The United Methodist Church, a large protestant denomination, has been undergoing schism for the past couple of years. The church has adopted social justice stances that do not appeal to a broad portion of its membership, and many believe that the denomination has strayed from the Good News of the Gospel to teachings that are at odds with conventional Christian beliefs.
Some congregations are opting to witdraw from affiliation. For example:
Christ United Methodist Church of Jackson voted Sunday to disaffiliate from the UMC Mississippi Conference after months of discernment over whether to join the thousands of congregations that have left the denomination amid the schism over the UMC stance on homosexuality.
I grew up in the United Methodist Church and worshipped with them as an adult, They are some of the most loving, kindest people that I know. They are non-judgmental on many subjects, choosing to overlook some things that might cause problems in other congregations. However, the denomination has gone much farther than many in the church believe they should go.
The United Methodist Church is undergoing a schism right now, and all good-hearted Christians should pray for them.
1 comment:
I grew up in a former Evangelical United Brethren church (United part of United Methodist in the 1968 merger)... locally, this split seems to be along those old lines. Guessing you may have grown up as a Methodist - the EUB was more of a Yankee thing as they had historically been anti-slavery and never gained much traction in the South. Our first "real" Methodist pastor really turned me off from organized religion.
Mike the EE
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