Episcopal Leaders Prepare for Homosexuality Debates

theelephantseye »

Sun Jul 05, 2009 3:56 am Agree: 2   Disagree: 0

The ECUSA has bigger problems than the whole debate about human sexuality. Any church that allows their own retired bishops like John S. Spong to print heresy and then sell it on the "Christian Theology" shelf of their cathedral bookstores is trying to self-destruct. While inclusiveness can be a wonderful thing, including people who are bent on undermining the foundations of an organization as legitimate voices is inviting disaster. Sometimes a diseased branch must be pruned if the tree is to survive. Heretics need to be censured.

United Methodists: Church Is a Verb, Not a Noun

theelephantseye »

Sun Jul 05, 2009 3:37 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

"to see church in a way that is more aligned to Scripture, and to be more faithful to the tradition of John Wesley who believed the world was his parish." - If Methodists take this goal seriously, I believe that we'll be able to turn the corner and provide a welcoming home for many of the young people who grope for a meaningful spirituality through this darkness of secular humanism and materialist reductionism that is the legacy of 20th century western culture.

United Methodist Members Dying Faster than Americans

theelephantseye »

Sun Jul 05, 2009 3:24 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

Not everyone in the UMC has abandoned scriptural authority and the traditional evangelical, Arminian theology espoused by John Wesley. Unlike some of the other mainline denominations that have become hostile to those who keep to traditional Christian beliefs in favor of "Jesus Seminar" style anti-theism, the inclusiveness of the Methodist church includes keeping our doors open to those who still worship the living God and affirm scripture as the primary of the four sources for coming to theological conclusions known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. We should all remember that Jesus was often attacked in his ministry for being too "inclusive." Instead of attacking one another why not pray for all who hold to the basics of the Christian faith so that as many people as possible come to know Jesus Christ as their personal lord and savior. Salvation comes through grace, not one's score on a theological quiz.

How Do Unchurched Americans View Christianity?

theelephantseye »

Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:54 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

I thought that the term "unchurched" meant persons who identified themselves as Christians but did not belong to any particular church or denomination. That was my situation for a few years when I had begun to find my way back into faith but hadn't found a church home. I believe (and it's certainly been the case in my journey) that it is by learning to interact with other Christians in a church community that we really begin to grow as Christians. I agree with what Eugene Peterson writes in his book "Christ Plays In Ten Thousand Places" about how we get closer to God in community than we do in solitude. Interacting with other Christians is often a rather challenging experience, but these challenges are all opportunities for growth.