United Methodist Church to Split over 'Gay' Marriage?
Rogue Methodist clergy have been pledging to defy the church and officiate same-sex marriages (some already have been active in doing so), despite church discipline.
Not everyone in the UMC agrees, though. Numerous Methodist pastors have come together to rail against their fellow reverends rogue response to the Church’s same-sex marriage policies. Those in opposition came together to pen a letter to all active church bishops. Here’s their reasoning for sending the note:
The letter was written to communicate a deep concern regarding more than 900 ministerial colleagues who have pledged to perform same-sex weddings, despite the church’s prohibition against such ceremonies. This widespread ecclesiastical disobedience threatens to tear apart the covenant which holds The United Methodist Church together. It is also a direct challenge to the clear teaching of Scripture....
Although Jim's IHCC booklet doesn't say this, if a never-married Christian man is burning with passion (most are) and consuming pornography (m*sturbating), he needs to "tie the knot."
Now, with 24/7 handheld access to 170,000,000,000 pornographic pages, the majority of your 18+ year old young men need to have very solid plans to enter Holy Matrimony.
Part of the puzzle why denominations are ordaining gay preachers is this pervasive pornography.
Red wrote: Actually the purpose for all mankind is to glorify God, proclaim the good news to others so that they may glorify God, and raise children that glorify God. Anything else in life is vanity, whether you call yourself Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, agnostic, atheist, or whatever.
God destroyed two whole cities for the sin of sodomy. If it was wrong then, its wrong now. Why on earth would any minister, no matter what denomination you are, officiate and participate in such an abominable practice? You are bringing the Hellfire of a wrathful God down upon your head and the heads of your flock!!! God will hold the shepherd to a higher account than his sheep. So remember that when you are teaching your congregation that such an abominable sin is now OK in the eyes of God.
When was the last time you heard a sermon about sodomy within the bonds of Holy Matrimony? Almost all sermons against sodomy point to "them," those outsiders, the homosexual, the non-Christian. Perhaps pastors need to occasionally preach against sodomite sin to the pew.
SLI wrote: "For Protestant denominations, the purposes of marriage include intimate companionship, rearing children and mutual support for both husband and wife to fulfill their life callings." -Wikipedia/Marriage If the primary purpose of marriage is for mutual pleasure (intimate companionship), then either the alimentary or the reproductive system will do. This is why these denominations are committing suicide. All for the want of mutual pleasure with no consequences (children).
Actually the purpose for all mankind is to glorify God, proclaim the good news to others so that they may glorify God, and raise children that glorify God. Anything else in life is vanity, whether you call yourself Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, agnostic, atheist, or whatever.
Once almost everyone in a denomination finds a way to turn off the fertility faucet, the alimentary and the reproductive systems yield the same result. Each allows a Christian husband to achieve the same goal in bed.
Meanwhile, same-sex couples have been observing our sexual mores for decades and notice that the Christian fertility rate has plummeted. Then they put 2 and 2 together to find that Christian marriage and their relationships now have the same goal: mutual pleasure (not a newborn).
What's more, how can a preacher say "no" to these couples who desire exclusive use of their alimentary systems, when he's using both of his wife's systems: reproductive and alimentary? If he said "no" he'd be a hypocrite.
Does ubiquitous Christian sodomy have consequences? Apparently so. It's toppling entire denominations with more yet to fall (e.g., UMC).
What denomination is blowing a whistle and throwing a flag to warn its members of this coming doom?
SLI wrote: "For Protestant denominations, the purposes of marriage include intimate companionship...."
If the primary purpose of marriage is for mutual pleasure (intimate companionship)
Roman Catholic. You really have an obsession on marriage don't you. I wonder why? Have you ever been married?
These derogatory posts aimed at the true Church, besides trying to influence on behalf of your boss the antichrist, are deliberately degrading and misleading. Deception being a natural Roman Catholic consequence.
"mutual pleasure" is not intimate companionship. You seem to have a lurid mind on that point, is that from your own experience?
God ordained, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Gen 2:24.
Jesus taught, "And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Matt 19:5
SLI, that's all very nice, but you are talking about Christian churches, The Methodist Church takes a leaf out of the Anglican Church-- "The faith of Anglicans is founded in the scriptures, the traditions of the apostolic church, the apostolic succession – "historic episcopate" and the early Church Fathers...." Anglicanism The Methodist Church would perhaps substitute everything following "...the apostolic succession..." with 'policies set by the various annual district and national conferences' but they are very much the same in outlook, From Mainline to Sideline — The Death of Protestant America, and this article directly addresses your comment in particular and this thread in general.
"For Protestant denominations, the purposes of marriage include intimate companionship, rearing children and mutual support for both husband and wife to fulfill their life callings." -Wikipedia/Marriage
If the primary purpose of marriage is for mutual pleasure (intimate companionship), then either the alimentary or the reproductive system will do. This is why these denominations are committing suicide. All for the want of mutual pleasure with no consequences (children).
The UMC has numerous reasons to disintegrate, United Methodists at the End of the Mainline. Homosexuality just being one of them, apparently the conservatives of that church should pass this out to the --adult-- members of the church, Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality. This was written for Methodists by a Methodist M.D.
San Jose John wrote: Great catch. Shows where their priorities are.
