Susan Henry-Crowe

Methodist Lobby Chief Slams Church on Sexuality Vote

on February 28, 2019

In the wake of an historic vote by the United Methodist Church’s General Conference, the head of the denomination’s Washington, D.C.-based lobby office has chastised the denomination’s governing body.

“The 2019 General Conference brought unbearable pain to the body of Christ,” the Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, general secretary of the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) wrote in high dudgeon. “The delegates’ resistance to hear and honor the presence and voices of LGBTQIA people has created a wound. The wound may one day be healed by the grace of God, but the scar left behind will be visible forever.”

A plan enacted during the February 24-26 gathering in St. Louis, Missouri increases accountability measures for clergy and annual conferences that violate the denomination’s existing rules on sexual ethics and marriage.

“The 2019 General Conference chose to further deepen the divide in The United Methodist Church,” excoriated Henry-Crowe. “The plan adopted by a slim majority is punitive, contrary to our Wesleyan heritage, and in clear violation of the mandate given to us in 1 Corinthians 12.”

The plan passed with 53 percent of the vote on Tuesday. An earlier vote on a competing plan backed by U.S. progressives and most of the denomination’s Council of Bishops was defeated with nearly 56 percent of the vote.

Henry-Crowe has served as the agency’s top executive since 2014. Her comments were delivered in a GBCS press release appearing on the agency’s web site using church letterhead. It was disseminated using church resources.

Writing that there were moments “that broke the heart of God” at General Conference, Henry-Crowe struck a defiant tone, focusing upon the agency’s “work for LGBTQIA equality”:

“We will seek justice for LGBTQIA migrants. We will seek to end conversion therapy, the dangerous and discredited idea that you can change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. We will work to ensure that no one is fired from their job or prevented from access to housing because they are LGBTQIA. We will work to end hate crimes against LGBTQIA people, especially LGBTQIA people of color. We will seek a climate in which LGBTQIA children are protected and enabled to live full and flourishing lives.

“Whatever comes next for The United Methodist Church, I am steadfast in my belief that the General Conference cannot release us from our responsibility to love and care for a world groaning for justice,” Henry-Crowe wrote.

General Conference is the only body that speaks for the entirety of the 12.6 million-member global church. Since 1972, the body has upheld language in the denomination’s Book of Discipline that regards the practice of homosexuality as “incompatible with Christian teaching.”

Henry-Crowe, in contrast, wrote to persons identifying as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA) telling them “your relationships are sacred and holy.”

LGBT activist groups within the church have unsuccessfully attempted to modify or remove the language at each successive General Conference, stymied by an alliance of U.S. Evangelicals and a growing international contingent largely rooted in the Global South. United Methodists in Africa and Southeast Asia consistently report growth, resulting in a greater voice within the General Conference’s proportional representation system that allots seats for voting delegates. The share of overseas delegates is again expected to increase for the regularly scheduled 2020 General Conference.

  1. Comment by William on February 28, 2019 at 5:26 pm

    Of course someone is writing a petition right now to bring before the 2020 General Conference to close GBCS and redirect those funds to UMCOR.

  2. Comment by Loren Harmon on February 28, 2019 at 5:47 pm

    Good! Close it. They are very keen on wrecking Israel. They are equally keen on Palestinians, practitioners of gay murder, “honor killing”, and FGM. She is a racist who thinks lgbt …. “Poc” are more worthy than “white” lgbt … People.

  3. Comment by Wayne on February 28, 2019 at 8:15 pm

    You are correct on all points. The UMC GBCS is an embarrassement to our church. Their anti Israel stance and pro abortion stance is despicable.

  4. Comment by Lee D. Cary on March 3, 2019 at 7:50 am

    In an adult world, Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe gets fired for personal prejudice against a decision of the UMC General Conference. (She doesn’t know who employs her, apparently.)

    But then the UMC hasn’t been in the adult world for decades with the LGBTQAIXYZ123+ debacle.

  5. Comment by JM Smith on March 1, 2019 at 6:06 am

    There is nothing Methodist, Wesleyan, or Biblical about denouncing Palestinians…many of whom are fellow Evangelicals and friends and colleagues of mine. Please don’t bring opposition to Zionism into this discussion where it has no place. Do not equate it with liberalism or heresy like that of this article.

    Sincerely,
    An evangelical Wesleyan Methodist

  6. Comment by K.G. Goodwright on March 1, 2019 at 10:34 am

    I don’t believe Wayne denounced Palestinians. He just affirms Israel with his comments.

