United Methodism re-envisions marriage and ordination
United Methodism re-envisions marriage and ordination By Heather Hahn July/August 2024 Without debate, General Conference removed The United Methodist Church’s ban on the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” — a prohibition that dates to...
Bishop: “You Might Be in the Wrong Place”
Bishop: "You Might Be in the Wrong Place" July/August 2024 Just days before the opening of the COVID-delayed General Conference, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton told his fellow bishops that he saw the possibility for big changes coming out of The United Methodist Church’s...
What the Regionalization Agenda Tells Us about the Future of the UMC, Part 2
What the Regionalization Agenda Tells Us about the Future of the UMC, Part 2 -- By Thomas Lambrecht -- In last week’s Perspective, I surveyed a recent article by Mainstream UMC (a centrist advocacy group within The United Methodist Church) outlining the case for the...
Our Side of the Street
Our Side of the Street -- Editorial by Rob Renfroe -- I often read that we traditionalists are guilty of giving out misinformation about the United Methodist Church – its beliefs, practices, and future. It would be understandable for traditionalists to respond with a...
When Jesus Prays for Unity
When Jesus Prays for Unity -- By Carolyn Moore -- “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the...
Maxie Dunnam: Finding His Pulpit in Life
Maxie Dunnam: Finding His Pulpit in Life -- Known all over the globe, Maxie Dunnam may be his generation’s most recognizable Methodist. Of course, popularity contests are for politicians and marketing firms. Still, it is worth noting that we don’t know of a more...
Our Primary Calling
Our Primary Calling -- By Stephen Seamands -- I was a young pastor in my mid-twenties, just three years out of Asbury Theological Seminary, attending a day-long continuing education event for pastors. But before they introduced the main speaker I was looking forward...
The Changing Shape of Methodism
The Changing Shape of Methodism -- By Thomas Lambrecht --- As many churches considered the option of disaffiliation, there has been a focus on the contrast between a traditional understanding of our Methodist doctrines and practices compared with how The United...
