Here’s praying that a split happens. We would have a biblical church committed to historic Christianity and a liberal church as the result.
The Conference supplied tablets to voting member. Many of the Africans had never seen one before.
The fix is in.
EVERY book in the NT, from Matthew to Revelation, contain warnings of false doctrine and teaching. Some of the warnings are specific (mention names) and others are generic. Some were mentioned by the Apostles while others by Christ Himself. It seems that God does not waste an opportunity to warn people about false doctrine and teaching.
Over 2000 years later, some in the church think that they are above this and those books in the NT were directed towards the early church and does not apply to them. They don’t see the Pharisee staring back at them in the mirror.
Now the major church denominations, who view themselves apparently as ‘Too Big to Fail’, tackle social issues, refusing to acknowledge that the inspired Word of God already addressed these issues, calling most of them SIN.
Prepare for the extended real property lawsuits. That will separate the real heart believers from the pocketbook believers, not the gay issue.
Unfortunately, the proposal for a split is likely to separate the US United Methodist Church from the African United Methodist Church, with no provisions for allowing dissenting US congregations to go their separate ways. It has been the solid adherence to traditional Christianity and Biblical principles which has up to now prevented the United Methodists from formally endorsing every loony and wicked liberal idea.
A strong plurality of the Methodist laity still support a traditional interpretation of marriage. I saw a survey recently of US Methodists in Christianity Today that put the numbers at 46% for traditional marriage, 38% against. However, the US “leadership” leans heavily to the left. At the General Assembly last week, a procedural motion regarding changing the rules on same sex marriage failed on a 355-477 vote, but only because the African delegates voted overwhelmingly against it. Remove the African delegates and the votes on this and many other measures look quite different.
The group also faced a reality that by 2020 and beyond our African United Methodist sisters and brothers would control the church so what this would mean practically is that the United Methodist Church would be on a trajectory to become ever more conservative on a whole host of issues.
It wouldn't matter. There would still be enough leaven allowed to persist in the Bible-believing faction that it would become radicalized in a few years just as much as the leftist, unbelieving faction.
I'm not denigrating the conservatives in the group, just the fact that there is no welcoming "compromise" possible with evil.
The problem is, how will they split up the pensions, health benefits and rent-free housing? That’s really what this us all about.