Free Republic

<p>NEWARK -- A smiling Rev. Frederick Boyle returned from a three-week peace mission to the Middle East on Tuesday night to the glare of media cameras and a couple of parishioners from United Methodist Church in Randolph.</p> <p>The pastor of the Millbrook United Methodist Church in Randolph sported a red, white and blue "CPT" baseball cap as he spoke to the press at Newark Liberty International Airport. The hat symbolizes the Christian Peacemaker Team, with whom the 53-year-old minister traveled from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad.</p>

<p>To some, the Rev. Frederick Boyle and his fellow "human shields" in Iraq are heroes who are selflessly risking their lives to head off war.</p> <p>Others have a less charitable view, and note that the Randolph minister and other Americans are violating federal law merely by traveling to Iraq.</p>

Was up with these Methodists? Can anyone tell me? I mean there must be some good people - but they seem very leftward. In doing my research on the NCC they seem to be directing a lot of that wacky organization. Looking at the Methodist websites they seem too liberal in their religious views - hugging Fidel Castro (I have the picture) guitar strumming, Native American dances next to the altar, and even a guy dressed as a clown giving Holy communion. In the bad 1970s my parents were looking for something different in relation to religion and spirituality. My...

South Carolina United Methodists held their annual meeting May 19-22. They approved, among other things, a resolution to oppose allowing concealed weapons on church property. This well-intended resolution ironically states, “Houses of worship and learning are places of sanctuary in accordance with biblical teaching, custom and tradition and should be kept holy and safe.” How may they expect their houses of worship to be safe sanctuaries when seditious murderers, to whom their resolutions mean nothing, are allowed to slaughter worshippers unimpeded? Any place that Jesus taught his followers was a house of worship and learning. In Luke 22, Jesus instructs...

The Rev. Monica Corsaro doesn't look like a stereotypical minister. With her choppy blond hair, thick-rimmed hipster glasses and chunky black shoes, the Methodist minister won't even cop to her actual age ("30-something" is all she'll admit) because, she says, she constantly has to fight for respect. Now this unconventional-looking minister has become a chaplain in what seems, at first blush, to be one of the most unlikeliest of places: Planned Parenthood. Corsaro was recently appointed Planned Parenthood's chaplain for the state, making her the first full-time, statewide chaplain in the national organization. As such, she will provide pastoral counseling...