The Pastor..

..and the porn.

The Rev. Brian James' confession of being a porn addict certainly was traumatic for this respected pastor and his congregation at the St. James United Methodist Church in New Tampa.

But the church was admirably direct in acknowledging James' lapses and deciding he could no longer lead the church.

The Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, which oversees some 750 churches, dealt with the pastor's transgressions firmly by removing him from his post at the New Tampa church.

The church hierarchy also showed compassion, sending James to get help and leaving open the possibility of a return to the ministry.

The UMC church in Florida is not as squishy as the UMC in the Northeast or Northwest. The church is doing the right thing, "We love you bro, but you gotta go, you may be ably to come back."

I am even surprised that my local fishwrap gave its approval of dealing with a fallen pastor in a Biblical manner.

My question is: Would this editorial be so approving if Pastor James would have confessed to a hankering for manlove?