My wife and I go to a UMC, but I don’t take them seriously. They’re like any other “modern” church in that they’re more in to marketing and less in to “offending” people who should be offended.
The UMC refuses to take a solid, Biblically based stand against abortion and homosexuality, both of which are offensive to God. But my pastor said he’d rather not get “controversial” because 1) it might offend some people, and 2) members of the congregation who are homosexual or who might have had abortions would leave.
They can and do have STRONG stands against gambling . . . now there’s something to confront their congregations with, rather than not slaughtering an unborn child or engaging in unrepentant homosexual behavior. Gambling. Boy, am I impressed! It’s more “let me entertain you” rather than “let me tell you what God thinks about these abominations!”
God’s 11th commandment: Thou shalt not offend your congregation by preaching about the previous 10 commandments!
“The UMC refuses to take a solid, Biblically based stand against abortion”
The UMC’s official stance is pro-life unless they changed it recently.
“But my pastor said he’d rather not get “controversial” because 1) it might offend some people, and 2) members of the congregation who are homosexual or who might have had abortions would leave.”
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Re 1) “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”.
Re 2) “Buh-bye...”
I am ashamed of a large segment of the UMC for this very reason: some pastors preach sinfulness as “gifts”, and others are afraid of controversy.
Where is it in Revelation that Christ tells one of the churches, “Because you are neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth”?
Colonel, USAFR
Do not mean to offend, BUT, if your church has this type of doctrine, you need to move and change churches. Why would you expose yourself (and spouse and children?) to this doctrine?