United Methodist Future in Jeopardy, Say 400 Clergy
Hundreds of United Methodist clergy are expressing deep concerns over a pledge made by a large group of fellow ministers to marry same-sex couples. They argue that if the pledge is carried through, the future of the denomination is in jeopardy.
"We do not know how many, if any, marriages or 'holy unions' of same-sex couples will be performed by UM clergy in the near future," reads a letter, currently signed by more than 400 pastors, to the Council of Bishops. "But we do know the destructive effects that will result in our local churches and throughout the denomination if such services are performed by UM pastors."
The concerned clergy are referring to a pledge that some 900 ministers have endorsed in support of same-sex civil unions. By signing the pledge, they agreed to defy the denomination's ban on blessing same-sex unions....
John I don't think that these abomination, oops sorry typo, denominations have left God. I think God has left these "churches" and gone where he is worshiped.
CV wrote: ...should have their hands slapped for translating Isiah 7:14 as "young woman" instead of "virgin".
It is an important, nay crucial, point you make CV. Is it necessary for Jesus to be born to a virgin? - yes, it is crucial to the salvation of countless sinners across the world.
What sort of "sign" is it from God that a "young woman" should conceive and bear a son?
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 KJV
Immanuel, God Incarnate, here on the earth, living amongst us and revealing his eternal power and omniscience. To know him is to know life everlasting.
In the 60's, several Methodists and others came out of their "churches" in Rugby, and travelled on the train to London to hear Dr Martin Lloyd-Jones preach. They were very grateful to hear good Bible preaching because their "churches" had reached a pitch of telling the congregation they had evolved from monkeys.
Shortly after, they decided to form and constitute a Free Evangelical Church, based on the services they had experienced in London. The Lord blessed the work, which had as its doctrinal foundation the 1689 Baptist Confession. When I was converted in 1979 the Lord led me by his Spirit and providence to go along. They were real glory days, with God's presence in the services most powerful, and many sinners and nominal Christians were soundly converted through the simple but anointed preaching of the cross. Others came from miles around to benefit from sound biblical teaching and to be encouraged by the extensive evangelism. These eventually formed their own churches locally.
How to destroy a denomination for dummies The descent into same sex marriage in church is the death blow for any denomination as it against scripture and why would any future pastor want to join a denomination that is anti scriptual .
Jim the NET bible translators should have their hands slapped for translating Isiah 7:14 as "young woman" instead of "virgin". If you are writing a Hebrew bible, you leave it "alma". Hebrew uses alma to refer to virgin or young women. The HS operated within those limitations. But the moment you touch it to translate it into a language that has distinct words, you apply the intended meaning. Greek has it, and the LXX people got it right before the time of Jesus.
Isiah7:14 WAS accepted as a messianic prophecy. The LXX people would have grappled with the near and far applications of that prophecy. The old Jewish interpretations allowed for "virgin" until the Christians applied it to Christ. The old Jewish view of the messiah changed after the conflict with Christians.
How do you know that Isiah didn't understand it as "virgin"? Or to whom else the HS revealed this to. The old Jewish view of the messiah changed after the conflict with Christians.
You show a theological bias no matter what word you use.
The NET people should put down the Jewish anti-missionary literature, as impressed as they may be by it, and read Mathew 1:23. There the HS tells us.
Ah, John U.K., I have little to disagree with you about the UMC, (q.v., United Methodists at the End of the Mainline) I was brought up in the UMC. I'm happy when Harry Emerson Fosdick was mentioned in my local UMC, I had little knowledge and even less interest in the man.
Also, at the time proof-texting was mentioned and condemned in the my local UMC and of course it was in the UMC in general. Now, proof-texting when it is done by charismatics, isn't Proper Biblical Interpretation. --However-- when the apostles and Jesus does it, then that is the correct interpretation of a Biblical verse, e.g., and the most glaring one, Isaiah 7:14. Matthew pointed out how it should be translated, and that proof-texting should have been followed. However, the the UMC embraced the RSV, and even worse, the NRSV. But read, the first URL given in my message.
"While the denomination has debated the issue of homosexuality for decades, the growing number of clergy willing to disobey church laws and marry gay and lesbian couples has many in the church concerned"
READ the Bible - There is NO debate. Never mind church laws - Obey the Word of God.
God states... Lev 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."
Without the gospel, a church gains no converts. If there are no converts, the church declines. When a church declines dangerously, it looks for other churches which are declining. When they find them, they propose merging to increase numbers. Hence the "United" tag. As in The United Reformed Church in the UK which is purely nominal and has no Christians in attendance.
Wiki: "Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley within the Church of England. As such, the church's theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan. It contains both liturgical and evangelical elements."
Over here, you will not hear the gospel in the struggling Wesleyan Chapels.
There are plenty of nominal churches in the world. Leave them, they be blind guides. The Gospel Message, that is, How May A Man Be Right With God? is essential, before a "church" can even be considered to be a church. Because the RCC gets the answer to this wrong, they fall at the very first hurdle, along with the United Methodist Church. They both fall into the ditch.
1960s: Capitulate to the culture and imbibe contraception. 1990s: Capitulate to the culture and imbibe female preachers. 2010s: Capitulate to the culture and imbibe openly-gay preachers.
Isn't this locomotive unstoppable for the UMC?
1
There are a total of 9 user comments displayed | add new comment |
Rev. Colin Mercer | 11/19/2012
COMMENTS | 
