Six years ago today, the schismatic leadership among North Alabama Methodists released a signed, ten page rebuttal against my letter, “Why I Am Not Leaving the UMC.” My letter had gone viral as a rallying cry for what became known as “Stay UMC,” a phrase our North Alabama coalition soon coined.
In subsequent weeks, a number of them asked me to issue an apology, or write a retraction, or remove my letter from online publication. Naturally, I declined to do so. I believed every word I wrote.
I found myself articulating to a friend last night, for the first time, that the final exam for my college Sociology of Religion class at BSC was Stay UMC, 35 years later.
An article later written about Stay UMC and similar grass roots movements may be found HERE.
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