Posted on 02/09/2014 8:54:30 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The dispute among United Methodists over recognition of same-sex couples has lapsed into a doctrinal donnybrook, pitting clergy who are presiding at gay weddings in defiance of church law against proponents of traditional marriage who are trying to stop them.
Since 2011, Methodist advocates for gay marriage have been recruiting clergy to openly officiate at same-sex ceremonies in protest of church policy. In response, theological conservatives have sought formal complaints against the defiant clergy, which could lead to church trials. One scholar has warned that Methodists are "retreating into our various camps" instead of seeking a resolution over an issue the church has formally debated since the 1970s....
(Excerpt) Read more at wral.com ...
it will destroy that denomination.
it has destroyed the episcopal church in America already.
Prepare for membership to fall through the floor...
Gay Marriage is like saying Fornication is okay.
I left 50 years ago when they were raving about banning handguns and building field hospitals for the Viet Cong.
>> One scholar has warned that Methodists are “retreating into our various camps” instead of seeking a resolution
That “one scholar” is almost certainly a faggot appeaser, and it rankles him that the last General Conference DID in fact come to a resolution: that the homosexual lifestyle is incompatible with GOD’s will.
As it has ALWAYS been. ALWAYS. Since before Moses.
“Bleedin’ Meffodists!”
Gay marriage will never happen. The liberal churches are dying. The more conservative churches and the African churches are growing. The liberals will never get a majority. Their numbers will diminish. Despite the noise they make, their influence will slowly diminish.
If only they’d follow God’s law, they’d have no trouble condemning homosexuality and abortion, but they have the same trouble many Christian religions have: Gee, we don’t want to alienate our members.
I have very little use for Methodists. They strongly condemn gambling, but can’t find any reason to condemn abortion and homosexuality.
http://www.openbible.info/topics/homosexuality — extracts, very clear teaching. This is the Christian Scripture. Including Methodist.
Leviticus 18:22 ESV
You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Romans 1:26-28 ESV
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Romans 13:8-10 ESV
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
1 Timothy 1:10 ESV
The sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
Leviticus 20:13 ESV
If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Mark 10:6-9 ESV
But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
1 Corinthians 7:2 ESV
But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
Romans 1:32 ESV
Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Hebrews 13:1-25 ESV
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
1 Timothy 1:10-11 ESV
The sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
John 8:7-11 ESV
And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]
1 Kings 14:24 ESV
And there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
Genesis 19:1-38 ESV
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”
Jude 1:7 ESV
Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
Matthew 7:12 ESV / 38 helpful votes
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Judges 19:22 ESV / 21 helpful votes
As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.”
Let's not be too hasty, 2DV, also remember that even we outside that denomination have a stake in this fight -- if the homosexualists win, then they will come after us next, so we can't sit back smug...
>> Methodists... can’t find any reason to condemn abortion and homosexuality.
Methodists in general? Seriously?
Can you demonstrate that?
My knowledge of Methodists is limited to family and a few others. But they would all have a hard time condemning themselves for fornication, so I see the same thing happening here. I remember a family member rationalizing living with her boyfriend though keeping it from our more morally upright relatives. Sadly, her boyfriend turned husband became an ex husband when he decided he wanted children and she did not. All of my Methodist cousins are pro homosexual relationships and marriage. They find it hard to say any behavior is wrong. God is love. Hate is wrong. Yada Yada Yada. My grandmother would be soooo saddened.
Wow. I thought Methodists were more conservative than that.
>> “Bleedin’ Meffodists!”
That’s pretty comical, since the OFFICIAL position of the “Calvinists” (i.e. PCA) is to endorse homosex, in members and in clergy.
Whereas the OFFICIAL position of the Methodists is against homosexual practice.
Well, we've had at least 3 different pastors in the past 10 years, none of them who would even address these horrible sins.
And when I suggested that we include these topics in homilies or perhaps get speakers on these topics, in all cases I was told that it was too controversial and we wouldn't want to offend anyone.
I've been to a few Baptist churches who don't even flinch when condemning these sins.
Methodist seem to be more concerned with not offending people than they are in saving souls. I'm just speaking from experience. They have yet to loudly and publicly condemn these sins. Their jury is always "still out" without any wholesale condemning.
Where is that? Not in my neighborhood.
Look for UMC parishes in the urban and suburban neighborhoods which have (1) female pastors and (2) strongly advocate "social justice" to be the ones to enjoin a schism.
The UMC is growing fastest in the 3rd world.
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