Stand Strong, give to Good News

Stand Strong, give to Good News

GivingFor fifty years Good News has promoted and defended Scriptural Christianity and the orthodox teachings of The United Methodist Church.

Good News has provided critical leadership and worked for renewal and reform at General Conferences, as well as jurisdictional and annual conferences. It has rallied orthodox and traditional United Methodists to stand-up for the church’s core beliefs, and to work together for a vital and vibrant proclamation of the Gospel.

And every reader of Good News Magazine knows we feature inspiring stories of people committed to sharing the Gospel in marvelous and many different ways. We also report on church news, and offer an evangelical and orthodox view on developments in our denomination.

As traditional United Methodists await the work of the bishops’ special commission on A Way Forward and prepare to impact the special called General Conference scheduled for 2019, Good News’ work is more important than ever.

Please join thousands of United Methodists by supporting

Good News with a generous gift so we can continue our work in the critical days ahead. Let us unite together and stand strong for Scriptural Christianity!

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Good News Celebrates Steve Beard’s 25 Years as Editor in Chief

Mr. Steve Beard,  Editor in Chief of Good News

Mr. Steve Beard,
Editor in Chief of Good News

The special occasion in Memphis also marked the 25th anniversary of Mr. Steve Beard as columnist and editor in chief of Good News – at the helm for more than 150 issues of the independent United Methodist magazine.

In commenting on the anniversary, the Rev. Walter Fenton, a colleague at Good News, noted that Beard’s wide-ranging journalistic interests swung from John Wesley to Bono, Johnny Cash, and Mahalia Jackson – and passionately focused on the plight of martyrs and persecuted believers around the globe and the marginalized in our own society. “You’re always wondering about how we as a church can find ways to be more compassionate, gracious, and just simply kind and decent to the lost and lonely in this world that too many of us hardly even notice,” concluded Fenton.

“I remember a great picture on one of Steve’s office walls of him in a tuxedo, talking with the late William F. Buckley Jr. at a Washington D.C. reception,” recalled the Rev. Dr. James V. Heidinger II, president emeritus of Good News and long time professional colleague. “It always reminded me of the cultural adjustment Steve had to make in coming to our former offices in Wilmore, Kentucky.”

“But how fortunate for all of us that Steve did come! And that he stayed,” continued Heidinger. “He worked himself ragged giving Good News a first-rate publication, issue after issue. It has been your calling for quarter of a century, and you have done it splendidly!”

“You are gifted professional, a skilled craftsman, and a person of great integrity,” Heidinger concluded. “You have amazingly good instincts about how we can and should relate to a church struggling for its soul…. Congratulations on this very significant milestone.”

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Maxie Dunnam Receives United Methodist Renewal Award

Rev. Dr. Maxie Dunnam

Rev. Dr. Maxie Dunnam

By Walter Fenton

At its most recent meeting, the Good News Board of Directors bestowed the Ed Robb Jr. United Methodist Renewal Award on the Rev. Dr. Maxie Dunnam, pastor, author, seminary president, and former world editor of The Upper Room.

The award is presented to a person that has demonstrated dedication to the renewal of The United Methodist Church. It is named after the late Rev. Edmund Robb Jr., a United Methodist evangelist and author who served as a Good News director and chairman of the board. Robb was known widely for his tireless efforts to renew the UM Church. He is most widely remembered for joining with Dr. Albert Outler to establish A Foundation for Theological Education (AFTE), a ministry that continues to have a lasting impact on the future direction of the church.

Dunnam was presented with the award on November 3 during Good News’ President’s Dinner, hosted by the Rev. Rob Renfroe, current president and publisher. More than one hundred friends and supporters of Good News turned out for the event at Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dr. Dunnam, pastor emeritus at Christ Church, was recognized for his work as world editor of The Upper Room, leader of The Academy of Spiritual Formation and what would become The Walk to Emmaus, author of over 40 books – including The Workbook of Living Prayer, which has sold over one million copies, and president of Asbury Theological Seminary. Christ Church in Memphis is the location of the newest campus outpost of Asbury Seminary, in addition to Wilmore, Kentucky and Orlando, Florida.

