{"id":1102239,"date":"2021-12-09T11:13:54","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T16:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1102239"},"modified":"2021-12-09T11:13:57","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T16:13:57","slug":"church-fires-drag-dressing-pastor-featured-in-hbos-drag-queen-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/church-fires-drag-dressing-pastor-featured-in-hbos-drag-queen-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Church Fires Drag Dressing Pastor Featured in HBO&#039;s Drag Queen Series"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchurch-fires-drag-dressing-pastor-featured-in-hbos-drag-queen-series%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1102239&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 The Rev. Craig Duke has been a Methodist minister for three decades, building a reputation as a staunch advocate of LGBTQ inclusion. His pastoral duties have now been terminated \u2014 the result of a bitter rift surfacing in his Indiana church after he sought to demonstrate solidarity by appearing in drag alongside prominent drag queens in the HBO reality series \u201cWe\u2019re Here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Duke, 62, said he thought most of his 400-member congregation at Newburgh United Methodist Church shared his inclusive views, and he was taken aback when a prominent congregation member, soon backed by other churchgoers, circulated emails attacking him.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">\u201cYou have thrown NUMC under the bus to elevate a minority of individuals,\u201d said one of the emails. Another, according to Duke, said Satan must be pleased with the discord over LGBTQ rights.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Duke, who declined to identify his chief critics, told The Associated Press that the attacks \u201cfelt very personal,\u201d causing him to worry about his mental health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">\u201cIt was a matter of sadness and disappointment and heartbreak on my part \u2026 realizing I was losing the ability to lead,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_19056906\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" readability=\"38\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1000-8.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19056906\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1000-8.jpeg\" alt width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>This image released by HBO shows Eureka O\u2019Hara, left, and Pastor Craig Duke, of Newburgh, Ind., in a scene from the HBO series \u201cWe\u2019re Here.\u201d (Jakes Giles Netter\/HBO via AP)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Under United Methodist Church protocol, a pastor does not have the option of resigning, but Duke said he made clear to his immediate superior, regional superintendent Mitch Gieselman, that he needed to step away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">On Nov. 26, Gieselman \u2014 who had been hearing from the pastor\u2019s critics and supporters \u2014 sent a letter to the NUMC congregation announcing that Duke \u201cis being relieved of his pastoral duties.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Through the next three months, Duke said he and his wife will be allowed to continue living in the NUMC parsonage, while he incurs a 40% pay cut. They must relocate no later than Feb. 28, when his pay will be halted, Gieselman said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">While Gieselman noted in his letter than Duke\u2019s actions had \u201cpolarized\u201d the congregation, he said none of those actions constituted formal violations of UMC\u2019s Book of Discipline, which functions as a legal code for Methodist clergy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">\u201cI was bullied out,\u201d Duke said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19056914\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" readability=\"32\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1000-7.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19056914\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1000-7.jpeg\" alt width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>(Johnnie Ingram\/HBO via AP)<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The episode of \u201cWe\u2019re Here\u201d featuring Duke \u2014 at one point shown in a dress, high-heeled boots, a pink wig and heavy make-up \u2014 was taped in July but did not air until Nov. 8.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Duke was invited to participate in the show by an LGBTQ Pride group in nearby Evansville and accepted in part to show support for his 23-year-old daughter, Tiffany, who identifies as pansexual.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The premise of \u201cWe\u2019re Here,\u201d an Emmy-nominated series now in its second season, is that three renowned drag performers travel to towns and small cities across the U.S., recruiting a few locals to join them as drag queens.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Even before the episode was broadcast, some congregation members complained that Duke hadn\u2019t given them advance notice of his decision to be in the show, which included scenes filmed at the church. In response, Duke wrote to the congregation in August, saying he was sorry that trust in his leadership had been damaged.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">But he defended his motives, saying, \u201cI was willing and excited to share God\u2019s love with the LGBTQ community on a national level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\"><strong><em>Watch below:&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WE&#039;RE HERE  Trailer (2020) HBO\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/87H4jvAPbMs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Any hope that conflict would subside vanished in mid-November when the emails attacking him began to circulate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The rift within Duke\u2019s congregation reflects broader divisions within the United Methodist Church, the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Conservative leaders in the UMC have unveiled plans to form a new denomination, the Global Methodist Church, with a doctrine that does not recognize same-sex marriage. The move could hasten the long-expected breakup of the UMC over differing approaches to LGBTQ inclusion, including whether LGBTQ people should be ordained as clergy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the UMC\u2019s General Conference \u2014 at which the schism would be debated \u2014 has been postponed for two consecutive years and is now scheduled for August 2022 in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">According to Duke, one of the reasons he was invited to appear on \u201cWe\u2019re Here\u201d was because of the divisions in both his own church and the UMC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">\u201cMy only hope and goal was and is to bring the message of God\u2019s unconditional love to a community that has been greatly marginalized,\u201d Duke wrote to his congregation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The decision to terminate Duke\u2019s duties already has had ripple effects. His wife, Linda, who was pastor of youth ministry, resigned. So did church administrative assistant Erin Sexton, who along with her husband, Chris, organized a GoFundMe campaign to help the Dukes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">As of Wednesday morning, more than $52,000 had been pledged by more than 900 people, scores of whom added comments thanking Duke for his LGBTQ advocacy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Chris Sexton said he had been a member of Newburgh United Methodist since childhood and described Duke as \u201cone of the most captivating and genuine\u201d of the many pastors who served over the years. But the Sextons said many congregants shied away from the conflict over \u201cWe\u2019re Here,\u201d allowing Duke\u2019s critics to dominate the debate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Duke is unsure what his next step will be, though he doesn\u2019t plan to return to pastoring. One possibility, he said, would be for him and his wife to establish \u201can inclusive camp\u201d for youths and young adults.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">\u201cMy heart is moving in a new direction,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are so many people who have been hurt by religion, felt rejection, who are reaching out, who are hopeful this will spark me to do something different on their behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 The Rev. Craig Duke has been a Methodist minister for three decades, building a reputation as a staunch advocate of LGBTQ inclusion. His pastoral duties have &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1102239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1102239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1102239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1102239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1102239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1102239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1102239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}