What’s It All About?
By Thomas Lambrecht There was a popular song in the 1960’s, “What’s It All About, Alfie?” It asks the question, what is life and love all about? It was the theme song of the movie, Alfie, in which a wayward man is searching for meaning in life. With the postponement...
Separation Timeline (and Other Questions)
By Thomas Lambrecht The third postponement of General Conference until 2024 and the announced launch of the Global Methodist Church on May 1, 2022, have set off a storm of interest and controversy. Faced with the reality that a new denomination is moving forward...
Who Can Be a Missionary?
By Jim Ramsay- “I admire you for what you do. I would never be able to do that!” What missionary has not heard expressions such as this when visiting churches, friends, and support partners while on home assignment? In one church, I recall once being introduced with...
On Sin in Believers
By B.J. Funk- “I do not suppose that any man who is justified is a slave to sin: Yet I do suppose that sin remains (at least for a time) in all that are justified.” – John Wesley The serious Christian asks, “If I am a Christian, then does sin still dwell in me?” John...
How Saint Nick Became Santa Claus
By B.J. Funk- An ancient merchant had three lovely daughters. But due to a tragic turn of events, he had lost all hope that his daughters would be able to marry and live a happy life. It was the third century, and this businessman had lost his fortune when pirates...
Plunge in UM Average Worship Attendance Hits New Record
By Walter Fenton- The United Methodist Church's General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) reported a 2.9 percent decline in weekly worship attendance from 2014 to 2015. Some observers merely shrug when they hear about a 2.9 percent loss. It seems...
Remembering Thomas C. Oden (1931-2016)
By Steve Beard Unbeknownst to him, Professor Thomas C. Oden was the prime agitator to the agony and ecstasy of my seminary experience. It was wading through 1,400 pages of his three volume systematic text books that introduced me to his dear friends Athanasius, Basil,...
Analysis: A Lack of Urgency
By Walter Fenton- In 2010, leaders in The United Methodist Church hired two well-respected consulting firms to study the church's institutional structure in an effort to assess its effectiveness and to arrest the denomination's steady decline in membership and worship...
