Posted on 02/02/2013 4:35:58 AM PST by iowamark
Southern Baptists have changed their mind about Roe. When will United Methodists join them?
Last week about 100,000 or more marched in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. This year they commemorated 40 years since the 1973 Supreme Court decision constitutionalizing abortion on demand.
Supporting the march and the pro-life cause were leaders of America’s two largest religious communions, the 68 million-member Roman Catholic Church and the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention. Meanwhile, agencies for the third largest, the United Methodist Church, crafted a news release virtually celebrating Roe v. Wade. But 40 years ago, both Southern Baptists and United Methodists, at least officially, backed abortion rights...
The head of the Southern Baptist public policy agency in the 1970s, then called the Christian Life Commission, backed government-funded abortions and supported, along with United Methodists and other Protestant denominational agencies, the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights. By the late 1970s, conservative Southern Baptists, alarmed that their church was following the liberal path of Mainline Protestants, began to organize their eventually successful ascendancy over the convention. In 1980, the Southern Baptist Convention backed a constitutional amendment banning abortion except to save the mother’s life. In 1988, conservative Richard Land became the new head of the Christian Life Commission, replacing a pro-abortion rights liberal. At the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade in 2003, the Southern Baptist Convention repentantly declared: “[W]e lament and renounce statements and actions by previous Conventions and previous denominational leadership that offered support to the abortion culture...”
As Africans and U.S. evangelicals gain a majority within the United Methodist Church, the abortion rights stance almost certainly will fall. And someday soon, United Methodists may formally repent of their past, long-time official support for unrestricted abortion on demand.
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
What a way to start a morning...
“Instead, officials for the United Methodist Board of Church and Society and United Methodist Women’s Division jointly declared: “In the wilderness of political posturing and divisive blaming and shaming, we seek to be a voice crying out to prepare the way for the Lord to bring about a new era of reproductive justice for our families and communities. We actively await the realization of God’s Kingdom on earth, a kingdom in which all pregnancies are intended...”
all pregnancies intended...by God as showers of blessings, I hope.
My Lutheran denomination (LCMS) is and always has been pro life. Not all Protestants are apostate and liberal.
The error all these years was arguing from a religious perspective. That gave abortion adherents the argument thatCatholics were imposing their dogma. The argument is and always should have been about protecting life. With the enhanced sonographic technology that argument is much easier to make.
And as always with liberals, “intentions” are all that matters.
I left the Methodist Church several years ago, after the third marxist (literally) minister I just could not take the hatred and anti-God sermons.
Now I am an American Baptist and have found a wonderful home with people that for the most part share not only God’s message in a very loving manner, but are pretty much in tune with God’s will and government.
We left the liberal UCC years ago and are now quite happy with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Most United Methodists ignore the leftist blatherings of the General Board of Church and Society and United Methodist Women’s Division. They represent the homosexuals, abortionists, and communists in the church and they make a lot of noise, but lose when their policies come up for a vote at General Conference. These boards were established to work with the congregations to direct the church, but their politics have isolated them to the extent that most United Methodists don’t even know they exist.
During General Conference this year, I came in to my church every Sunday and gave a report of what was happening and most people, lifelong UMs, didn’t even know these people existed.
The GBCS delivers press releases that makes the world think that they represent us, but they are nothing. And if they ever take control, the UMC will split.
Excerpt: “Last week about 100,000 or more marched in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.”
Yeah, like 6.5 times, more.
I have been a Southern Baptist my whole life (57), and involved what the Southern Baptist Convention puts out there. They have never, and I mean ever, supported abortion in any way or for any reason. Just an FYI....
I have been a Southern Baptist my whole life (57), and involved what the Southern Baptist Convention puts out there. They have never, and I mean ever, supported abortion in any way or for any reason. Just an FYI....
That resolution has since been done away with.
thank you for your post. We currently attend UMC in a very conservative area (central AL). I stopped participating in UMW after I researched some of the General Board’s policies, especially about support of Palestine and anti-war statements by that board. At least my local pastor is very supportive of the military, traditional marriage, and pro-life. However, I do cringe at the thought that a portion of our regular tithe goes up the chain to these leftist idiots at GB.
I can see why some people choose to attend non-denominational churches and keep their tithes local rather than have some out of touch board decide where the money goes, even if counter to the majority of members.
I can also see why some people just totally give up on churches and don’t go—even tho’ we gain strength thru each other and should hold each other accountable, with any group it starts to get complicated and out of control.
Ultimately, the entire church body here on earth is flawed, and no denomination will be fixed until Jesus comes, grabs us up, and then we congregate together in New Jerusalem. For now, it’s like we all have to slog thru jello to at least try to make a difference in the world, flaws and all.
God be with you and blessings to you & your family! Have a safe Super Bowl weekend! :)
Leadership in the UMC is entrenched Marxist. As an elder in the church I was roundly discredited for my supposed conservatism. Claims of malfeasance against me by a lesbian cabal within the church were rampant and completely unsubstantiated. Eventually I understood that the spiritual home of my father and grandfather no longer could be found in the UMC. I resigned under duress never to return to the apostate UMC.
Low information voters. Same problem in the whole nation.
The United Methodists still can't figure out if a baby is killed in an abortion, altho they have pensive moments to consider such. They're more concerned with being against gambling than they are about condemning the wholesale and brutal slaughter of live human beings.
Oh, they bring it up once in a while to ponder, but they can never resolve their stance . . . much like they're putting their finger in the air to see which way the bloody wind blows.
