I was sitting at a table on the first floor of the library at Hardin-Simmons University when a fellow classmate from Logsdon School of Theology approached me with a smile. He sat down across from me and slid the rough…
Traditionalists’ exit speeds up as official decisions on United Methodist Church’s future delayed to 2024
The United Methodist Church’s future won’t be decided officially until 2024, thanks to a third postponement of its church-wide legislative assembly, but traditionalists have chosen not to wait any longer, formally starting their breakaway denomination May 1. After two years…
Traditionalist United Methodists’ offer to pay for vaccination of African delegates is not the shot in the arm they thought it would be
United Methodist politics erupted in a public confrontation this week as three international bishops and a dozen other church leaders denounced a traditionalist group’s offer to provide coronavirus immunizations for General Conference delegates from countries with limited vaccine access. The…
United Methodists renewing their vows through annual Wesley Covenant Service may struggle this year
Whatever future 2022 may hold, one thing is certain: Come the first Sunday in January, millions of United Methodists will renew their vows in a beloved tradition known as the Wesley Covenant Service. This year, however, the covenant service takes…
United Methodist leaders urge congregations to reject proposed settlement with Boy Scouts
United Methodist churches across the United States are being instructed to reject the proposed sexual abuse settlement plan that is part of the Boy Scouts of America’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. In a series of hurried meetings, the governing boards…
United Methodists combine climate divestment with sustainable investing
On the eve of COP26, the United Nations’ climate conference scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 12 in Glasgow, Scotland, news outlets are focusing on potential actions by world governments to reduce emissions causing the global climate crisis. Less known to the…
Ghana considers a new law punishing same-sex relations, and LGBTQ community fears reprisals
Ghana is the latest country in Africa seeking to explicitly outlaw same-sex relations in an appeal to cultural values and conservative religious views. Members of the LGBTQ community fear they may become the victims of violence as a result of…
United Methodists’ ‘reluctant pro-choice’ stance puts clergy and laity at odds with new Texas abortion law
The current struggle over Texas’ strict anti-abortion law perplexes many United Methodists who thought the issue of reproductive choice had been decided. Now they’re finding themselves back where clergy coalitions were in the 1960s and ’70s, seeking to support women…
United Methodists chafe at their wilderness wandering
Some have likened the current time in the United Methodist Church to the biblical exodus of Hebrew slaves from Egypt. Others have found a parallel in the Israelites’ exile in Babylon. Still others see the UMC living through the same…