In his presentation, Renfroe accentuated Dunnam’s commitment to civil rights and education for underprivileged children. “As a young pastor in the early 60s, he was one of the original signers of a document called ‘Born of Conviction.’ In the heart of a bigoted, segregated south, he and 27 others created and had published the document that made it clear that the Gospel and the church were for all people because Jesus died for all and Jesus is the Lord of the church,” said Renfroe. “A son of the south, Dr. Dunnam refused to be a child of his times, and pointed the people to the timeless biblical truth that in Christ we, all of us, are brothers and sisters.”

The award presentation also celebrated his influence as a five-time delegate to General Conference and his instrumental roles in helping create both the Confessing Movement and the Wesleyan Covenant Association. “Maxie, by nature, is a lover with a heart of grace. But, there is a commitment to the truth of the Gospel that has propelled him into the fray, at times reluctantly,” said Renfroe. “And for who he is and for all he has done, we honor him.”

Walter Fenton is a United Methodist clergy person and an analyst for Good News.

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Complaint Filed Against Bishop Julius Trimble

Bishop Julius Trimble

Bishop Julius Trimble

By Walter Fenton-

A group of seventeen clergy and laity in the Iowa Annual Conference have filed a complaint against Bishop Julius Trimble of the Indiana Episcopal Area.

In a letter addressed to Bishop Gregory Palmer, president of the North Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops, the group said, “With reluctance, we write to lodge a formal complaint against Bishop Julius Trimble, Indiana Area, for the following chargeable offense: ‘Disobedience to the order and discipline of The United Methodist Church.’ In addition, we believe Bishop Trimble has exhibited an unwillingness to do the work of ministry, entailed in the office of bishop.”

The complaint stems from Trimbles’ decision to dismiss a complaint filed against the Rev. Anna Blaedel while he was still serving the Iowa Episcopal Area earlier this year. At the 2016 Iowa Annual Conference Blaedel requested a point of privilege to announce to the gathered assembly, “I am a ‘self-avowed practicing homosexual.’ Or, in my language,” she continued, “I am out, queer, partnered clergy.”

As intended, Blaedel’s very public announcement stirred controversy and debate throughout the connection and elicited a complaint against her. Pastors, particularly in Iowa, found themselves fielding questions and comments from concerned laity about her provocative announcement and wanting to know how the bishop would respond to such a blatant admission of defiance. Trimble, without public comment, dismissed the complaint on his second to last day as bishop of the Iowa Episcopal Area, offering no explanation for his quiet, eleventh hour decision.

“We were disappointed in the way Trimble handled the complaint,” said Chris Downey, a lay member in the conference and one of the complainants. “If he thought Blaedel’s admission was in defiance of the Discipline, then he should’ve proceeded accordingly. If he did not, he should’ve had the courage of his convictions. He should’ve openly told the people of the Iowa Annual Conference why he had no intention of holding Blaedel accountable to her ordination vows.”

Clergy and laity in the Indiana Annual Conference who have become aware of Trimble’s dismissal of the complaint have also expressed dismay with his decision.

“I understand that being a bishop can be a challenge at times, but no one forces a clergy member to assume the role, they freely accept it, and of course most quietly campaign for it,” said Rev. Riley Case, a retired clergy member of the Indiana Annual Conference and a well respected commentator and historian. “However, once you assume the job you ought to be willing to carry out the duties accordingly, or at least explain why you don’t intend to carry out some of them.”

The complaint against Trimble will be handled by select members of the North Central Jurisdiction’s Episcopal Committee in what is known as a supervisory process. It will bring together those who filed the complaint and the “respondent” (Bishop Trimble in this case) in an effort to reach a just resolution that would avoid the necessity of a church trial.

Many do not think much will come of the complaint because the jurisdictional colleges of bishops are loathe to hold one another accountable regarding cases having to do with the church’s sexual ethics and its teachings on marriage. Retired Bishop Melvin Talbert has presided at two same-sex weddings in the last three years and he has experienced no adverse consequences for doing so.

It is also evident that a number of the bishops in the North Central Jurisdiction are out of touch with rank-and-file United Methodists regarding these matters. Many United Methodists believe the church’s teachings on marriage and the practice of homosexuality are grounded in Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience, and therefore are where the church should be on these matters. However, it is increasingly apparent that some bishops reject the will of the General Conference and have no intention of fulfilling their responsibility to hold clergy accountable to the Book of Discipline.

Some laity and clergy believe the failure of certain bishops to act in these cases lacks integrity and is condescending. Increasingly, concerned laity are responding by instructing their local church treasurers to keep all their tithes and gifts in the local church rather than forwarding a portion of them to the annual conferences. Some local churches have also decided to withhold or escrow their apportionments until bishops begin fulfilling their duties to maintain the good order and discipline of the church.