I am so disgusted with their inability to condemn this ruthless slaughter of millions of innocents. And the horror of abortions is NEVER brought up at the pulpit . . . NEVER. Reason? They don't want to offend people in the congregation who have had abortions. Marketing, ya' know.
I have been attending an Evangelical Mehtodist church for a little over a year. It is an oasis in a spiritual desert filled with feel good, social club churches. I love it!
The UM church is infested with marxists. Our Bishop went on a blathering rant about granting gay marriage and ordaining gays at annual conference. He also sent out a letter decreeing that all clergy preach that Trayvon Martin was murdered by a racist the first Sunday after it happened. Our pastor asked us to support gun control and went off on a tangent about the environment. This week she’s preaching about the joy of evolution (which is officially sanctioned by the church).
There are plenty of stories that prove how out of touch the leadership of the UMC has become. I saw it several years ago and spent a while trying to decide whether I should leave the denomination or stay and fight. After all, the Methodist Church is the church that America built and its the church that took us across the frontier once we got out of sight of the Atlantic Ocean. I’m not ready to let it die from the cancer of liberalism.
I prayed on it a lot and God told me to stay and fight. He has set things in front of me since then to strengthen me and I’m going to keep working. He has taught me much and given me knowledge to help me fight.
At the heart of the UMC are its people. Most of them don’t know the bishop’s name and couldn’t pick the DS out of a line-up. They follow their local leaders and pastors. They don’t follow General Conference politics and they barely know when Annual Conference is happening. They just worship, eat, study, fellowship, and serve as followers of Christ should do.
Many people on FR who aren’t UM claim that we are apostates for various things that we almost did but didn’t and the reason we didn’t do it was the people.
Now, I will tell you that there are extemely liberal districts, pastors, and even congregations. But most Methodists and congregations are slightly right of center since they not only believe in God, freedom, country and family; but they also care for the poor and oppressed. On FR, that makes you a liberal at worst or RINO at best. I’ll take that. After all, I only VOTE republican, but I AM a Christian.
I noticed you wrote “Evangelical Methodist” church...is that a different branch from the “regular” Methodist church this article is talking about? BTW, congratulations on enjoying a good Church “family”. It is so important in our lives...
That is wonderful...I have been really enjoying being very active in our Church...it has been like I finally found my home...
I too have chosen to stay and fight for my church. There are too many decent people there to just abandon them. I’ve found that if you speak up there are others who didn’t have the courage to speak up and will be glad you did.
>>I too have chosen to stay and fight for my church. There are too many decent people there to just abandon them. I’ve found that if you speak up there are others who didn’t have the courage to speak up and will be glad you did.
I’ve noticed that too. Many people are sheep. They follow the leader and if the leader leans left, then they do too. If another voice speaks up, then they have to choose who to follow and then their conscience (aka the Holy Spirit) has a chance to be heard.
Yes, it’s a different denomination but it does orginate from the UMC. I guess at some point they got in a disagreement about purchasing pew seating in the church (this was a long time ago) and decided to break away because they disagreed with the practice. The church is very conservative and puts Biblical tradition and holiness at the center of its teachings.
Any so-called "church" bearing the name of Christ, that signs on to affirm abortion, is in no way following the tenets of Christ and should never carry His name for He is all about LIFE, not death.
We know as Christians, that as human beings, we are all flawed, all corrupt all deceitful but we know the truth, what is right and good. Though we fail to follow our own convictions that we learn through Christ, we must continue to stand up for them for to deny them is to deny Christ.
Fortunately, those 55+millions of aborted babies lost to the world, are not lost to God. Unfortunately, for the perpetrators of their deaths turn from their wickedness and seek Christ, they are lost eternally no matter how acceptable it is to our society.
I pray for the outcome of this writer's belief for if the Southern Baptist Convention saw the error of it's way and prayed for forgiveness, perhaps the Methodist denomination will seek to do so as well.
At least half of the congregation left after this soul searching, unfortunately, others stayed.
I asked why they didn't leave when the congregation determined that it really didn't matter whether their pastor was male or female.
The move to put women in the ministry has generally been the beginning of the end for most denominations, as should have been expected for their is nothing in scripture that supported this practice.
I'm not trying to be difficult but after sitting in a Presbyterian church for much of my life, I realized how my presence must grieve the Lord and made the decision to never return.
I found a Bible believing and preaching church and have never looked back nor regretted that decision.
I also love being with people who stand up for Christ and His teachings which do not include abortion nor homosexual "rights" nor other sins.
We love sinners but hate sin. There is no such tolerance in scripture.
What the SBC has said about abortion over the years:
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/baptist/sbcabres.html
Remember, resolutions are often passed by a very small subset of the delegates at a conference.
No matter how many "decent" people there may be that you hate to leave, you need to decide whether they are open to salvation or not. If not, Paul advises us to "shake the dust from our sandals" and move on to where the opportunity to help the lost find salvation.
Don't cast your "pearls before swine."
I say this as a friend who has been in such a situation. I left, my husband stayed until he witnessed his baby granddaughter be baptized by a female pastor who refused to baptize "in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" for it was "too paternalistic!"
Following that, he left and never looked. He finally realized that he was the only one in the sanctuary that seemed to notice that it was non-biblical.
In the Book of Revelation, John quotes Jesus as saying of the Laodocian Church that was "lukewarm" He would "spew out of His mouth."
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