Any other United Methodists here?

A story in the Coloradoan on this: Fort Collins pastor vows to go against church's same-sex marriage ban, saying 'Don’t yell at me about who people love'

 

A life in Christ is not a life in secular humanism or individualistic do-gooderism.

 

I'm surprised at this, as most (and I do mean the majority) of Methodist clergy around my part of the world or homosexual.

I grew up Methodist, but thankfully in college I was introduced to Biblical criticism, which freed me from two decades of societal conditioning and allowed me to see Truth.

I'm honesty a bit surprised to see so many "believers" on a journalism forum. Biblical criticism may do you all some good -- this PBS documentary is a good place to start: From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians (Pt. 1) | Season 16 Episode 10 | FRONTLINE

 

I went down that rabbit hole decades ago in college. Then I dabbled in Buddhism, declared myself agnostic and, then, began slowly getting back into the church about a 10 years ago.

It works for me. It centers my life and reminds me to be a better person.

 

I myself once dabbled in pacifism. Not in 'Nam, of course.

 

Many, if not most, Methodists do not adhere to a strict literal interpretation of the King James Bible.

Scripture is one of four parts of what some call the Wesleyan Quadrilateral used to determine theological paths. The other factors to be considered are tradition, reason and experience.

The Bible is full of a lot of stuff and sometimes contradicts itself. And there’s also the possibility that it doesn’t contain every truth.*

*My opinion, not necessarily the policy of the Methodist Church as I understand it.

 

In this day and age of declining attendance, I don’t see why any denomination would turn away any who might contribute to the collection plate.

 

It's not the American arm of the Methodist church that spearheaded this. It's the African churches in the Methodist churches that are mostly conservative.

Again, that tells you something. America's a lot more decadent. Faith here can be like a two-car garage, a status sign, a thing you add to your "this is what makes a good life" resume. Faith becomes a commodity here where God needs to change to fit our ideas of a big tent ad religious melting pot.

In Africa, I'd dare say it's an altogether more immediate, necessary thing to the people who have it.

 

Sounds a bit similar to what happened to the Anglican / Episcopalian churches ten years ago or so, although that was driven by a stance the US churches took and resulted in quite a backlash from the international Anglican level, driven largely by the African churches.

 

It is but the Episcopalian Church is independent of the Anglicans and has been since shortly after the American revolution. I think the Methodist church is all part of the same governing body.

 

The path to salvation is as narrow and as difficult to walk as a razor's edge.

 

Maybe Christ and his dad need to evolve with the times.