"Celebrate the UMC" event in Montgomery

I've been telling everyone, whether in person or at discernment group meetings, that if your church is discerning whether to stay in the UMC, this is the absolute BEST video I have seen from a centrist point of view. The testimonies celebrate who we are, and Tom Berlin does an excellent job of summarizing what it would mean to stay in our denomination and move forward in history.

I understand those that might wish to become part of another denomination at this juncture, and I only offer blessings if that's where your convictions lead you. However, let us all choose peace and refrain from the kind of straw-man arguments and half-truths that Berlin addresses about 40 minutes into the video.

You can find the video HERE!

My Request to Friends of the GMC

I attempted to post on the Facebook page “Friends of the Global Methodist Church.” Not surprisingly, it was declined by the administrators. This is what I attempted to post:

Most of these comments are angry. I get that. I believe in following the Discipline and always have.

But I challenge some of those leaving the UMC that they haven’t always followed the Discipline either. For example, the Discipline says all people may participate in the programs, ministries, and sacraments of the church, and I’ve seen too many instances when LGBTQ people have been removed from their volunteer positions or ostracized. One pastor I know even threatened to stand at the door and not let them in. Another said “I can love people without accepting them.” Another refused to participate in the baptism of an infant because it “legitimized their marriage.” This isn’t the way of Christ, and it violates the Discipline, too.

I’m not excusing the far left. I’m just saying to reduce the matter to leaving the UMC because “they” aren’t following the Discipline is to swallow the narrative of only one point of view. The other is that the punitive “traditional” plan of GC 2019 went way too far, was a rejection of true discernment by the bishops and commission, and was never intended to bring unity. It was a last ditch effort to get “those people” to leave, when the stated “end game” of the WCA was to leave anyway.

I won’t respond to comments. I just felt I should offer an alternative way of thinking, as a traditional, orthodox, and Wesleyan pastor who plans to stay in the UMC. I choose the messiness of being in community together and working something out to contextualize and move forward into the future, over a new denomination founded on a single wedge issue (though there is a lot of “straw-man” argument that it’s over other things). I will stay with the main body of the UMC and will not be joining the separatists.

I have nothing against those who do. Let’s just all be truthful that there are multiple and complex sides to these issues. Be who you are, but let’s stop blaming “those people” for our decisions. It would be better to depart in peace.

#stayumc

This post was deleted. I was able to repost this as a comment to another post, however. One person dismissed what I was saying about examples of not following the Discipline as “gripes.” Another said “all people” meant all races and nationalities, not “unrepentant sinners.”

I made an additional comment, later in the thread, that was deleted, and I'm not sure why, really. It was just a statement of fact.

A person asked me "how can you stay if you are a traditional church when it appears that the UMC will not stand on the authority of Scripture, the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, etc. For me to stay would hurt my witness. The basis of my Christin faith is on all of these -- without them, there is no Christianity."

I responded "that is a great example of the straw-man arguments I'm talking about. That narrative is simply not true. Wesley's Articles of Religion will not change. In fact, they can't be changed. Of course, if you look you can find a nut somewhere but they don't represent the whole."

Another person then asked me to put what I was saying in context. I said this (a comment which was, curiously, deleted by administrators):

Look in section III in the Discipline. Wesley wrote the Articles of Religion in his own hand. Here's a copy.

There's also lots of other info on core doctrines if you have a Discipline handy.

To change these would require a 2/3 vote at General Conference, followed by a 3/4 aggregate vote of all delegates at all Annual Conferences world-wide. So, they are not going to change.

Before it was deleted, someone had responded in the same thread "thank you for continuing to illustrate why we wish to separate." I’m sorry, do you mean because I know that the core beliefs of the UMC are not changing? And I’m pointing out that this is a classic “straw-man” argument? I don’t know a single person staying in the UMC who wants our core doctrinal and credal beliefs to change.

In another thread, I was simply asking that we ramp down the inflammatory language. I have nothing against those who wish to leave. I encouraged them to share what they liked about the new church they were forming, the positive things that drew them to it, when instead what I was reading was just language such as “apostates” and the UMC having “sold its soul to the devil.”

Someone else said "I agree with you 100%. There is only angry hateful speech coming from this page. They also only want those who agree with them to respond. If I am correct nothing can be done until the vote in 2024. Some of the other stuff being said about the UMC is untrue. If I did decide to leave the UMC I would steer clear of the Global Church. I will block this rubbish from now on."

Another deleted comment was very interesting. Someone elsewhere had said the problem with the UMC is we didn't recognize that we were all sinners going to hell and we need Jesus. I simply asked:

"Do you believe in the Calvinist doctrine of total depravity?" I was engaging what the person posited, to see where they were coming from and where they got such an assumption. My question was deleted by administrators.

I will no longer participate. I just wanted to share openly that I was just trying to help them to see they can be who they are and start their new denomination based on good things they want to offer the world. There is no reason to use inflammatory, denigrating language about “those people” and “straw-man arguments” based on strung together exaggerated examples from extremists that don’t represent the whole.

