Posted on 08/24/2005 11:10:08 PM PDT by nickcarraway
And that wasn't supposed to be a joke, I'm sorry if it came across that way. Spurgeon really, truly, DID. I immensely respect the doctrinal Methodists.
I am aware of Spurgeons background. I have several volumes of his sermons.
The last time I was there it was for my grandmothers funeral. The pastor spent the whole of her time talking about my grandmother's tolerance towards homosexuals and minorities (which she had in spades) and nothing else. My grandmother worked for Kaiser Shipyards in WWII, survived the Vanport flood, lived through the depression and midwest dustbowl, survived several bouts of cancer, raised two kids after the early death of her husband. Her family was hardly mentioned except the part where my grandmother taught her children and grandchildren tolerance as well.
Sorry, I had to get that off my chest.
ping
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
Thank you for that.
From this statement:"We are on a journey that leads us toward God. This spot shows that persons seeking a path for their faith can find a home in the United Methodist Church."
All I can say is: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me."
The methodists (along with other mainline denominations) rejected the Christ years ago. What we are watching nowadays is the death throes of these denominations.
Do you have any evidence of that?
Pardon my skepticism, but I have a hard time believing that any faithful Christian pastor would stay in the UMC after everything that has happened in that organization.
I can understand that some laity might be too old, too feeble, too whatever to grasp what has happened, but not any trained clergy.
I am a pastor (elder) in the UMC. You can look over my 6 years+ of posts here on FR and determine for yourself if I adhere to the scripture.
I call your attention to the churches of Pergamum and Thyatira in the Book of Revelation. What are the believers in those churches called to do?
I have often remarked to Brother xzins that I just don't see how he does it. Yet, I have many college friends who continue to faithfully serve in the UMC. They, along with xzins, fight this war on a daily basis, not just on an Internet board.
Methodism is in my heritage, but not my actual experience. I did attend a conservative UMC while in college. And my great-grandfather was a circuit rider (pre-"U"MC).
I couldn't do it, as I am not called there. But I applaud xzins, my college friends, the Good News movement and the others who daily fight and pray to restore the UMC to her great Wesleyan heritage.
Several of America's "megachurches" (congregations with 2000+ members) are United Methodist congregations. Kirbyjon Caldwell's congregation in Houston (membership of somewhere around 14,000), for example.
Obviously, not every UMC congregation is sliding toward apostasy--nor, it could be argued, are most. The Confessing Movement Within the United Methodist Church and the Good News renewal movement are still growing, and the Confessing Movement already claims one-sixth of all UMC congregations by itself as members.
Also, as a 24-year-old confessing United Methodist, I take exception to your characterization of all non-apostate Methodists as "too old or feeble" to leave.
It is obvious from the posts of Corin & Grammar that the UMC is in the middle of a war. Sometimes the faithful Christians lose battles and sometimes we win them. We will continue the struggle and will hold fast in word & deed to that which the Lord has revealed.
I do not deny that some of the individual churches appear to have lost the struggle. I do not criticize those Christians for departing those churches. This holds true for pastors as well. Sometimes they are severely injured and need to depart.
I am so sorry your fine grandmother was used at her funeral as a prop for promoting homosexuality. So very very sorry.
I am currently a newly unchurched UM who is contemplating what I would have never thought I would do...investigate joining the Church of St Peter.
You are right. The Methodists were "holiness", long before pentecostalism came along in the early 20th century.
The Methodist Chruch is a haven for homosexuals and deviants of all sorts. The upper echelons (at least in Iowa) tolerate faggots and corruption without saying a word.
As a life-long member of the UMC, I agree with the earlier poster who mentioned the overseas and Southeastern Jusidictional growth. It's amazing: when the UMC preaches Christ and the scripture, it grows. When it preaches humanism and moral relativism, it dies. DUH!
Other groups include "Good News Magazine," the "Confessing Movement," and "The Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality" (otherwise known as "Lifewatch").
If I knew how, I'd create links; check them out. They do still preach Christ crucified and risen. And they're working within the denomination to bring it back to its scriptural/Wesleyan roots. Slowly but surely, that's happening.
In the meantime, millions of Methodists continue to leave and go elsewhere.
Yet they wonder why people continue to leave the denomination?!
I remain a United Methodist ONLY because I know this is where the Lord wants me. Yes, there's lots of c#*& here; but if all of us leave, then how would the other "lost" learn the Truth?
Didn't John Wesley and Jesus both go where the "sick and needy" were?!
You are not alone. Check it out: www.mreform.org
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