Distinctions, Differences, and a Methodist Future
By Thomas Lambrecht - What will the proposed new Global Methodist Church look like? How will it operate? In what ways will it be different from what we have been accustomed to in The United Methodist Church? These questions weigh on the minds of people who are...
Walking with the Saints
By Maxie Dunnam - Many decades ago, I became intensely interested in the great devotional classics and the collected wisdom of the saints who came before us. Upper Room Ministries had published a collection of little booklets – selections from people whose writings...
Letters to the Editor for November/December 2011
Making choices The article on heaven and hell by William Reeves in the September/October 2011 issue of Good News was informational and helpful to me as a Christian. I have always believed that a Christian could make choices that were either right or wrong, and then...
Looking for Daddy
By B.J. Funk
Unless we accept our circumstances, no matter how difficult, we will never live in peace. We will fret away our days, angry over the changes that have come to us. Paul’s words pull us into sharp reality as he continues his wisdom in Philippians: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Examining the proposals for Change
By Donald Haynes
According to these recommendations, the so-called “bureaucracy” of the church would be reduced sharply, both in numbers and in payroll. We would fold most boards and agencies into five offices: Congregational Vitality, Leadership Excellence, Missional Engagement, Justice and Reconciliation, and Shared Services. But with what bottom line effect? What will the trickle-down impact be?
Fishing for a future in Tampa
By Thomas A. Lambrecht
At the same time, while preserving a sensitivity to representation by gender, ethnicity, geography, and clergy/laity, the members of the Council must be united in their commitment to United Methodist theology and doctrine, as reflected in our Book of Discipline (particularly doctrinal standards). Only through such unity of commitment will the Council be able to give clear direction to the overall mission and program of the church.
Prepping for General Conference
By Thomas A. Lambrecht
The good news is that our church leaders have finally awakened to the crisis facing our church, and momentum is building to take radical steps to address that crisis. The bad news is that the proposals coming to General Conference deal with only one-half of the problem. Good News believes that the crisis facing our church is caused by both a spiritual problem and an organizational problem. The organizational problem is that we have failed to adapt our mid-20th century structure to our current 21st century global reality.
ZOE learns to empower orphans
By Greg Jenks
“Don’t talk to me about God,” Angelique sobbed quietly. “If there is a God he doesn’t love me.” Those were the words of a young Rwandan orphan three years ago as she spoke with my colleague Epiphanie Mujawimana, ZOE Ministry’s Africa coordinator.