  7. Comment by James Dick on March 2, 2019 at 4:57 pm

    No church money should ever be spent to advance a viewpoint that doesn’t support the official approved position of the Church. The General Conference has again affirmed the Word of God and it needs to be supported. This person, just from looking at her eyes, tells all you need to know about what she thinks of Traditional Methodism. God’s law as taught by Moses and with compassion by Jesus is an absolute. The organization she is heading should be defunded. No traditionalist hates the community she represents, we pray for them daily but the Church, to be true to God, must stand by His word, not succumb to some church leaders who will sell their souls because they can’t stand with the strength of Jesus in an evermore tumultuous world.

  8. Comment by Stephanie on March 10, 2019 at 9:58 am

    Agree

  9. Comment by Tracy Adams on March 6, 2019 at 10:55 am

    I am appalled and dismayed at what has become of the Methodist Church. She should not be allowed to use church resources to further her personal agenda. She does not speak for the methodists that I know. She speaks against the highest ruling body in the church and should be relieved from her duties. I will no longer send money to help fund this atrocity. I love everyone, as we are all sinners, but that does not mean we can rewrite the bible based on the world view of what is correct.

  10. Comment by Jens paulsen on February 28, 2019 at 5:35 pm

    We find it inappropriate to use United Methodist churches letter head to promote and or defend animalistic lifestyle.

  11. Comment by David on February 28, 2019 at 5:46 pm

    All these sudden attacks on the General Conference and how it isn’t responsive to the people in the pews, is no different than the attacks of the DNC on the Electoral College following the 2016 election. In both cases, it is the same people who throw a hissy fit because they didn’t get their way. These people won’t give up until they destroy The UMC. Praise God for delegates who voted for the Traditional plan.

  12. Comment by David on March 1, 2019 at 12:43 pm

    Many find the Electoral College something that subverts the will of the people as does the US Senate. There have been attempts to change things, but the present system makes that impossible. So we are stuck with the tyranny of the minority. Two-thirds of the states in the US have populations smaller than that of New York City.

  13. Comment by Palamas on March 1, 2019 at 1:00 pm

    Many are the American people who never took a minute of civics, and whose understanding of the functioning and rationale behind our form of government is as well-developed as their understanding of the life cycle of the tsetse fly.

  14. Comment by John on March 1, 2019 at 8:26 pm

    Both the Electoral College and the selection of senators by their respective state legislatures (as originally established by the founders) were explicitly designed to serve to buffer the will of the people. The founders did not hold the same level of trusting optimism about human nature as did the late-nineteenth-century progressives who successfully promoted direct election of the Senate. The Electoral College effectively prevents a few high-density population centers from receiving all the attention of presidential candidates to the exclusion of less populous areas.

  15. Comment by Scott on March 2, 2019 at 8:05 pm

    Well said John.

  16. Comment by Matthew Gotthardt on March 6, 2019 at 4:07 am

    We elect a president of the United States. Otherwise we would have a President of California, Indiana and New York. It is not perfect but it allows for a better response than just by popular vote. Notice the pandering of entitlements and welfare to rich and poor alike presents a situation remarkably similar to what happened tothe Romans , Great Britain, and Western Europe. The destruction of the middle class is reflected in the decline of the Methodist church as well as our republic.

  17. Comment by K Parker on March 2, 2019 at 11:29 am

    That is ludicrous. So we are to bow to the will – “tyranny” – of NY City? Ludicrous. As stated in your post..you would DISMISS two thirds of our UNITED States because of NY City??!!!

  18. Comment by Doug on March 4, 2019 at 7:16 pm

    WOW!!!!!!! Finally, someone said it. Well done!!!!! Awesome. IN GOD WE TRUST.

  19. Comment by Beth Corbin on March 4, 2019 at 9:42 pm

    Just as the Founders left women and people of color out of the Constitution, the Church turns its back on those same individuals today. It’s all about patriarchy, and selective patriarchy at that! If you are poor, forget about it! You were not really included except by default. I hope someday individuals will stop acting out of fear, and instead choose to act out of love. Love will ultimately win!

  20. Comment by Sojourner Truth on March 6, 2019 at 1:27 pm

    Sophistry.

