No. We are in complete disagreement. The cowardice of the ordained ministry in their attitude toward the Bishop and his DS’s is notorious. The Council of Bishops runs roughshod over local Conferences with one or two minor exceptions where a uniquely Biblical bishop is in conflict with the Council. The Council is not merely a coffee klatch. No bishop would agree with that assessment. I agree it takes a slave mentality to accede to autocratic power. Such, however, is the case.
“I believe that Scripture is against him in that the remnant was within the Church and not outside it.” — John Stott, responding to Martin Lloyd-Jones’ call for evangelicals to leave the Church of England
John Stott sums up the position of those of us who are evangelical and orthodox within the United Methodist Church pretty well.
Your use of the words “cowardice” and “slave mentality” both suggest that the bishop’s power is what I say, and that those who bow and scrape to them in hopes of assignment to a larger church with larger salary, actually constitute their real power. Again, though, that is intra-conference and not inter-conference.
Therefore, their power is WITHIN their own conferences.
As I’ve stated, they have no power to change the law of the denomination. That is set only by the every 4 year general conference.
In political terms we are looking at a confederacy and not at a federal system.