teachings, not a singular Christian teaching such as underlies ¶304.3. RMN regards that singular approach as logical fallacy, doctrinally inconsistent with Wesleyan tradition, and diminishing of the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit blesses lesbian and gay persons, their families, their children and calls, gifts and graces some for ordained ministry.

Reconciling United Methodists cannot rely upon or wait for the institution to correct this injustice. The power to correct this injustice now moves to General Conference 2008 in Ft. Worth, Texas. The power to correct this injustice lies in the grassroots movement of reconciling people, in you. Ft. Worth -- will you be there?

Related Link: http://www.wesleyblog.com/2006/05/todays_not_so_b.html