By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Milford police arrested a Tennessee man July 1 for allegedly breaking into the Mary Tayler United Methodist Church over its stance on LGBT rights.
Charles Yarlbrough, of Nashville, Tennessee, was arrested after police responded to a call from the church about a possible burglary, according to police reports.
Yarbrough told police in an interview that he entered the building and damaged the office door because he felt pastor Rev. Kristina Hansen and the church as a whole were “supporting and pushing the LGBT agenda.”
Yarbrough was charged with a hate crime, burglary in the third degree and criminal mischief in the third degree. His bond was set at $50,000.
In a post to the church’s Facebook page, Hansen wrote, “This incident is unfortunate and saddening. It does not however dissuade us from our affirming stance.”
Below that she posted the church’s mission statement, which states in part, “We recognize and celebrate the diversity of God’s creation and God’s gifts. As disciples of our Lord, we publicly acknowledge, welcome and support people of all races, genders, sexual orientations and gender identities, ages, nationalities, ethnicity, abilities and socio-economic situations. Our welcome knows no boundaries.”
Mary Taylor has a link to Nashville for another reason: it’s the headquarters of the United Methodist Church, one of the largest Protestant denominations in the country.
The UMC was rattled by tensions over LGBT issues in February, when a vote at a St. Louis conference split liberal and conservative forces over the so-called “Traditional Plan,” which strengthens bans on LGBT support. Most of the U.S.-based representatives wanted to adopt more inclusive practices, and the disagreement has led to talks of a permanent rift.