  21. Comment by John M. Stephenson on February 28, 2019 at 5:49 pm

    What follows was my e-mailed response to Ms. Henry-Crowe’s press release as the director of a denomination-wide agency:
    This is my e-mail in response to Ms. Henry-Crowe’s appalling misuse of her position:

    While I can appreciate Ms. Hill-Crowe’s disappointment in her favored plan being defeated by the delegates to General Conference 2019, her inflammatory statements make it totally unacceptable that she continue in her position as the director of a denomination-wide Board. She is certainly entitled to her opinions, but she is completely out of line using her position and the resources of her denomination-wide organization to condemn the sincere beliefs of a clear majority of the UMC delegates. If she has any sense of honor, she will stand by her convictions and resign her position rather than continuing to accept a salary and funding from those for whom she obviously loathes. If she does not resign, she is but a cynical hypocrite. I am appalled by her lack of neutrality and disdain for the majority of UMC members worldwide whose apportionments are funding her salary and the agency she leads. Put your principals where your heart and words are and do the honorable thing and RESIGN NOW!

    John M. Stephenson

  22. Comment by Thomas Lane on February 28, 2019 at 5:53 pm

    I’m sorry, but LGBTQIA may be choices in this world, but they are not choices approved by God. SIN is still what God says it is. We don’t have a vote or the right to edit or amend God. God is not who YOU think He is. God is who HE says He is. Your ONLY choice – do life His way and spend eternity with Him, or your way and spend eternity without Him (hint: without Him it will be much hotter).

  23. Comment by Steven Joseph Soller on February 28, 2019 at 6:01 pm

    This person also was President of the Judicial Council from 2008-2012. Is there any wonder that Traditionalist can get NO JUSTICE in the UMC? Even though Traditionalist form the majority of the Global Church, Progressive control the levers of power at almost every single level!

  24. Comment by Dan Maidment on February 28, 2019 at 6:03 pm

    What is her Biblical reference for acceptance and promotion of those who practice LGBTQ lifestyles?

  25. Comment by Palamas on March 1, 2019 at 1:03 pm

    Her reference is Hezekiah 3:6, which says, “Thou shalt listen to the voice of the bureaucrat whose salary you pay, for lo, she is convinced of her own righteousness, and has the title to prove it.”

  26. Comment by binkyxz3 on March 4, 2019 at 2:18 am

    I’m wondering how she knew God’s heart was broken.

  27. Comment by Pat on February 28, 2019 at 6:08 pm

    If this lady cannot support the decisions by delegates of the Methodist Church, she needs to resign. It is disgraceful the hate and anger spoken on the microphones at the conference I watched for two days because they did not get their way. Those Methodists who continue to support all the Bible says are the real heroes for Christ in this on-going battle. The attempt by the gay/homosexual community to take over the Methodist Church was and is a disgrace by those USA bishops supporting such a move. They will be ones needing to leave the UMC and begin their own denomination. That is not financially a good move for them so they tried to force all to accept their non-biblical stance on marriage and ordination. False prophets breaking my heart against the Methodist Church of John Wesley. God’s word is the same today as it was in the time of Moses, our savior Jesus.

  28. Comment by Loren Golden on March 1, 2019 at 2:15 am

    “They will be ones needing to leave the UMC and begin their own denomination.”
     
    Don’t look for that to happen anytime soon.  Theological Liberals simply don’t have what it takes to make a church—let alone a denomination—grow: a heart to seek and save the lost (Lk. 19.10).
     
    The greatest need of every man, woman, and child who has ever lived (save the Lord Jesus alone) is to be freed from the penalty and power of sin, and to be reconciled with his or her Creator, from whom he or she is alienated on account of his or her sin.  All are lost on account of sin (Rom. 3.9,23)—there are no exceptions—and “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6.23).  Jesus Christ died on the Cross to atone for all the sins of all who put their faith in Him (Rom. 3.24-26, I Cor. 15.3-4, Col. 2.13-14), and besides Him there is no Savior (Is. 43.11, 45.20-21).  The mission of the Church—which none but the Church can do—is to proclaim the good news of salvation from sin and death by God’s grace alone through faith alone in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ alone to a world lost in sin and death, to make new believers out of a people dwelling in darkness, bringing them into the fellowship of the people of God, which is the Church, and making them disciples of Jesus Christ, in fulfillment of His commission (Mt. 28.18-20).
     
    Theological Liberals, however, do not believe this.  They do not believe that man is alienated from God on account of his sin, liable to death and everlasting punishment in just recompense for his sin.  They do not believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to pay the penalty for man’s sin.  They do not believe that God calls the Church to tell the world that all men and women are sinners who need to confess their sins and turn to the Crucified Savior in faith for repentance, forgiveness, and salvation from sin and death.  And because they do not believe the compelling message of the Cross, they do not possess a compelling reason to give the unbelieving world why anyone outside the pale of the Church should become a Christian.
     
