American Thinker | Andrea Widburg:
Our First Amendment means that, even though the Supreme Court found a constitutional right to same sex marriage, that new right applies only to the government’s relationship with citizens. From Obergefell forward, to the extent states and the federal government recognize traditional marriage, they must also recognize same sex marriage. Thanks to the First Amendment, though, religious institutions cannot be forced to change their doctrines to conform to the Supreme Court’s holding.
In the case of the United Methodist Church, the church opted not to recognize (or officiate at) same sex marriages. It also has refused to ordain openly gay people to the clergy. Many within the church objected to this stance, a position that led to continued debate. That debate has now resulted in a formal agreement in principle to divide the church in 2020:
The plan, if approved at the church’s worldwide conference in Minneapolis in May, would divide the third-largest U.S. Christian denomination into two branches: A traditionalist side opposed to gay marriage and the ordination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender clergy, and a progressive wing that will allow same-sex marriage and LGBT clergy.
The split would affect the denomination globally, church leaders said. The United Methodist Church lists more than 13 million members in the United States and 80 million worldwide.
In their Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation, a 16-member group of church bishops acknowledged that there was no way to reconcile the church’s differing factions, citing “fundamental differences regarding their understanding and interpretation of Scripture, theology and practice;” a failure at a February 2019 conference to resolve the differences; and the fact that the church and “its members are at an impasse, the Church’s witness and mission is being impeded, and the Church itself as well as its members have been injured.” Based upon these findings, the bishops concluded the only thing to do would be to separate. read more
The United Methodist Church, then, will become the DIS-United Methodist ChurchES.
What will they call themselves to differentiate the two?
Orthodox Methodists vs. Unorthodox Methodists?
Original Methodists vs. Libertine Methodists?
Ideas/suggestions?
What, no twerking transvestite pedohiles at Sunday services anymore?
Who else is gonna donate to the democrat party??
They will probably be divided and just fade away from lack of funds. Divide and conquer by slow death.that is the ultimate goal here.no church at all!
@ Uncle Al
God Fearing vs Pro Queering
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-methodist-church-splits-lgbt-united-20200103-7vbcxyqivjgljiithuwn4iqnia-story.html
Illinois Methodist Bishop Sally Dyck
You can’t make it up!
If the church I got married in remains ‘traditional’ I might go once in a blue moon like Xmas, Easter
The Bushes and the Clintons are (or were) members of UMC churches. What does that tell you?
I suppose the “United” part will take on a whole new meaning?
It’s best to stay out of this debate.
I despise all ‘organized’ religions. They are all filled with charlatans and money changers.
My relationship with God is simply one on one.
It is amazing that a major church has to bend over to satisfy a small number of perverts.
I agree with PHenry.
I still belong to the Methodist church where I went to preschool, and am very active there. I like the church and its Wesleyan approach to a relationship with God. But as I tell the youth the church I belong to is a group of people I feel comfortable associating with in developing my faith, but my relationship with God is simply between the two of us.
BTW I was just discussing this a couple of hours ago with one of the ministers. This is simply a committee approval, and while this may very well be the approved action it is nowhere near final. One key positive thing is that it allows each local church to keep its property, which technically belongs to the greater UMC. This allows each local church to make its own decisions without a huge financial loss hanging over it.
So, the Traditionalists have to break away and form a new religion, while the faction the started this whole divide, the faction that thumbs their nose at God, gets to maintain the existing church name, facilities, etc? Yeah, that sounds fair.
Edit: I was typing when Dan posted
It must have something to do with the Meth part.
It is my understanding that the Episcopalians
and the Presbyterians have all ready gone LGBT
worldwide.I read somewhere awhile back that the
official church of Sweden had 2 married priestesses
as head of the church.
I see this as a net gain for Christians. It’s good to see that one of the major mainline churches has finally risen up to make the distinction between those members who reject the perversion of the Bible and those who have taken over the UMs to further their social justice agenda. Here’s hoping the other denoms will follow their lead.
PHenry, I used to feel the same way about “organized religion” but I found I was operating under a lot of presumptions and biases that weren’t really tested out. As long as the particular church adheres to the bible and the teachers teach the bible, I’m good. I’m no saint and I don’t expect my fellow churchgoers to be saints, but it’s good to have a spiritual family who loves me and helps to hold me to account.
@AA.
I was raised in a church environment and its schools, right behind where you see the Rose Parade every new years day. Church leaders lived luxuriously in the wealthiest part of Pasadena, but my family ate beans, couldn’t afford shoes or clothes. Dad worked for the church and between Low pay, tithing and paying for the schooling of three kids this ‘church’ bankrupted us.
No thank you.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens to the relative populations of the two branches. Which one will increase in number? Which will decrease?
I suspect that the traditionalist wing will increase as those put off by the leftward lurch of the National Conference might come back to the fold.
I fully expect the “Liberal” (heretical) wing to become even more heretical and bizarre.
So the Methodist church agrees with me,
SECEDE!
PHenry — I’m very sorry that happened to your family. When you explained it that way, that IS Organized Religion, Inc., isn’t it? Why did your family stay with that church, do you know?
There will always be a Church, because Christ established his church on earth.
The Episcopal church was my home for decades. I had good foundational teaching which helped form who I am today. I am saddened that that denomination has followed the popular culture rather than God and his teachings, but I have found a small congregation where the traditional approach is taught and lived. I feel blessed. The Bible teaches that Christians will be reviled and hated for who they love. We in the U.S. may not be persecuted by authorities, but we have been lulled into acceptance of evil. Pray for Christians who believe in Christ and God’s teachings. It is hard to stand up to friends, relatives and colleagues who have succumbed to the cultures beliefs of kindness and acceptance.
I try to love all people, whether or not I agree with their decisions in life, but I cannot say that their actions are right or good if it goes against the teaching of The Church and my beliefs in what God’s word means.
” I want rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists!.”