Smelling Heaven
By B.J. Funk -- In the past few years, I have had a sweet, calming, and beautiful surprise happening in my life. I have smelled heaven. I first recognized this indescribable occurrence when I sat in the lounge chair in my living room. Suddenly, from out of nowhere...
Young Adult Methodist Connection
By Elizabeth Fink -- Would you believe me if I told you that from the age of 18 to the present, I have had at least 13 different addresses and attended eight different churches? I think it is safe to say that I had good reason to refer to myself as a nomad during my...
Let’s Make a Deal, #UMC Style
Dr. David Watson, academic dean at United Theological Seminary, has provided thorough analysis of the interim report sent to the Council of Bishops from the Commission on the Way Forward. He offers an assessment of each of the three plans given to the bishops for...
The Ministry of Transformation
By Garry Ingraham- In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Jesus was spelling out his earthly purpose in contrast to the work of the spiritual darkness of "the thief" who comes...
Bishops consider 3 models for church future
By Heather Hahn, United Methodist News Service United Methodist bishops are exploring three possible models for how the church should handle LGBTQ inclusion. The models come to the bishops from the Commission on a Way Forward, which has the task of trying to find a...
Oliveto preaches an opening sermon before Council of Bishops
According to reporting from Heather Hahn (UMNS), United Methodist bishops find themselves “off the map” as they try to navigate a way forward through the church’s impasse over homosexuality, said Bishop Bruce R. Ough of the Dakotas-Minnesota area. “There is currently...
Judicial Council Maintains Status Quo on Church Law
By Thomas Lambrecht- The latest rulings by the Judicial Council illustrate that the impasse in our denomination over theological disagreements and the question of LGBTQ inclusion cannot be resolved by the church legal process. Church's Teaching Still Constitutional In...
Opinion: The temptations of division and unity
- By Donald W. Haynes The 21st century infighting about marriage, sexuality, and the Christian faith are obviating the relatively unrelated mistakes of the 20th century. That is the century when we lost membership and attendance inside the institutional church, and...
