Northern Illinois United Methodist Conference Urges: Homosexuality/bisexuality "gift of God"

Methodist Federation for Social Action | June 6, 2003 | Rev. Bob Campbell, Legislative Coordinator> Coordinator

[aruanan]

Some of these religious institutions have been taken over my non-believers. People who belong to these Godless denominations should be leaving in droves.

You seem to believe that because some people in higher administrative positions are apostate the entire organization is apostate. This simply does not follow. A better case than leaving could be made for staying and fighting to regain control at the highest organizational levels: to leave is to abandon to evil-doers an organization with worldwide influence. This is as irresponsible as abandoning the control of city government to crime bosses. One's relinquishing to the evil a means by which he can propagate his evil is in itself a sin.

[jocon307]

"We're doomed."

You said it.

[muawiyah]

"30 years ago" was 1973. Mixed race churches were nothing new ~ if you were a Pentacostal they should have been around for 130 years!

Technically speaking Christianity can claim "mixed race" congregations all the way back to the day St. Paul met the Ethiopian.

We might note that in those days St. Paul was busy condemning anal sex. It's truly unfortunate that the UMC has given it up. One might imagine that Communion will be the next thing out the door, then what's left of Jesus, and possibly any other thing that might make you mistake a Methodist church for a Christian institution.

[aruanan]

"We're doomed."

You said it.

Hey! Remember what G-d told this whiner who said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD G-d of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away"?

[hope]

"You seem to believe that because some people in higher administrative positions are apostate the entire organization is apostate.

A better case than leaving could be made for staying and fighting to regain control at the highest organizational levels: to leave is to abandon to evil-doers an organization with worldwide influence".

Yeah, sure, if that's what you want to believe. There are many options out there for those who want to trust in a good home church.

Religous idolators have been heading down this road a long time. Change would be great..you got some suggestions to topple the hierarchy of these apostate church organizations?As for the rest of your remarks, your're comparing apples to oranges.

[nobdysfool]

This is nothing less than defamation of the name of God, denial of holy scripture, and a slap in the face to any true Christian. That these people would claim to love God, love Christ, and yet make a statement that is so blatantly contradictory to the Word of God is a sure sign of apostasy.

Over the door of any Methodist church who agrees with this should be the word, "ICHABOD", The glory has departed.

[nmh]

"Polygamy is Biblical, and far less "weird" than homosexuality and pedophilia. "

More accurately pologamt occurred in the Bible however the Judeo Christian God does not approve of it.

[nobdysfool]

If there ever was a split, the Confessing Movement would win hands down and would control the church. This might happen soon, it might happen later, but I grantee you if this type of crud continues to surface it will happen.

If you ask me, adequate reason exists right now to force the split. This is not a matter of a mere difference of opinion, this is out and out defiance of the Word of God, and certainly enough reason to remove these heretics from any association with true Christians.

[LiteKeeper]

SPOTREP - Apostacy

[ppaul]

No scriptural basis here.
Move on.

[ppaul]

ping.

[drlevy88]

HISS! SPIT!

[scripter]

Thanks for the ping. I'll read this tomorrow.

[Elsie]

It looks like many are unequally yoked.

Who wooda thought that the time would come when it's the TOO equally yoked that are so troublesome!!

[Elsie]

The church as whole does not buy into this stuff and 80% of the members do not. We have a few in powerful positions who spout this stuff but it does not go anywhere. If you look I'm sure you would find that this was not adopted at the conference and therefore signifies nothing other than a few misguided people’s views.

Then WHY, in the name of GOD, can you NOT throw these people out of your organization?????

---

1 Corinthians 5

 

 1.  It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife.
 2.  And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?
 3.  Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.
 4.  When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,
 5.  hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature  may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
 6.  Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?
 7.  Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
 8.  Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
 9.  I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--
 10.  not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.
 11.  But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
 12.  What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?
 13.  God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

 

---

"All it takes, for evil to prevail, is for good men to do nothing........"

Have the REST of you no backbone??? Do what HAS to be done and do it soon!!!

[BlueLancer]

I hate Illinois Methodists ...

[goldstategop]

Hillary Clinton and President Bush are both Methodists. I'd think its safe to say they belong to different branches of the church and never shall the twain meet.

[Elsie]

You know everything is upside down.

---

NIV James 4:17
  Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

 

NIV Romans 12:9
 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

 

 

NIV Romans 12:21
  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

 

NIV Romans 14:16
  Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.

 

 

NIV 1 Corinthians 15:33
  Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."

 

 

NIV Galatians 4:16-18
 16.  Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
 17.  Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you [from us], so that you may be zealous for them.
 18.  It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you.

 

 

NIV Galatians 6:9
 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

 

 

NIV 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22
 21.  Test everything. Hold on to the good.
 22.  Avoid every kind of evil.

 

 

NIV 1 Timothy 1:18-19
 18.  Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight,
 19.  holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.

 

 

NIV 1 Timothy 5:24-25
 24.  The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.
 25.  In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

 

 

NIV 2 Timothy 3:1-5
 1.  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
 2.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
 3.  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
 4.  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--
 5.  having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

 

 

NIV Titus 1:16
 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

 

 

NIV Hebrews 5:14
 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

 

 

NIV James 1:13-16
 13.  When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
 14.  but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
 15.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
 16.  Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.

 

 

NIV James 1:21
  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

 

 

 

NIV 1 Peter 2:15-16
 15.  For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.
 16.  Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God

 

 

NIV 1 Peter 3:11
  He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.

 

 

NIV 3 John 1:11
  Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

[HatSteel]

The article at the top with all the "whereas's" is a reaction to the OFFICIAL POSITION of the United Methodist Church. Sprague is aggravated because the official position is that "homosexuality is incompatible with Christianity."

Sprague doesn't speak for United Methodism. He is an example of how our system of governance breaks down at the level of a bishop.

For our part in my home conference, we are sending a large delegation of CONSERVATIVES/ORTHODOX/EVANGELICALS to the next General Conference in 2004. These we just elected with join with other like-minded conferences, and we will not only WIN and continue the historic Articles of Religion that guide our Church, BUT we will WIN WITH EVEN GREATER NUMBERS.

God being our helper

[goldstategop]

For me, there are favorite passages in the Taanach that have the same thrust. People don't read The Good Book as often as they used to.