    The Church of Jesus Christ grows when “the Lord adds to (her) number day by day those who (are) being saved” (Acts 2.47).  We see this happening in other parts of the world, but we do not see this happening here, in the unbelieving, secularized West.  “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’  But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed?  And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?  And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” (Rom. 10.13-15)  All questions that Theological Liberalism cannot answer because Theological Liberals patently do not believe the answer.
     
    Now, Theological Liberals see positive benefits from Christian community, in terms of the mental health of those who participate in Christian community, and they see the positive results of Christians doing good works to make their neighbors’ lives a little more comfortable in this world.  But disbelieving the primary mission of the Church in evangelizing the lost, as outlined above, Theological Liberals take the secondary mission of the Church—doing good works in the world—and make it the Church’s PRIMARY mission; indeed, her ONLY mission.  So, what the Lord Jesus commands His Church to do as a secondary witness to the truth of the life-transforming power of His work of redemption, Theological Liberals make into something that the Lord commands as an end in and of itself.
     
    Consider, then, the insurmountable barrier Theological Liberals face in the prospect of leaving an established church or denomination and building a new one.  Who are they going to get to join it?  People who are already inside the Church, or people who are outside the Church?
     
    If it would be from people who are already inside the Church, consider the example of those Protestant denominations in which Theological Liberals are already in indisputable control and from which Evangelical Christians have departed in large numbers, such as the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the Presbyterian Church (USA).  These three denominations have a large population of older members who have remained because this has been their church home for most, if not all, of their lives, but who are not particularly pleased with decisions that have been made over the past half century, their Evangelical children have departed to swell the burgeoning membership of non-denominational churches, and they will be dying off soon.  What is more, the departure of so many healthy, vibrant, Evangelical congregations over the past decade has brought with it an even greater loss in infant baptisms.  In the PC(USA), for instance, there were 2,313,662 active members, 30,727 infant baptisms, and 24,456 professions of faith by those 17 years old and younger in 2005; but by 2017 the active membership had fallen to 1,415,053 (a net loss of 38.84%), only 17,027 infants were baptized (a drop of 44.59%), and only 13,811 of those 17 years old and younger made a profession of faith (down by 43.53%).  These denominations are having fewer children per capita, and of those they are having, they are passing the faith on to fewer still.  Growth is obviously not happening here.
     
    So then, what are the prospects of a new Theologically Liberal denomination growing by bringing new members in from outside the pale of the Church?  First, they might cast themselves as being a welcoming home to young people who grew up in an Evangelical home, who are disaffected by the perceived intolerances of Evangelicalism, but who nevertheless value the benefits of Christian community.  Secondly, they might grow by partnering with minority or immigrant religious leaders looking for funding to start churches within their own ethnic groups.  But how successful could such an endeavor be?  Looking again at Theologically liberal denominations, the statistics simply are not there.  In 2005, the PC(USA) had 49,549 adult professions of faith and 9,243 adult baptisms, but in 2017, these numbers had fallen to 24,051 (down by 51.46%) and 4,634 (down by 49.86%), respectively.  Moreover, considering the prospect of Theologically Liberal denominations partnering with ethnic minority/immigrant religious leaders, such leaders could only build a healthy, self-sustaining congregation of the type that denominational leaders would like to see by faithfully preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which Theological Liberals tend to disbelieve (see above).  In time, such congregations would grow to sufficient numbers as to come into conflict with Theologically Liberal denominational leaders, especially with orthodox/Evangelical ideas of denominational reform—in other words, a situation similar to that in which Theologically Liberal United Methodist leaders currently find themselves, with American Methodism’s partnership with theologically orthodox Conferences in the Global South.
     
    Given these trends, it is obvious that the catastrophic losses that denominations like the Episcopal Church, the ELCA, and the PC(USA) have endured over the past decade are likely to continue unabated—or even increase—in the years to come.  Likewise, any breakaway Liberal Methodist denomination would start with a fixed, likely small number and dwindle from there.  Theological Liberalism has thrived in American Protestant denominations, because Theological Liberals have gotten into positions of influence and power in these denominations, beginning with seminary professorships, and then later pastorates, diocesan leadership (e.g., bishops, executive presbyters, district supervisors), denominational college & seminary boards of trustees, and national offices, from which they could reorder denominational life according to their largely secularizing, worldly agenda.  They were aided by the fact that their agenda is a largely downward pull, as opposed to “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3.14), and it is easier to bring something down with the assistance of gravity (or the innate sinfulness of fallen man) than it is to build something up (contrary to man’s sinful nature).  Thus, they have enjoyed enormous success in corrupting the formerly Mainline Protestant denominations to their secular liberal agenda in this manner.
     
