By Thomas Lambrecht In October 2021, after 16 months of Covid-related delay, the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America (RCA) adopted a plan to allow traditionalist congregations to disaffiliate over the church’s gridlock over LGBTQ ordination and same-sex marriage. That plan has now given rise to a new, theologically conservative denomination called the Alliance […]
Living on a Mission Field
January 7, 2022 By 2 Comments
By Rob Renfroe – Welcome to the mission field! That may sound strange to those of you living within the United States, but it’s true, and it’s important for us to understand that we are living on a mission field. That reality should impact how we see ourselves and how we relate to those around […]
Come and See: The Power of Prevenient Grace
January 7, 2022 By 1 Comment
By Maggie Ulmer – People come to faith in all kinds of ways. God will use anything and everything if it permits him access to the human heart. I know of a young man raised in a Christian family who adopted the moral and ethical frameworks of Christianity, yet he remained largely untouched by conviction […]
Reclaiming the Radiant Vision
January 7, 2022 By Leave a Comment
By Tara Beth Leach – Somewhere in the mid-1990s, when I was a new Christian, I came across a popular bronze statue by Dean Kermit Allison. The sculpture was called “Born Again,” and it depicted a man shedding his old self with a bronze layer of skin, and his new self was being born anew […]
Farewell to a Friend: Remembering Wiliam J. Abraham
January 7, 2022 By Leave a Comment
On Thursday, October 7, United Methodism lost a remarkable scholar who exercised his theological and spiritual gifts with wit and precision. Dr. William J. Abraham was one of the theologian pillars of the church – not just in Methodism, but in broader ecumenical circles, as well. He was a herculean force for traditional Wesleyan theology […]
New Life After Prison
January 7, 2022 By Leave a Comment
By Joe Henderson – Melissa Stevens, inmate number G30701 to the Florida Department of Corrections, didn’t know anything about the Rev. Kris Schonewolf the first time they met. Until that point, it had been just another day at Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, Florida. Stevens was nearing the end of her sentence for grand theft […]
Life Vests and Torpedoes
January 7, 2022 By Leave a Comment
By Steve Beard – Some of the most emotional moments broadcast on television are when deployed military parents return unexpectedly to surprise their kids coming home from school, during a musical recital, or at a graduation. Sheer joy boils over and you can almost feel the tight squeeze of the bear hugs. Tears of happiness […]
Healing our Doctrinal Dyslexia
January 7, 2022 By Leave a Comment
In honor of the passing of our friend Dr. William J. Abraham, we are republishing an address he presented at the 1995 national gathering of the Confessing Movement Within the United Methodist Church in Atlanta. By William J. Abraham – One of the most heartening features of life in the United Methodist Church is the […]
Church Hits Airwaves in Kenya to Reach Vulnerable Communities
January 6, 2022 By Leave a Comment
By Faith Wanjiru, UM News – The Rev. Josam Kariuki of Trinity United Methodist Church in Narok, Kenya, and other clergy began livestreaming worship services and sharing messages of hope during the COVID-19 pandemic. The livestream, however, was only getting to followers who had smartphones. “A good number of my followers,” he said, “use button […]
