>>Why should the UMC care about intelligent design?
Because, as an organization, it believes in random evolution. It views any attempt to introduce God as anything more than a disinterested observer as something that goes against their “social principles”.
I’m not a YEC, but I do see the influence of God in creation. Sadly, I do not see the influence of God in the American side of the UMC anymore.
When I was at my last Annual Conference in 2014 and observing rant after rant about various Progressive causes disguised as social justice, my pastor leaned over to me and asked me, “Do you feel the Holy Spirit in this room?” I said, “No”.
He said, “Me either. I wish I had chosen another denomination. I don’t feel welcome here anymore.”
I didn’t either. He was trapped by his pension and years of seniority. As laity, I was not.
When I was a child, my best friend’s dad was UMC pastor, and he was a good guy, probably a bit on the liberal side, but he didn’t really get political about anything.
When he moved out of the neighborhood to take a better gig in a small town, the new pastor immediate put a pink triangle and rainbow flag on the church sign, and was known for his habit of jogging around the neighborhood wearing skin-tight, hot pink biker shorts. That was in the late 80s, and it’s only gotten worse since then.