And at this stage, no one knows for sure how many United Methodists are quietly withholding gifts and tithes, and what effect it is having on local churches’ ability to pay 100 percent of their apportionments. But if mainline denominations that have liberalized their teachings on marriage and ordination are any indication, the UM Church is likely to see giving slow or drop off in 2016 and 2017.

It is regrettable that it has come to this, but United Methodists who support the church’s polity and teachings have come to the conclusion that their episcopal leaders are dismissive of their concerns and that some bishops clearly believe their own opinions should supersede the will of the General Conference and the Book of Discipline.

Walter Fenton is a United Methodist clergy person and an analyst for Good News.

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Bishop Bard Endorses Disputed Just Resolution

Bishop David Bard

Bishop David Bard

By Walter Fenton-

Bishop David Bard, the newly appointed leader of the Michigan Episcopal Area, has signed-off on a frivolous and insulting “just resolution” of a complaint filed against the Rev. Michael Tupper, a retired clergyman in the West Michigan Annual Conference.

Bard’s endorsement falls under the category of “it would be funny” were it not so damaging to the integrity and unity of The United Methodist Church. And coming just a few months into his tenure, it calls into question his willingness to defend the church’s polity and uphold its teachings. At a minimum, his decision to endorse the Tupper resolution suggests he will only do so selectively.

Tupper, a now retired elder in the West Michigan Annual Conference, presided at his daughter’s same-sex wedding in 2014. A complaint was filed against him that eventuated in a “just resolution” endorsed by the now retired Bishop Deborah Kiesey. The resolution included no adverse consequences for Tupper’s actions, nor did it even elicit from him a promise not to preside at future same-sex services.

Not surprisingly, he defied the church again by presiding at another same-sex union in July 2015. A complaint was dutifully filed and Bishop Kiesey sought to dispense of it in the same manner as the first one. However, Tupper, who wanted publicity drawn to the church’s teachings against such weddings, demanded a church trial, believing his guilty plea and the loss of his ministerial credentials would move the denomination to radically liberalize its teachings on marriage.

Late this summer Tupper finally relented in his demand for a trial. Given the details of the just resolution Bard endorsed, there’s little wonder why he did. The resolution rewards the guilty and afflicts the innocent.

Rev. Michael Tupper

Rev. Michael Tupper

According to two provisions in the resolution, Tupper and the Counsel for the Church, the Rev. Elbert Paul Dulworth, “will set up Training Sessions for all Michigan [Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC)] chairpersons to attend in the spring of 2017 in helping them to set up a process of discernment in every local church during the fall of 2017 regarding their readiness to accept the appointment of a gay clergyperson.”

And lest clergy think they can escape the mocking resolution, Tupper and Dulworth were also given the task of setting up a “Training Session for all Michigan clergy in the spring of 2017 to offer pastoral care for LGBTQI individuals who are considering marriage or ordained ministry.”

Never mind that both provisions either skate close to or across the lines established by the church. Bard evidently believes laity who volunteer to serve in the time consuming role of SPRC chair and pastors who have plenty on their plates should travel many miles and waste valuable time in order to attend training sessions designed by a clergyperson who has willingly and knowingly violated the Book of Discipline. The not so hidden goals of both sessions is to teach laity and clergy how to become party to violating the church’s teachings. Presumably, even clergy and laity who are committed to upholding the denomination’s understanding of Christian marriage are expected to turn out for these teach-ins.

“This just resolution is a rejection of the authority of General Conference,” said the Rev. John Grenfell, Jr., a former Detroit Annual Conference district superintendent and a long time advocate for clergy and laity in church disputes. “It grants permission to two elders to redefine the life and mission of the church, when only General Conference can do that. Laity and pastors have the responsibility to support the order and discipline of The United Methodist Church, not attend programs that undermine and reject the guidelines of holy conferencing.”

Bard’s endorsement of the resolution signals his willingness to at least selectively tolerate and even reward open defiance of the church’s polity and its teachings. This will not bode well for an episcopal area that is already facing significant drops in worship attendance and church membership. And it will further demoralize laity and clergy who stand-up for the church’s good order and integrity, and expect its leaders to do the same.

Walter Fenton is a United Methodist clergy person and an analyst for Good News.