“ One of the things I think is great about Ms. Penny Cost is that she reminds us that we follow a God who calls us not to conform to things of this world,” Oliver told the children of his congregation. “We are supposed to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. That means what I think today may have to change tomorrow if I continue to renew my mind. It’s so cool that we serve a God who calls us to continue to grow, to continue to change into something new and not be bound by the ways that the world confines us sometimes.”
Oliver, a graduate of United Methodist-affiliated Duke Divinity School, serves as president of the Methodist Federation for Social Action
I have a friend who got a Seminary degree from Duke a few years back. He preaches at a church straight up a mountain in the backwoods of Appalachia. Imagine Jethro Bodine but more so. If you want to get baptized, they dam the creek (crick). I asked him how he got the degree and he said “You keep your mouth shut and do the work but I doubt they would accept me these days. It was fine when they concerned about the working poor in Appalachia but now they would be afraid I voted for Trump”