Reverend Franklyn Schaefer relayed the story of his son’s struggle to be accepted into society as a gay man as well as how Schaefer’s officiating of his son’s wedding led to his defrocking.  Schaefer maintains that the United Methodist Church disobeys the “Do No Harm” Clause of John Wesley and harms its gay members through its anti-gay rhetoric.  Schaefer began his talk by telling the audience about his son’s struggle his sexual identity and his faith, and how he considered suicide. When his son came out to him, Schaefer told the audience that he embraced him with open arms. In fact, Schaefer opened with the statement that three of his four children are gay and that each one of them is a gift from God. He stood firm when asked by his son to officiate his wedding. It was not until 2014 that someone in his congregation submitted a formal complaint and judicial charges against Schaefer for officiating his son’s same-sex marriage.

What followed was a trial by the United Methodists for his actions. At this point in the lecture, Schaefer described the democratic structure of the United Methodist Church and how similar to the United States having laws and a judicial system, the United Methodists have the same. The Book of Discipline stated that homosexuality was not in line with Christian teachings and beliefs. In his trial, Schaefer did not deny his actions and told the church how they were hurting brothers and sisters who belonged to the LGBTQ+ community and how the church was not acting on the teachings of love and acceptance. What followed was his defrocking. He soon filed for an appeal and a year later was reinstated.

Schaefer is now an avid advocate for human rights. In his presentation, he referenced studies done by the American Psychological Association on the impacts of anti-gay rhetoric in churches and the effects on LGBTQ+ persons. He spoke of the hardships of their journeys to self-discovery and how the church was going against the John Wesley “Do No Harm” Clause. This is a fundamental belief that all United Methodists hold to practice love and acceptance in their church. Through his trial and actions, Schaefer wanted to make it clear to the United Methodist Church that through their Anti-Gay Doctrine they were hurting their members.

Attendees were receptive to Schaefer’s message, and found him to be a prime example of an LGBTQ+ ally.

“Pastor Schaefer delivered a message that this campus needed,” said Morgan Bates ’18, “especially as members of the LGBTQ community struggle to seek out supportive faith communities and the town of Carlisle to adjust to the new ordinance. Faith and LGBTQ rights need to be talked about, and Pastor Frank handled this sensitive intersection with class and eloquence. He exhibited what I consider a true example of ally ship.”

Sara Duane ’20 valued Schaefer’s presentation not only or for its message but also for the depth of knowledge he presented. “I think that Schaefer’s talk was extremely informative and inspiring,” she said.  “He engaged the listeners with the story of his son and his experiences going through defrocking while also giving recommendations to remove discriminatory measures in the church’s policies. He had such a personal connection to this topic and you could really hear it in the way he spoke and engaged with the audience.”

This lecture was held in Stern, attended mostly by outside community members from Mechanicsburg and Harrisburg who are supporters of LGBTQ+ rights as well as United Methodists.

Schaefer presented his lecture through the Clarke Forum on October 26th, entitled “An Indictment of the United Methodist Anti-Gay Doctrine” as part of the annual Wesley Lecture presented by The Center for Service, Spirituality, and Social Justice.