Yes, I believe Christians should have a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other, which is something Barth actually said, although he was accused of being too aloof and theoretically inclined.
I’m unclear what you mean by “the umc’s drift toward liberalism predated the UMC by decades.”
Yes. I too have often wondered why the GMC did not join an existing group. Not my tribe, so I didn’t feel a need to press the question. But I have certainly wondered it as well.
UMC is the result of merger. One or more of those parent denominations was already taking a liberal approach to scripture interpretation. I’m sorry I forget the details and can’t remember which book I listened to that traced out the history.
Yes, that history is correct. And the group that is currently calling itself the Global Methodist Church is largely comprised of former Methodist Episcopal South churches…which had their own hermeneutical agendas.
We have two GMC churches here. (Genesee County NY). I’m not sure how we wound up with two because I was only aware of one UMC church on the west side of the county (they have a great strawberry social every spring). Now there is another GMC church just up the road.
I attend an FMC church. There is also a UMC church in town.
I feel like we'd have a lot more room for growth - not to mention healthier clergy - if we closed a ton of those churches that are too close to each other to be needed.
This is great. Looking forward to the series.
Thanks, mate. I’ve written the entire series now. So they will release every Wed. Appreciate you reading!
I have found Karl Barth it be immensely helpful in understanding the primacy of scripture, and the insidiousness of a politicized Christianity.
Absolutely. I’m very Barthian in this series. (Though I think Christians should be very involved politically.)
Yes, I believe Christians should have a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other, which is something Barth actually said, although he was accused of being too aloof and theoretically inclined.
I love your phrase, "ontology of scripture," and will follow your essays with anticipation.
🖤🖤🖤 thank you!
I forget my history of Methodism but as I recall, UMC’s drift to liberalism predates UMC by decades.
It’s why the Evangelical Methodists came together, in response to the mainline Methodist liberal drift.
Then, like now, everybody forgets about the Free Methodists — doctrinally conservative, social-gospel engaged.
I’ve always been puzzled why the churches that became GMC didn’t join with FMC instead.
I’m unclear what you mean by “the umc’s drift toward liberalism predated the UMC by decades.”
Yes. I too have often wondered why the GMC did not join an existing group. Not my tribe, so I didn’t feel a need to press the question. But I have certainly wondered it as well.
UMC is the result of merger. One or more of those parent denominations was already taking a liberal approach to scripture interpretation. I’m sorry I forget the details and can’t remember which book I listened to that traced out the history.
I suspect it was Doctrine, Spirit, Discipline by Kevin Watson.
Yes, that history is correct. And the group that is currently calling itself the Global Methodist Church is largely comprised of former Methodist Episcopal South churches…which had their own hermeneutical agendas.
The whole thing was a mess.
We have two GMC churches here. (Genesee County NY). I’m not sure how we wound up with two because I was only aware of one UMC church on the west side of the county (they have a great strawberry social every spring). Now there is another GMC church just up the road.
I attend an FMC church. There is also a UMC church in town.
I feel like we'd have a lot more room for growth - not to mention healthier clergy - if we closed a ton of those churches that are too close to each other to be needed.