Posted on 05/17/2016 9:40:18 AM PDT by xzins
The United Methodist Church is considering splitting over the full acceptance of gay members, according to reports by top clergy and advocacy groups. Church officials say the president of the Council of Bishops will address the rumor Tuesday in Portland, Ore., where the denomination is holding a major convention.
The rumors about the United States’ third-largest faith group began spreading on social media Monday night, when some prominent pastors reportedly told crowds in Portland that a plan is in the works. Details about what the plan entails and who was on board with it were unconfirmed.
United Methodist Church spokeswoman Diane Degnan said only that “there will be a response this morning from the president of the Council of Bishops.” The church-affiliated United Methodist News Service reported no other details. Some said the response could come late morning, Portland time.
The denomination has been increasingly divided in recent decades — like many other global faith communities — over social issues. The split has been especially marked between Western liberals and the fast-growing, more socially conservative segments of the church in Asia and Africa. Short answer was no. The far right and far left are entrenched in their theological understandings. 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
“Isn’t Trump a Methodist?”
;)
/s
“Charles Wesley wasn’t a Methodist.”
Jesus Christ wasn’t a “Christian” and Martin Luther wasn’t a “Lutheran.” The Wesleys, like Jesus and Luther, were reformers and the Wesleys were trying to change what they believed were the errant practices of the Anglican church. It was the followers of the Wesleys who became known as Methodists.
The same way everyone justifies sin, they plug their ears to their conscience and let their carnal mind supply the rationalizations they need to fool themselves.
Time for the old Emo Philips denominational joke:
Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, “Don’t do it!” He said, “Nobody loves me.” I said, “God loves you. Do you believe in God?”
He said, “Yes.” I said, “Are you a Christian or a Jew?” He said, “A Christian.” I said, “Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?” He said, “Protestant.” I said, “Me, too! What franchise?” He said, “Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?” He said, “Northern Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?” He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region.” I said, “Me, too!”
Northern Conservative†Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?” He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.” I said, “Die, heretic!” And I pushed him over.
The Church will have to go underground and meet in small groups in people’s homes. The denominations are fractured and doctrinally opposed, the charities are disputed, the programs are flawed. I’m thinking we are definitely living in the end times...
There are times when the only way is to simply WALK. For
now, our Southern Baptist churches are not ordaining female
preachers or marrying homosexuals OR teaching that filthy
sex (how else does one describe sex where feces is such a
ubiquitous result?) is just OK. - Fang grew up in the
biggest First Baptist Church in town as did his parents.
As a result, he is glued to it. However, IF the Southern
Baptist hierarchy decides to hop on the queer train; I AM
OUTTA THERE, Fang or no Fang.
I attended a Greek Orthodox church for a couple of years
several years ago; but didn’t really fit in there. I’m a
Huguenot; so Roman Catholic is out for me. Us Maupins had
a terrible time with them in France & were lucky to get out
with our lives, to Holland, to England, then to America.
post #44
Funny!
I consider myself fairly well versed in the Bible, but could someone find for me where in the Bible it supports homosexual unions? I can find plenty to support heterosexual unions and a good amount of anti-homosexual verses, but I just can’t seem to find the verses that support homosexuality.
I must have a defective Bible...
“UMC has always been a hippy liberal type church.”
They were a big part of the activist, anti-war Left back in the 60s.
You are right. It is all a big joke to get money from sheeple. They don’t get mine.
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.
EVERY book in the NT, from Matthew to Revelation, contain warnings of false doctrine and teaching.
No, PCUSA.
I live in Portland where my wife is pastor to a small Methodist Church. We have a lady from “back east” staying with us while she attends the festivities so we get daily reports about the proceedings. My wife and I are pretty conservative while the lady is more liberal. This leads to some interesting exchanges.
I asked her last week to read and comment on four passages from the Bible: Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Genesis 1:28 and Malachi 3:6. She said she’d look at them but so far all I’ve heard is crickets. I have an idea that she has “forgotten” about it.
I’m not a Biblical scholar like my wife but I’ve noticed that whenever God was laying down the law on a subject he started his statement with “Thou shalt...” while a lot of the lesser rules and regulations were left to be interpreted to some extent. Leviticus 18:22 is a case in point and when it is followed with Malachi 3:6 it leaves gays and lesbians to either admit the seriousness of their sin or leave the Christian religion entirely. Either is acceptable to me.
Since you are asking your guest to exegete scripture, you might look at 1 Timothy 2:12, 1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:6.
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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.
Only if they could each bar entry to the other. Otherwise, the split would be meaningless.
God understood this principle with his nation Israel. It seems to some extreme that he would be so severe with the people which occupied the land God gave to Abraham's decedents, but a pure, undefiled standard was necessary for any national identity. Even with this, they rebelled and fell from his favor. How much more if they were allowed to intermarry and adopt the customs of the surrounding nations.
Makes me laugh every time.
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