United Methodism’s governing General Conference, meeting currently in Charlotte, N.C., is enacting a sexual revolution within what used to be, until very recently, America’s third-largest religious group.
So far, in legislative committees, later to be ratified in plenary, delegates by wide margins are disconnecting sex from marriage or even monogamy. Until now, the United Methodist Church officially taught that “sexual relations are affirmed only with the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage.”
But the proposed revision, okayed by 75 percent in committee, says we “affirm human sexuality as a sacred gift and acknowledge that sexual intimacy contributes to fostering the emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being of individuals and to nurturing healthy sexual relationships that are grounded in love, care and respect.”
That’s it. No mention there of marriage or monogamy.
(Read the rest here at WORLD magazine.)
Comment by David Willard on April 30, 2024 at 1:24 pm
My childhood church in late 60s and 70s. Its been a long slide. Mark, you have my admiration for staying and fighting. God bless.
Comment by Louise on April 30, 2024 at 2:50 pm
I feel like I need to shower and get rebaptized. Needless to say, I have completely disassociated with the UMC and consider myself a “recovering Methodist”.
Comment by Darryl Zoller on April 30, 2024 at 3:09 pm
We knew it would happen if the Bible believing Methodists left in large numbers. I pray that the committee’s recommendation is defeated.
Comment by Debbie White on April 30, 2024 at 7:34 pm
What a truly sad state the Methodist Church is reduced to.
Comment by David Carlin on May 1, 2024 at 1:07 am
The template for this downhill slide was set by the early Unitarians about 1800. It is always an (irrational) attempt to blend Christianity with the fashionable anti-Christianity of the day. PoSee my book “The Rise and Fall of Liberal Protestantism in America” (Wipf and Stock, 2023).
Comment by Tim on May 1, 2024 at 7:58 am
The sexual revolution in recent times, began in 1930, when the Anglican/Episcopal Church approved the use of birth control. The first church to give in and change God’s design of procreation.
Satan and his followers keep pushing their agenda onto us and we humans seem oblivious of what is actually going on.
Comment by Curtis Nester on May 1, 2024 at 8:23 am
It has always been a puzzle to me why people will belong to an organization that controls them and their activities, that refuses to hear its members, takes money from them and refuses to abide by its own rules. If you have to pay to leave, you are being controlled.
Sure, its tough to leave the building you built and payed for, but God doesn’t dwell in buildings built by huan hands.
Walk, away, leave the real estate behind, build a new fellowship of believers and God will bless you and use you to carry out the Great Commission. I saw one liberal church (of another denomination) that was so liberal that said “their goal was not to get people to Heaven, but to bring Heaven on earth.”
You can’t reform people into being good without them first knowing the God who is good. Snatch brands from the burning instead of throwing people into the fire.
Comment by Corvus Corax on May 1, 2024 at 1:09 pm
As Aleister Crowley said, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” But at least he knew what he was doing. The liberal airheads helming the UMC are merely along for the ride.
Comment by Thomas on May 2, 2024 at 8:29 am
This is not surprising, unfortunately. I am glad for Global Methodist Church. True, honest, Christians should leave the United Methodist Church while they can, because its becoming a post-Christian denomination.
Comment by Ron R Culbreth on May 2, 2024 at 8:44 am
I am dumbfounded. I wept as I saw the jubilation over passing something opposed to God’s word. The first thought I had was Israel in the desert dancing and committing all sorts of lewd acts with each other around the golden calf, that is, until Moses came down. It’s time for Moses to come down.
Comment by Td on May 2, 2024 at 4:01 pm
As someone who was raised in and belonged afterwards to the Methodist church, this is painful to witness, but not surprising. The UMC left Christianity a long time ago and has simply become a political action group. The UMC clergy over time became the least Christian of their flock. I seriously wonder how many of them spend any time in prayer where they earnestly seek God and not their own will.
I am Catholic now and even though the Catholic Church has its problems, it is comforting to know that the future of our clergy is firmly orthodox. The latest polling of catholic seminarians and priests under 50 had only about 3% that identified themselves as progressive. Over 65%
identified as orthodox. Among seminary students alone, progressives didn’t amount to a percentage that was countable.
Comment by Bill Courson on May 2, 2024 at 5:31 pm
What a wonderful development this is! Truly, the Holy Spirit is moving in the church, “ Reformed and always reforming.” And when the Holy Spirit moves, even the mighty Institute for Religion & Democracy holds still.
Comment by Roy H on May 2, 2024 at 7:42 pm
If Romans 1:18-32 does not mean exactly what it says, then anything can mean anything.
But it does mean what it says, and it is describing today’s UMC.
The spirit that moves in the UMC is not the holy spirit Jesus sent but one sent by someone else.
Comment by Steve on May 3, 2024 at 7:33 am
Watching with sadness as the Methodists follow in the footsteps of the other once great Protestant churches. I was a Lutheran my whole life. A few years back I started reading into what was going on in the ELCA. I was horrified. Our seminaries are churning out openly Marxist pastors. Gettysburg seminary is run by former bishop married to a man. Transgender pastors and bishops. Youth gatherings where children are groomed by GLAAD members. Abortion is celebrated, as well as covered in employee health plans. When our pastor retired, we hired a liberal female pastor. A few months later my wife and I made the best decision of our life. We left and joined a non denominational Christian church. It is growing like crazy unlike our dying ELCA church. I’ve learned more about the bible in 2 years than in 50 at the Lutheran church.
Comment by Thomas on May 3, 2024 at 9:38 am
The nonsense that Courson is spouting is typical liberal nonsense. Apostasy is certainly led not by the word of God or the Holy Spirit, but by the Devil. We all know that the Devil is the great deceiver. The first Christians didn`t suffer martyrdom for nowadays apostates decide that the pagan Roman Empire was the one who was right in human sexuality and the sanctity of human life, from conception to natural death.
Comment by Thomas on May 4, 2024 at 5:43 pm
“I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.” (John Wesley)