2024-07-30 17:38:53
A priest and theologian who published a book arguing that the denomination in which he was working should become inclusive, he was expelled from the Church of the Nazarene because of his position contrary to the teachings.
The Church of the Nazarene expelled the Rev. Thomas Jay Oord from its membership after the denomination’s court determined that the content of the book he co-authored with his bisexual daughter went against the teachings of the Bible.
The book Why The Church Of The Nazarene Should Be Fully LGBTQ+ Confirmed (“Why the Church of the Nazarene should be completely LGBTQ+ positive”, in free translation) in April 2023, according to information from the portal The Christian Post.
Since then, Reverend Thomas has been questioned about promoting teachings that go against the biblical teachings that his church adheres to. In the decision, the church – which has more than 2.5 million members worldwide – explained the reasons for the expulsion:
“Oord is guilty of unbecoming a minister and of teaching a doctrine contrary to the doctrinal declaration of the Church of the Nazarene,” reads an excerpt from the decision. “Oord has shown no repentance or willingness to submit to the authority of the church… his behavior shows a pattern of disregard and disobedience to authority,” the document states.
The decision is considered unprecedented in the history of the Church of the Nazarene: “The expulsion was not unexpected, but it is tough and determined to expel him from the association. We are doing everything we can to keep people. There has never been an attempt to eliminate members who do not believe everything,” said Samuel Powell, retired professor of theology at Point Loma Nazarene University.
On his blog, the former pastor of the Church of the Nazarene said that “a heretic who was defrocked and excommunicated is being judged”, and added complaints about the way he was judged: “[O] The summary of the proceedings of the trial and the testimony of the witnesses in this judgment is not accurate.”
Without denying the accusations of doctrinal deviations, Thomas Jay Oord claimed that “the only very accurate statement is that I have no pity for loving loving people”.
Church of the Nazarene
A Church of the Nazarene it traces its origins to the Wesleyan Holiness Movement in the 19th century and is a member of the World Methodist Council. The denomination reports more than 30,000 congregations worldwide and approximately 2.5 million members.
The case of Thomas Jay Oord is not the first that the Church of the Nazarene in the United States has charged him after defending progressive views on LGBT issues: Reverend Selden Dee Kelley III, senior pastor of the First Church of the Nazarene of San Diego, California, guilty of violated church teaching by a jury of nine members and, as a result, lost his preaching credentials in 2023.
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