Fuller seminary senior director fired for refusal to sign non-LGBTQ affirming statement

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nn(RNS) — When Ruth Schmidt enrolled at Fuller Theological Seminary in 2016, she said it was the first time she felt as if her voice mattered.Raised in a nondenominational church in Kansas with “flavors of Southern Baptist,” Schmidt thinks of her community as compassionate but dismissive of the contributions of women pastors. But at Fuller, the 77-year-old school in Pasadena, California, known for its relative theological diversity among evangelical institutions, her calling to the ministry was never in question.
“I felt like I was seen and respected in a way that I’d never experienced anywhere else,” Schmidt said.
In January, Schmidt, a salaried employee at Fuller since 2020, was fired from her senior director position after declining to sign Fuller’s statement of faith. With her imminent ordination in the United Church of Christ, which accepts marriage for LGBTQ couples, she had balked at signing a statement that says “sexual union must be reserved for marriage, which is the covenant union between one man and one woman.”
A spokesperson from Fuller declined to discuss individual employees, but confirmed that all members of its community are required to adhere to its standards. He also quoted a community update from Fuller President David Emmanuel Goatley in which the president indicated the seminary is re-examining its policy on human sexuality.
“We can inform and inspire people to engage with civility and hospitality even in areas of disagreement,” …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]