Nazarene church put Idaho minister on trial for LGBTQ+ support. Here’s the verdict
Thomas Jay Oord was not surprised that a disciplinary board of the Church of the Nazarene found him guilty of going against church teachings about homosexuality.
Oord, a prominent theologian and now-former Nazarene minister, was not surprised that the church stripped him of his credentials as an elder in the church.
But he didn’t expect to be essentially expelled from the church, as well.
“I kind of expected to lose my credentials,” Oord told me in a phone interview Monday. “I’m surprised they also took my membership.”
That means that Oord, who wants to change the Church of the Nazarene to be more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, loses his ability to vote in local church elections, and losing his credentials means he can no longer teach, preach or hold a leadership position in the church.
In effect, it’s an excommunication, or expulsion, from the church.
Oord said he thinks it’s the first time the denomination has taken away both credentials and membership over doctrinal issues.
“It takes away any official capacity for me to try to change things (within the church),” Oord said. “Now, of course, we all know in the world we live in, someone like me can have a lot more influence through social media than their single vote, but yeah, officially, I no longer have that ability to go through the official channels to see change made.”
As I wrote in a column last week, Oord was charged with teaching doctrines contrary to the Church of the Nazarene’s statement on human sexuality because of his positions on accepting same-sex relationships.
He was also charged with conduct unbecoming of a minister because of the work he was doing to try to get the church to change its views on LGBTQ+ issues.
“I think the board of discipline was very angry at the very public things I did to promote full queer inclusion, and they were angry that I ignored their their desire for me to stay silent,” Oord said. “And I think their taking away my membership is an indication of how much they fear my influence in the church and outside it.”
Oord, a lifelong Nazarene, was ousted from his position at Northwest Nazarene University about 10 years ago over other, unrelated progressive views on religion, but he had maintained his position as an elder and minister in the Church of the Nazarene.
Oord has remained a speaker on religious issues and has written more than 30 books on theology.
Oord last year co-edited with his daughter Alexa Oord the book “Why the Church of the Nazarene Should Be Fully LGBTQ+ Affirming,” a collection of essays that make the case for change.
Oord said the trial, held July 25, wasn’t antagonistic and was respectful, but the decision, issued Saturday, was harsh.
“Our sincere prayer is that Oord will repent of his heretical teachings and devote his considerable talents in a way that he and all those whom he has led astray will find wholeness in Christ,” according to the verdict handed down by a board of discipline consisting of seven members. “The seriousness of his offenses cannot be overstated. Under the guise of being a Nazarene elder and educator, he has sown deep seeds of confusion and division, leading people away from sound doctrine. Only eternity will show how many souls have been led astray through this false teaching.”
Nonetheless, Oord said he plans to continue to attend the Church of the Nazarene, and he said his congregation is supportive.
He said there’s still a movement within the church to be more inclusive and accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, or “queer-affirming,” as Oord puts it.
He noted a pair of Pew Research surveys gauging acceptance of homosexuality within the Church of the Nazarene, which regularly rates to be among the most conservative denominations.
One survey in 2007 showed a 31% acceptance of homosexuality among Nazarenes. By 2014, that percentage had risen to 40%.
And Oord said he thinks his trial may mark an important point in that movement’s history.
“There’s definitely a movement that’s been started,” said Oord. “And I think my trial and the book that we edited has played, if not the most important role in that, at least a major role in seeing that movement emerge, and that’s gratifying.”
