Growth of Global Methodists
By Keith Boyette -- The process of church disaffiliation has completed its second wave, with churches disaffiliating through special sessions of their annual conferences in the fall. This piecemeal process of disaffiliation is not what we had hoped for when I joined...
Surprise at the Tomb
By Kimberly Constant -- Every spring as nature awakens from its winter slumber and life bursts forth anew, the church revisits the heart of the gospel message. An old rugged cross. The discovery of an empty tomb. The wonder of a risen Lord. The promise of an eternal...
A Primer on the Conflict (Part I)
By Tom Lambrecht - In conversations and emails, I have frequently heard frustration and confusion regarding the situation in The United Methodist Church. Perhaps a succinct overview of our conflict will be helpful to people who are lost in the details or new to...
“Mainstream UMC” Caucus Distorts Again
By Tom Lambrecht - The special-interest "centrist" caucus group known as "Mainstream UMC" is running a campaign to show that "harm" is being inflicted on LGBT persons in our United Methodist Church by our accountability process and to call for an end to trials. The...
Will the UM Church Be the First?
By Tom Lambrecht - Over the last 20 years, I have witnessed friends and colleagues in other mainline denominations struggling with principled disagreements over the definition of marriage and the role of LGBTQ persons in the church. It was always clear to me that...
Reading Scripture: Skepticism, Suspicion, and Trust
By David F. Watson - Last semester I taught a class called Wesleyan Biblical Interpretation. We read a considerable number of Wesley's writings along with a couple of secondary texts. Rereading these primary and secondary sources led me to ponder anew the vast...
Indianapolis Plan Values Amicable Separation (Part II)
By Thomas Lambrecht - As noted last week, the conversation group working on the Indianapolis Plan has come to agreement and submitted the final version of a plan for an amicable separation in The United Methodist Church. You can read the first part of my analysis of...
Indianapolis Plan Values Amicable Separation (Part I)
By Tom Lambrecht - The conversation group working on the Indianapolis Plan has come to agreement and submitted the final version of a plan for an amicable separation in The United Methodist Church. As the document states, "We seek to move away from the caustic...
