At the Threshold
By Stephanie Greenwald A couple of years ago my family and I went ziplining at Findley Lake in the beautiful terrain of Western New York. We effortlessly flew through the air from one station to the next. When we got to the final platform, our guide who was taking...
Empowered by Jesus
By Simon Mafunda The intriguing and inexplicable ways in which Jesus Christ works reminds me of an incident at my home in Zimbabwe a couple of months ago. I urgently needed to support a couple of my tomato plants which were starting to fall over with fruit. I...
Responding to Misconceptions about the Bishops’ Commission
By Thomas Lambrecht- The Bishops' Commission on a Way Forward for the Church is now in its fifth month of work. We have had three face-to-face meetings and are preparing for a fourth in July. Over these months, I have continued to hear criticisms of the Commission...
Maintaining Standards for Ordination
By Thomas Lambrecht- Two of the Judicial Council's decisions reinforced the duty of annual conference boards of ordained ministry to determine that candidates for licensing, commissioning, and ordination all meet the requirements of the Book of Discipline, including...
Judicial Council Upholds Bishop’s Rejection of Cynical Resolution
Editor's Note: Overshadowed by its significant ruling regarding the consecration of an openly lesbian bishop, the Judicial Council did issue other important decisions. Below, the Rev. Walter Fenton reviews one of them and the Rev. Thomas Lambrecht addresses two...
Good News President Addresses Judicial Council Decision
The Rev. Rob Renfroe, President of Good News, shares his thoughts on the recent Judicial Council decision and how the UM Church should move forward from here.
Concurring and Dissenting Opinion of W. Warren Plowden Jr., Member of the Judicial Council of The United Methodist Church
Par. 56 Article II. of the Constitution enumerates four specific instances in which the Judicial Conference has “authority” to act. It then enumerates a fifth instance in which the Judicial Council will “have such other duties and powers as may be conferred upon it by...
Misimpressions in Statement from the Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops
By Walter Fenton- "The ruling is long and complicated," wrote Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky in a statement on behalf of the Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops. Stanovsky was of course commenting on the Judicial Council's recent decision regarding the Western...
