I am happy to report that you are incorrect! Onward Christian Soldiers can still be found in TMH on page 474. I was "raised" Presbyterian and that hymn was removed from The Presbyterian Hymnal MANY years ago. I was glad to see it and many other of my favorites in The Methodist Hymnal. You might also be interested to know that homosexuals cannot be ordained in the Methodist Church. Should they "discover" they are gay after being ordained, they can no longer perform baptisms, marriages, etc. The Methodist Church does not recognize same-sex marriages or allow its facilities to be used to perform such ceremonies.
That’s good to hear. But, at the risk of being Debbie Downer, give it time. The UMC has changed the lyrics on hymns, added a whole lot of ‘alternative’ hymns, and generally ruined what was once a good thing. I sang in the choir for years and I would always sing the traditional lyrics as my little act of defiance.
The UMC may not ordain openly homosexual clergy, but they don’t defrock them if they make their orientation known. The only thing that’s going to save the UMC from themselves are the congregations in Africa which are decidedly more conservative that the ones in the US and Europe.
As for me, I ‘shook the dust off my shoes’ a while ago.