Brief Message for Stay UMC by Tom Berlin

I had the opportunity to interview Rev. Tom Berlin of Virginia for a few moments on what he had to say for the people in North Alabama who are involved in the "Stay UMC" movement.

You can view the video here.

I'm Traditional, Orthodox, and Wesleyan

I’m with Steve Harper. See his most recent article called New UMC: We Believe!

I am thoroughly traditional, orthodox, and Wesleyan, and I firmly plan to stay in the UMC. The church is our spiritual mother, and it has made the world a better place through a uniquely Wesleyan balance of head, heart, and hands. I love my mother very much, even when she’s not perfect. I believe in working together to making things better. I believe we have a strong future though these are difficult and divisive times in a world prone to division and institutional brokenness. I believe we must stand boldly at the table of grace and refuse to submit to a spirit of fear.

I do not accept the exaggerated, negative narratives of those who are leaving the UMC, though I have nothing against them if they feel led to do something else. I believe in our vision of open hearts, open minds, and open doors and finding our way forward in divisive times through embracing diversity of thought on non-essential or secondary matters and an openness to contextualized ministry. I believe in our commitment to the historic creeds, the unchanging doctrines and articles of religion, our passion for the marginalized and hurting, and the vision of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

I believe in holiness of heart and life, which leads us to a personal journey on the road toward perfection in love, and I believe we can’t institute that for everyone else based on culture war wedge issues. I believe in majoring in the major things and minoring in the minor things. I believe in interpreting scripture through the person of Christ not the voices of culture. I believe it is the outpouring of God’s grace that truly changes the world, not a quest for singularity of perspective.

I believe God created us and Jesus calls us to build bridges, to heal hurts, and to spread scriptural holiness throughout the land. I believe all of us are sinners in need of grace, and it’s only conformity to Christ that restores us. I believe my spirituality has more to do with removing the log in my own eye than pointing out the speck in someone else’s. I believe in inviting people into a deep, passionate relationship with Jesus and trusting God to help them work out their Christian ethics through the work of the Holy Spirit.

#BeUMC

#stayumc

Highlights from "Celebrate the UMC" in Montgomery, Alabama

It was a joy to attend "Celebrate the UMC," a gathering featuring Rev. Tom Berlin of the Virginia Annual Conference as the keynote speaker. It was held in Montgomery, Alabama on June 13, 2022.

I love the United Methodist Church and am committed to #BeUMC! I look forward to our future together. Here are some highlights from the evening.

Cameron West, president, said "Huntingdon College is a college of the United Methodist Church ... we are unwavering in our support of the United Methodist Church." He quoted a Wesley hymn, "Blest be the dear uniting love that will not let us part; our bodies may far off remove, we still are one in heart."

Frederick Outlaw, retired clergy, said "Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason - that's the full gospel for us ... it's out of that theology of grace that we continue to be present ... we have seen this movie before and we know how it's going to end."

Michael Precht, pastor of Dauphin Way UMC, said "The future of United Methodism is fully committed to disciple making ... everything else we do comes from this simple impulse."

Amy Persons, pastor of Point Washington UMC, said "The United Methodist Church that I grew up in, the United Methodist Church that will move forward into the future making disciples, is a 'big tent' church ... it is the table of Jesus Christ spread wide for all of us that makes us who we are, a 'big tent' church."

Julie Hare, Congregational Care Minister at Auburn First UMC, said "We are deeply, deeply connectional and we care not just about our own but for the whole world."

Bria Rochelle-Stephens, professor of religion at Huntington College, said "Experiencing God in the United Methodist Church tastes like salty tears ... smells like the breaking of warm bread at the first communion table where I felt warmly invited."

Finally, here are some highlights from the keynote address by Tom Berlin:

"We need a righteousness that does not depend on our actions, on our merit, or on any opinion we hold on a hundred different topics which may vary from the United Methodist next to us" ... "Our righteousness comes in Christ."

"Joy is what makes your church grow. Anybody who thinks anger is the way to get your church to grow, showing up every week and being ticked off at everybody - It doesn't work, ever."

"I am grateful for the United Methodist Church. It's been my spiritual home since my birth and I believe it will remain so until my death. It is my spiritual mother ... There are some in more recent years who think poorly of it, and I believe their words create confusion about the United Methodist Church, what it will be, what it is. And, quite frankly, I wonder how they can predict the future of the church when they only talk to people who are leaving it, but they are not talking to people who are staying in it."

"I've attended a lot of meetings of those who are committed to the future of the United Methodist Church, and their clarity around our unchanging doctrinal standards in Section 3 of the Book of Discipline is resolute ... What is the theology that is unchanging? The Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer - the lordship of Christ, salvation through Christ, the virgin birth, the bodily resurrection, that scripture contains all things necessary for salvation and more ... This is not changing ... You can't change those things. The constitution of our church doesn't allow you to change those things ... There is no procedural way the General Conference can change it ... That core theology doesn't change ... This is rock solid."

