They are intended to be instructive and persuasive in the best of prophetic spirit. The Social Principles are a call to all members of The United Methodist Church to a prayerful, studied dialogue of faith and practice. Creech said a guilty verdict at his trial could set a precedent for cases involving people who support capital punishment, oppose affirmative action, or have other stands contrary to the official policy of the denomination. This action would open the door to a broad range of issues. The trial will be presided over by retired United Methodist Bishop Leroy Hodapp of Evansville, Ind., who has handled five church trials during his career.
Trials are closed unless the defendant requests that they be open.
Creech is calling for an open trial. United Methodist Church told Creech that he was withdrawing his membership because he felt he could no longer belong to a church that condemned him for what he was. The last known time that the United Methodist Church had a trial related to the issue of homosexuality was in 1987. The Rev. Rose Mary Denman, a pastor in the former New Hampshire Annual Conference, admitted to the bishop that she was a lesbian. Charges were filed against her, and she was given the choice of withdrawing from the ministry under complaint, being involuntarily terminated, or going to trial.