Replies

You're welcome.

I was being sarcastic. At the time it was the only response which your remark seemed to merit.

So I left the UMC and am now a Wesleyan Methodist.

I pray that you have found a place where you can, in good conscious, belong to a family of faith which provides you with access to the means of grace ... particularly those pertaining to the development of the fruit of the spirit.

I've been told I'm 'mean spirited' and 'hard hearted'...

Somehow, I'm not in the least bit surprised. It is certainly how you come across on this board. I hope you're not this way in person, or you risk a fat lip.

While I am certainly aware of some heretical and apostate UM clergy, bishops, and laity -- as I am aware of heretics in many other denominations -- I would never go so far as to arrogate to myself the power to judge an entire denomination of 10 million believers as apostate. Certain, specific, individuals ... yes. An ENTIRE denomination ... no. In my opinion, that is simply the height of spiritual arrogance.

It's called discernment. The UMC as a denomination is leading its people away from God. Are there good people in the UMC? Of course there are. There are good Communists, too, but that doesn't make Communism any less subject to a blanket condemnation.

The UMC is a shrinking denomination and will continue to shrink as more and more decent people become aware of the non-Christian practices promulgated by the various conferences and Bishops.

As far as apostasy and heresy goes, here's one example:

The UMC promotes homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle to its membership. That is heresy.

They also promote this lifestyle to people who are coming into knowledge of the faith...creating a witness that is in clear contradiction to Scripture: this is apostasy.

If the UMC ceased calling itself a Christian faith then my charges would be empty and I'd let it go. Buddhist, for example, are not heretics or apostates since they do not profess to be Christian.

Since the UMC is more and more resembling the Bahai faith I can't imagine it will be too many years before a General Conference dissassociates itself with Christianity and Scripture since both are inherently intolerant of sin.