Posted on 04/21/2003 9:01:51 AM PDT by rface
C. Joseph Sprague, currently in the position of bishop in the UMC Northern Illinois Conference, spoke as a self-professed representative of protestant Christianity at a public panel discussion on war and peace on Sunday evening, October 28, 2001. The Panelists, which included representatives of other world religions, as well as many people in the audience found Mr. Sprague's extreme pacifism as a laughing matter, as he was the only panelist who expressed non-support of the U.S. military action against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. When an audience participant pressed Mr. Sprague to explain how he would stop terrorists from further murders in America and throughout the world, he couldn't propose a solution, but rather could only criticize the United States for a foreign policy that has resulted in deaths of Muslims in past years. In a feeble attempt to imply that there is a better way to deal with world terrorism, Mr. Sprague gave lip service to the United Nations with a vague reference to an international world court.
Mr. Sprague's pacifist position was not "breaking news" at the panel discussion, as he had previously publicized his criticism of America's war on terrorism. However, the unexpected news item from the event was Mr. Sprague's complete break from United Methodist doctrine concerning the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior. During the extremely brief question and answer period, Mr. Sprague responded to the question "When will Jesus come?" In his response -- in what is believed to be his first such public declaration on this matter -- Mr. Sprague said clearly and concisely that Jesus walked the earth about 2000 years ago and that he will NOT come again, as there will be no Second Coming!
The panel discussion titled "An Interfaith Dialogue On War and Peace" was held before at packed Sanctuary estimated at almost 600 people at the First United Methodist Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. The audience represented the diversity of the American populace with as many people of Arab descent present in the building as those of European descent. The event was organized by UMC Reverend Diana M. Facemyer of Glen Ellyn's St. Thomas UMC, who acted as the host of the event......
There's more if you want it....HERE
also:
Bishop C. Joseph Sprague (click to learn some more...)
Perhaps the safest thing for him to do would be to declare himself gay. This would almost guarantee him a job.
What's the difference between a Unitarian and a United Methodist Church service?
Is that Methodist? My husband just joined a Methodist church, and I know nothing about Methodism. Can anyone help me out?
I got confused. I was thinking that (Spong) was this guy.
It's a shame these people don't have the guts to just leave the Church...go join some new-age Earth-mother religion if you don't like Christianity.
http://www.ird-renew.org/
This is the Institute on Religion and Democracy. There is a sub-section for Methodists. This is a good place to begin work on removing people like Bishop Sprague from the Methodist Church.
Ask your husband whether they use the "old fasioned" Doxology (#95) or the new-fangled gender-free Doxology (#94). The latter, or a female minister, seem to be the harbingers of liberalism, in my experience. If there is a conservative female minister in the Methodist Church, I've never heard of them.
You ask how can those folks pick and choose like this?
IMHO, it is because the Truth is not them.
If his minster was female I'd have a cow. He's new to Christianity for the most part, but even he knows better than that. The Minister is male...but he's divorced....his wife was a raging alcoholic and he tried to live with her, but couldn't. I'm not sure that a divorce in that circumstance would be acceptable according to a conservative interpretation of scripture---the only acceptable reason for divorce IIRC, is adultery. I think separation would have been more acceptable. Of course, there are legalities and tax issues that may become a problem.
Myself I agree with Dr. Laura (a Jew) in that divorce is only acceptable in case of adultery, addiction, and abuse. ( BTW I was raised unaffiliated Church of Christ (totally fundamentalist) but no longer practice the faith.) Thanks for your help!
Shoot him before it's too late. Better for him to die now while his innocence remains. ;^)
Oh, now you're scaring me.
Apropos of nothing, would you happen to know what percentage of serial killers were Church-going Methodists?
Leaving the Methodist Church was the best thing I have ever done since I found a church that preaches the Bible not liberalism.
..."if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
As for the "Second Coming" being the resurrection, Hebrews 9:27-28 puts that to rest:
"And as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly awaiting for Him."
The "will appear" is important, because Hebrews would have been written after Christ's death and resurrection.
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