What has he caught? A fish? No, a journalist. I believe the article was written by Billy Hallowell of 'The Blaze', it was his wording of the article. Vows and oaths have no validity unless based on the teaching of Scripture. The author of the article seems to be referring to the Methodist's vows regarding the formation of their Church Constitution, and that is because this Scriptural issue splits them as a denomination and that is what the article is about: A intra- denominational division concerning scandal over the Biblical teaching of marriage and the sin of sodomy.
SLI wrote: 1)There's a problem with the assumption that the Scripture is clear about heterosexual marriage.
2)Dozens of bloggers weighed-in with 500+ posts here and neither consensus nor conclusion was established about the institution of (heterosexual) marriage.
3)Further, if millions of thinking Christians can't clearly differentiate heterosexual marriage from same-sex "marriage," why would you be surprised when an openly-gay preacher is called by your conservative denomination?
1)Wrong. Can you find Scriptural support for any other kind of personal marriage? Remember the comparison here is between marriage, and what is misnamed "gay marriage."
2)Irrelevant. Numbers of posts determine nothing except interest. There is however, consensus among Christians as to the difference between real and "gay marriage." Do you have contrary evidence?
3)Question based on false premise need not be answered. Perhaps you might list conservative churches that have openly gay preachers.
"WHEREAS, We have been prophetic in confronting assaults in the outside culture on God’s design for marriage while rarely speaking with the same alarm and force to a scandal that has become all too commonplace in our own churches; [now, therefore, be it]
"RESOLVED, That we express our further conviction that a denomination defined missiologically ought to recognize how damaging Southern Baptist accommodation to the divorce culture is to our global witness for Christ." (2010)
The SBC identified this small tsunami over 100 years ago:
"RESOLVED, That it is the sense of this body that the Legislatures of the States represented in this Convention be requested to discourage this great and growing evil by more stringent laws regulating the same." (1904)
They've been unable to stop or even slow its deadly advance. Although this scandalous wave is inundating the UMC today, the SBC is, by their own admission, not out of harm's way.
SLI wrote: There's a problem with the assumption that the Scripture is clear about heterosexual marriage. Dozens of bloggers weighed-in with 500+ posts ... and neither consensus nor conclusion was established
SLI As a Roman Catholic on these threads you have demonstrated many of the characteristics of those who would follow the papal antichrist. Thankyou for that! In this your latest post above re marriage we can see that you also lie when it suits your purpose. No surprise there when the Pope himself is the most accomplished liar in the Roman Catholic religious theatrics.
SLI. The reason why so called "churches" such as this United Methodist mob can ditch the Bible and keep the lust, is because the Roman Catholics have shown the way, and led the way for centuries, to ditching Scripture to establish a man-made worldly religious counterfeit of church. Complete with sin and any lust you want to retain.
There are many religious cults in the world such as muslim, jehovah's witness and Liberal anglicanism etc. But the largest and most powerful false "church(?)" is the Roman Catholic, run by Satan's minions in idolatrous and heretical fallacies which only the reprobate would accept.
Mike wrote: "This widespread ecclesiastical disobedience threatens to tear apart the covenant which holds The United Methodist Church together. It is also a direct challenge to the clear teaching of Scripture. ..." Interesting how "a direct challenge to the clear teaching of Scripture" is added as an "also."
Mike wrote: "This widespread ecclesiastical disobedience threatens to tear apart the covenant which holds The United Methodist Church together. It is also a direct challenge to the clear teaching of Scripture. ..." Interesting how "a direct challenge to the clear teaching of Scripture" is added as an "also."
There's a problem with the assumption that the Scripture is clear about heterosexual marriage.
Dozens of bloggers weighed-in with 500+ posts here and neither consensus nor conclusion was established about the institution of (heterosexual) marriage. Further, if millions of thinking Christians can't clearly differentiate heterosexual marriage from same-sex "marriage," why would you be surprised when an openly-gay preacher is called by your conservative denomination?
"This widespread ecclesiastical disobedience threatens to tear apart the covenant which holds The United Methodist Church together. It is also a direct challenge to the clear teaching of Scripture. ..."
Interesting how "a direct challenge to the clear teaching of Scripture" is added as an "also."
SLI wrote: Evangelicals have put "postmortem evangelism" on the table.
Don't quite see your point. Evangelicals have always had error on the table, open to view, and explained why it is error, so that believers do not get caught up with it. It is important to understand heresy, and then the truth is even more precious. James White in this message is warning against what some believe concerning universalism, like the RCC error about purgatory. What a copout! All those poor dabs who vainly imagined their wealth could ultimately get them to heaven; all those landowners giving their land and property into the RCC's coffers, to have their time in purgatory lessened.
John UK wrote: And there is no imaginary purgatory, to have a second chance. The two eternal destinations are HEAVEN and HELL, and they are fixed. The only folks who get to heaven are those who entered by the strait gate. All others, no matter what denomination or no denomination are destined for the lake of fire, and that without remedy.
Evangelicals have put "postmortem evangelism" on the table. Whereas, purgatory is a perfectly sensible doctrine when a person's sins are removed (not just covered) before entering the blazing white hot light of God's glory, Evangelicals are suggesting that you can share the "4 Spiritual Laws" in Hell (Hell Versionâ„¢) and spring souls into Heaven. According to them, we can witness now or later -- it's all good.
Matthew 7:13-20 KJV 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Note v14 "few there be that find it".
And there is no imaginary purgatory, to have a second chance. The two eternal destinations are HEAVEN and HELL, and they are fixed. The only folks who get to heaven are those who entered by the strait gate. All others, no matter what denomination or no denomination are destined for the lake of fire, and that without remedy.
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