Local members of the United Methodist Church have approved a resolution May 28, 2011 to allow pastors to perform same-sex union and ceremonies in jurisdictions which have approved gay marriage laws.

The potentially historic resolution, which was put before the annual Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, passed by a slender margin. The result will now open the way for a vote on the matter at the Church’s national conference in 2012.

The result came as a surprise to many, including those responsible for putting the resolution forward in the first place. Members of Washington’s Foundry United Methodist, which proposed the resolution, did not expect it to be approved. more >>

Recently I retweeted an article from a Methodist leader entitled "Whatever Happened to the Missional Impulse of the Methodists?" In that post, Steve Manskar, Director of Wesleyan Leadership at GBOD (the General Board of Discipleship) of The United Methodist Church, speaks of his experience at the Exponential Conference:

Most of the people I met would identify themselves in the Calvinist/Reformed tradition. Very few would say they are Arminian or Wesleyan. While they likely disagree with Wesley theologically, they fully embrace his practices. United Methodists, on the other hand, sort of embrace the theology and neglect or outright reject Wesleyan practices. Why is that? That's a question I heard from a few of the people I met at Exponential.

Editorial comment: Steve calls them mostly Reformed, though when you are a United Methodist everyone else looks Reformed-- from my perspective, Exponential is hardly a Reformed crowd. more >>

In the wake of the death of the TNIV, a premier evangelical seminary has adopted a brand new Bible translation, called the Common English Bible, to take its place.

Fuller Theological Seminary approved the Common English Bible for official school use in April following news that Zondervan's updated New International Version will replace any prior renditions of the translation, including the 2005 Today's New International Version.

One of the major draws for the CEB was its gender-inclusive language, according to members of the Bible translation committee at Fuller. more >>

Being gay is a gift from God, asserts one church in Ohio.

That’s the message that Central United Methodist Church is spreading throughout their community via a digital billboard, launched on Monday.

This “simple statement,” the church announced, is “intended to be a gift to those who have experienced hurt and discrimination because of their real or perceived sexual orientation.” more >>

It might be a peculiar call to make in a church, but The United Methodist Church is asking its members to fast from alcohol during Lent.

To be clear, the 7.8 million-member denomination affirms abstinence from alcohol. But "Alcohol Free Lent" is meant to start discussions on "the elephant in the room – alcohol use among our members."

Lent began with Ash Wednesday this week. It marks the 40-day period before Easter. Traditionally, many Catholics and Protestants choose to fast from certain foods and nowadays from technology or social networking. more >>

United Methodists are weighing in on the debate over an Appleton, Wis., minister who faces a church trial for her homosexual lifestyle.

The Rev. Amy DeLong is scheduled to go to trial on April 11. Two charges were brought against her – one for conducting a ceremony for the union of a lesbian couple and another for being a self-avowed practicing homosexual.

"This sort of thing goes on regularly," the Rev. Tim Berlew of Memorial United Methodist Church in Greenfield, Wis., who supports DeLong, said recently. "But Amy made it public because she feels the church needs to deal with this." more >>