"I am sure that somewhere in our global ten million person denomination, somebody is saying something idiotic at any given moment ... Every family has a crazy Uncle Frank or crazy Aunt Fran, and we can't control that ... I would not want my entire family judged based by the soliloquy of Frank and Fran on any given Saturday ... I don't see why the United Methodist Church has to be judged by one person somewhere out there in a ten million person denomination. It doesn't feel fair."

"For those who desire, there is currently a way to depart thanks to a motion brought to the 2019 General Conference made by Rev. Beth Ann Cook, who is a member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association. Rev. Cook offered paragraph 2553 to General Conference as a pathway for disaffiliation. The General Conference affirmed it, which meant that people that now are talking about leaving the church had to agree with it because nothing passed the 2019 General Conference that that cohort of people didn't agree with it." ... "Rev. Cook stood up and said ... 'the intended process is literally how I would want to be treated if I was the one hurting because of the United Methodist Church'." ... "There are some who are saying they shouldn't have to pay anything but should be able to take their property without any complaint. And friends, the problem is in the United Methodist Church we have a significant unfunded pension liability. You've got retired pastors .. It's not fair, it's not right, and it's not Christian."

"If other people want to degrade the United Methodist Church, it's fine. But I've seen signs and wonders, and I've seen the good of it, and I've seen the health of it, and I've seen the vitality of it. And when you degrade its health and its goodness and the things that I'm pointing to that are real, be careful that you are not blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. Because it's not me, and it's not you, it's not even us. It is God among us. And I believe that the United Methodist Church has a future with hope." "And if it's not for you, God bless you as you go. I don't mean that negatively, I mean it honestly. It's an adult thing to self-differentiate and find your way. God bless you. You don't need to blow up the house as you leave."

"Jeff Greenway of the WCA was one of the first to say that the 'Protocol' is dead at several GMC meetings" ... "Mediated agreements need to be enacted in the moment in which they were created."

Letter in Support of God's Children

Some of the clergy in the state of Alabama recently signed a letter, expressing love and care for transgender children and their families.

I signed it, too.

I respect differences of opinion on the issues of our day, and I tend to be a centrist on most of them. I lean left on some and right on others. I affirm diversity of thought in politics and am so happy to serve a diverse local church. I stick to preaching the truths of the gospel on Sundays.

However, these laws appear to target marginalized families, and I am passionate about that because it's not the way of Jesus. I signed it not because of politics but because of my passion for pastoral care. It goes too far when the vulnerable are targeted unnecessarily.

You can read about our letter here. A portion of it reads "Seeing love thrive in spite of all the world’s challenges should be a primary goal of God’s followers, as this is what He sent His son to exemplify for us.

"The Holy Spirit moves in profound ways at separate times in each of us and our brothers and sisters in Christ may see some of God’s children through a different spiritual lens. God calls us not to judge our fellow man for difference because of these differing lenses but calls us to help with discernment and to share our knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ. Love one another, be patient for the Holy Spirit to work, and continue to pray for those who harbor fear in their hearts about that which is not easy or comfortable to understand.  Being inclusive of all of God’s children requires bearing a cross for those with lesser voices while attempting to understand their human experiences.

"The life of a Christian requires each of us to think bigger than oneself and to consider the many facets of human existence and the Creator’s unique design of humanity.  The Holy Spirit comforts and strengthens us and reveals our unique talents that equip us to serve the masses and to bring all into the fullest relationship with God possible."

I agree with my friend and former parishioner Judge Liles Burke's ruling. He blocked part of the law he believes is likely unconstitutional, the part which criminalizes offering medical care. You can read about that here. Burke wrote, "Enjoining the Act upholds and reaffirms the 'enduring American tradition' that parents—not the states or federal courts—play the primary role in nurturing and caring for their children." Bingo. That's why I signed the letter.

Burke wrote “Parent Plaintiffs are substantially likely to show that they have a fundamental right to treat their children with transitioning medications subject to medically accepted standards and that the Act infringes on that right" . . . "The Act prevents Parent Plaintiffs from choosing that course of treatment for their children by criminalizing the use of transitioning medications to treat gender dysphoria in minors, even at the independent recommendation of a licensed pediatrician."

I stand by my decision to sign the letter. But if you'd like to grab a cup of coffee and talk about it, I'm all ears. I'd love to hear your perspective.

What Would Wesley Say About Leaving the UMC?

“There are those who seem to think they will make the church purer and holier by limiting it to a specific set of legislated opinions.”

ST Kimbrough Jr., renowned Wesley scholar from North Alabama (retired Associate General Secretary for Mission Evangelism for the General Board of Global Ministry), asks what Wesley would say about the splintering minority from the UMC going into the GMC (organizing on May 1) or other offshoot denominations.

What a timely release. Read it at www.stayumc.org.

#stayumc

#BeUMC