Statement from Good News Regarding Dammann Court Decision

The decision by a 13-member jury of Pacific Northwest Conference clergy to acquit Rev. Karen Dammann in a church trial last week in Washington State was an incredibly irresponsible decision by that trial court. Eleven voted to acquit Rev. Dammann and two were uncertain.

The court’s decision was in contradiction to the clear standards of the United Methodist Book of Discipline. In its verdict, the jury said, “While sustaining the specification that Rev. Karen Dammann is a self-avowed practicing homosexual, we, the trial court, do not find the evidence presented. . .to be clear and convincing that Karen Dammann has engaged in any `practices declared by the United Methodist Church to be incompatible with Christian teachings.’ We cannot sustain the charge.”

What makes this statement so astounding is that Rev. Dammann has said herself, in a letter to Bishop Galvan, that she was in a covenanted relationship with another woman. This is an admission or a confession by Rev. Dammann and the jury itself acknowledged that she was a “self-avowed practicing homosexual.” What further evidence was needed in addition to Rev. Dammann’s own personal acknowledgment? Certainly, that was enough to be clear about the nature of her lifestyle. Furthermore, the United Methodist Book of Discipline says clearly that “Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.” (Par. 304.3) The Discipline could not be clearer on this matter.

Good News notes numerous troubling aspects of this trial, which has received national coverage and has become an embarrassment for our entire denomination.

• The focus of the trial should have been on Rev. Karen Dammann. However, the defense succeeded in shifting the focus so that the church’s standards were really put on trial. That should not have been allowed by the trial judge. Eleven or more witnesses were called, many of whom spoke about questions of biblical interpretation, theology, and the history of our church standards, all of which were not the focus of the trial.


• Three retired United Methodist Bishops testified on behalf of Rev. Dammann. To allow bishops to come in and speak in support of a position that is in direct opposition to church law and the Book of Discipline is an egregious misuse of the episcopal office.


• We have an annual conference that has broken covenant with the United Methodist Church, by blatantly ignoring the clear standards in the Book of Discipline.


• We wonder about how much heart and conviction the church's prosecutor Rev. James Finkbeiner put into prosecuting the case. After the verdict Finkbeiner told reporters "I'm glad I lost on a personal basis." He went on to say that he believed the jury disregarded church teachings. It leaves us wondering if Rev. Finkbeiner was just going through the motions in prosecuting the case against Rev. Dammann.


• The trial court's decision appears to us to be an example of "jury nullification," a situation in which jurors refuse to acknowledge the law in the disposition of a case.

Good News is encouraged at the statement released today by Bishops Mike Watson and Lindsey Davis, indicating they are “profoundly disappointed in the recent church trial court decision in the Seattle Area.” In their statement, they warn that “It is a clear sign of rebellion when a group chooses to flagrantly ignore the Discipline, substituting their own perspective for the corporate wisdom of the General Conference.” (See Good News web site for the full statement.)

The Good News Executive Committee will meet by teleconference Tuesday evening, March 23, to discuss further this unacceptable ruling and what further responses might be needed.

-----James V. Heidinger II
President and Publisher

To respond to this article write: Steve@goodnewsmag.org