A demonstration outside a Methodist Church

Some fairly depressing pieces pop on youtube. This must be one of the most depressing. It shows a bunch of  people picketing a Methodist Church because they allege it is "pro-homo". I can well understand why the church goers seemed so surprised and ill prepared for the picket. This was clearly a difficult situation for them. The demonstrators demonstrated just where they were coming from - and going to - when they started shouting that the woman Minister should get her apron and oven gloves back on. I'm sure Susannah Wesley, the Countess of Huntington and Eliza Asbury, to mention a few of Methodism's mothers in faith, would have a thing or two to say about this approach.

I haven't been able to find out anything more about this incident. It would be interesting to know what provoked the demonstration and what was the outcome. It does however feature a clash of ideas that goes on throughout the Christian world but rarely in such an obvious way. I did feel for the woman who claimed she had been "born a Christian" and just didn't understand the concept of being "born again". There seem to be many in the Methodist Church who fall into that sad category.

I would add just one more word about this incident. I have a feeling in my guts that over the next few years Christian places of worship in the United Kingdom will come under similar public pressure and disruption though not nessecarily from other groups claiming to be Christian. A month or so ago Dave W reported some unpleasant vandalism at his church in Northamtonshire.  I'm aware of  recent incidents where buildings have been vandalised and a service disrupted. We need to start thinking through how we would cope with such external hostility. We now live in a rapidly changing environment.