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Letters
Cheers and Jeers

Looking for Christ
As a young United Methodist pastor, I really appreciate the relevant topic of denominational loyalty that was presented in Rob Renfroe’s January/February article, “What’s in a Name?” I became distracted from the topic, however, by Renfroe’s divergence to his own personal grievance with Clayton Childers and the General Board of Church and Society. Although I sympathize with Renfroe’s complaint, I believe the topic addressed did not receive due justice. Why indeed have many churches shed the name United Methodist? Perhaps one reason is that in our drive to distinguish ourselves as United Methodist we have become distinctly less Christian. The world, as our faith teaches us, is looking for Christ…not a church. A church, therefore, will only be as impactful to the world as much as it reflects the Savior that all are in need of. So whether these congregations call themselves United Methodist or not is of no consequence to me, I only care if Christ is transforming the world through them.  

Sincerely,
Erik Marshall 
Paradise Hill Church
Ashland, Ohio

 

Marvelous job
It was with mixed emotions that we acknowledge Faye Short’s “retirement” as Renew leader. She has done a marvelous job of representing the evangelical women of the United Methodist Church. It has not always been easy, physically or emotionally, but she has always carried on with grace and a sense of the peace of Christ in her witness. We wish her a most wonderful time of her own renewal and know that God has a special job for her in the future. We know that she leaves Renew in the capable hands of Liza Kittle and pray for her guidance as she takes on this new venture.

Dottie Chase
Via e-mail

 

Spiritual cancer
For a long time, it has seemed to me that the United Methodist Church is being eaten away from the inside by a spiritual cancer—the kind that has spread so insidiously throughout so many parts of the body that it is lethal. And unfortunately, the only thing we seem to be able to do is provide palliative care until death comes.

We should have been practicing preventative medicine a long time ago so that at the first signs of trouble, the source could have been removed. When it became obvious that the cancer was working its way through the body at a deeper level, we should have submitted to surgery to remove the death threat. The only way to cure cancer is to completely rid the body of every menacing cell.

But now the malignancy has touched the church at every level. The only thing “extraordinary” about retired UM Bishops ordaining a lesbian and a married woman who supports homosexuality in a United Methodist Church building, is that it betrays everything the church has determined as its standards. Why are these bishops allowed to retain credentials and titles in our institution?

The same holds true for retired clergy and others who have openly pledged to disobey those same standards and officiate at homosexual weddings. The only way to stop the spread of the cancer is to remove it—and yet we seem to be powerless, perhaps fearful, or maybe even unwilling to do so. The longer the cancer stays within the body, the more it will spread, and eventually it will kill. As this cancer continues to spread—in outright defiance of the Word of God—it is going to take more than narrowing margins of victory in voting at General Conference to offer some measure of hope that it can be stopped. The question is: to what degree are we willing to do what needs to be done to remove the cancer from our midst?

Devin Chisholm
Community UM Church
Saganing Indian Church
Standish, MI

 

Leaving us
First, I want to thank you for your website, especially the links you have to articles of interest from other sources. I really appreciate your bringing together this information of special interest to evangelical United Methodists, because we would probably never see it otherwise.

Second, I want to comment on the obvious: as a denomination we are in deep trouble. I was born in a Methodist parsonage and have been involved in United Methodist or Free Methodist ministries all of my life as both clergy and layman.

 The trouble I speak of is the fractious division that has developed in our church over the issue of homosexuality. This has gone on too long. Our church has suffered untold and unnecessary damage and loss of membership.

The public voice of our church in the national media is reprehensible. The leaders and spokespersons from our national office certainly do not speak for me. I also believe they do not represent the views of the majority of our membership.

It seems to me that eventually all conservative or evangelical members will have left the church for other churches, or that theological, legal, and physical separation must happen. Personally, we are reluctant to leave the church because we are Methodists in heart and soul and do not wish to leave our heritage, but unfortunately we feel our church is slowly leaving us.

Dave Samuelson
Via e-mail



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