Posted on 02/27/2019 4:46:47 AM PST by Politically Correct
After hours of delaying tactics by opponents, the United Methodist General Conference 2019 delegates passed The Traditional Plan 438 to 384.
A last-ditch effort to bring the One Church Plan back was defeated in the morning and was followed by efforts to amend the Traditional Plan to address constitutionality issues raised by the Judicial Council, the church’s top court.
The Rev. Tim McClendon, South Carolina, called for a vote on the Traditional Plan as amended, which affirms the church’s current bans on ordaining LGBTQ clergy and officiating at or hosting same-sex marriage.
(Excerpt) Read more at umnews.org ...
Traditional Plan = No homosexual pastors. No homosexual marriage.
One Church Plan = Homosexual pastors. Homosexual marriage.
Good for the Methodist!
The other big difference, as I understand it (I haven’t seen the last minute amendments) is that the Christians would graciously allow the homosexuals and their supporters to depart with the church property; the Bible haters, if they had won, would have followed the model of the PCUSA and the Episcopals and thrown the Christians out on the street.
Well, okay, but when 45% of a “church” body votes in favor of sin as an acceptable lifestyle option, you can put a fork in them; they are done. UMC can recover its validity as a Christian entity only when it purges all the members and clergy those 45% represent and returns to Biblical teaching about which those members and clergy are ill-informed.
See me holding my breath (sarc)
I suspect that the United Methodist Church won’t be united for much longer.
The non believers need the building more than we do. The facade is their religion. They need a building to hold together.
We, however, hold fast to our saving faith in the Son of God. We are a church, whether we have a building or not.
My local news informed me that this pretty much meant the end of the UMC because the church would “miss out on an entire generation of church leaders.” That’s always the solution they give: open doors, open hearts, open minds, open backsides. It’s the queer-friendly churches that are losing people. The UMC just managed (again) to stave off its demise. Thank God for the Confessing Movement and others willing to stand up for traditional, biblical teaching.
It hasn’t been for over 40 years. The uniting of those two denominations was ill advised and needs to be undone
yes.. that's my understanding as well. The church is growing much faster OUTSIDE the US, where the doctrine is more traditional.
I expect there will be a large contingent in the US that now splits away. They've been threatening to do so. Now, we'll see if they mean it.
I hope they do. They aren't helping the church here. Non-denominational churches are growing like weeds... without embracing Gay marriage.
The African, South American, and Asian churches dominate Methodism. The US church will undoubtedly schism. Realistically 1/2 of US Methodism is conservative. The net loss to the demonination will be about 25% resulting in an affirmation of Biblical Christianity and Weslyanism. This will reverse the continued loss of membership.
Finally Methodism is standing on its heritage.
I know some Liberal Methodists and I can tell you THEY are not thinking of a formal schism. What they WILL be thinking is - O.K., NEXT TIME. They will not leave and they will not cease pushing their agendas. If a schism comes to the Methodists, it will be down the road a bit and it will be the Conservative congregations leaving when some version of the Liberals “One Church” plan finally succeeds.
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