    Conversely, remove a Theological Liberal from his parasitic role in an established denomination, ask him to start a new denomination, and he will founder, which is why breakaway Evangelical denominations have either held their own against secularizing cultural pressures or grown despite them, whereas the few breakaway Theologically Liberal denominations (e.g., the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) have suffered membership losses comparable to those of the formerly Mainline Protestant denominations.
     
    The Bishops in the United Methodist Church are in positions of influence and power, and they will be exceedingly reluctant to give those up, regardless of how much they perceive a growing orthodox or Evangelical presence in the denomination to be unwelcoming, unaffirming, or downright hateful toward those they regard as a persecuted minority.  They might rant about how they could not stand to be a member in a denomination that does such-and-such, but when push comes to shove, they will not willingly lay down their positions of power and authority in an established denomination like the UMC, to leave for another Theologically Liberal denomination (all of which are smaller than the UMC), let alone for a start-up Liberal Methodist denomination, where their parasitic talents would be wasted.
     
    So, despite the decisions of this last weekend’s General Conference, don’t expect the UMC’s Theologically Liberal bishops to be going anywhere soon.

  29. Comment by Tamsin on March 1, 2019 at 11:45 am

    Very well said. Your description of this conflict rings true for the Roman Catholic Church also. Why don’t dissenters simply leave? In addition to the time-servers who don’t have time to build a new Church, there are people who believe they have grasped a deeper truth, as you say: “what the Lord Jesus commands His Church to do as a secondary witness to the truth of the life-transforming power of His work of redemption, Theological Liberals make into something that the Lord commands as an end in and of itself.” Church as NGO.

  30. Comment by MJ on February 28, 2019 at 6:21 pm

    As I mentioned in another thread, brace yourself for institutional backlash.

  31. Comment by diaphone64 on February 28, 2019 at 8:16 pm

    The “deep state” of the church

  32. Comment by MikeS on February 28, 2019 at 6:26 pm

    “The 2019 General Conference brought unbearable pain to the body of Christ,” good grief what disingenuous blather. It certainly brought grief to those trying to hijack the church for the cause of religious leftism, but I would not equate that with ‘the body of Christ’.

  33. Comment by Dave Edwards on February 28, 2019 at 6:28 pm

    If you cannot function within the wishes of the majority of the UMC and feel the need to voice a biased opinion.you need to resign your position.

  34. Comment by William on February 28, 2019 at 6:38 pm

    If the UMC was saved by this Special General Conference, then to make it stick, a purge will have to follow. Has anyone seen one bishop step up and defend this General Conference and the UMC against this outrageous assault by the media that has been aided and abetted by people inside the church like this woman?

    This fake shock reaction is beyond reproach. The Christian church universal has never done same sex weddings or excuse sexual immorality. These people attacking us know that. Many in the media are trying to cash in on this in order to weaken the church universal by honing in on the Methodist branch. What is so egregious, people inside our denomination are in on a strange-bed-fellows conspiracy.

    Again — will just one bishop step forward and defend your church‼️

  35. Comment by Jim on February 28, 2019 at 8:18 pm

    Amen William!

  36. Comment by David on March 1, 2019 at 11:16 am

    I would not call this same sex marriage, but the Rite of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus, a same sex union, comes close enough to marriage ceremonies of the era as to make people uncomfortable.

  37. Comment by Lizzie warren on March 1, 2019 at 11:29 am

    I call it “homosexual weddings.”

  38. Comment by Palamas on March 1, 2019 at 1:06 pm

    Good to know someone has been studying their John Boswell. Now you should try reading the work of honest scholars who are not using their “research” to justify their own lifestyle.

  39. Comment by David on March 4, 2019 at 10:09 am

    As I first stated, I do not agree with Boswell that this was marriage, but one must give him credit for bringing a previously obscure church practice to light.

  40. Comment by binkyxz3 on March 4, 2019 at 1:59 am

    William,
    The additonal petitions discussed by John Lomperis seems to address your concern about reluctant bishops. IMHO, it looks like power has been pushed down the organization to the parishoners and higher-ups have new, formal accoutability to take action. Traditionalists that want to re-direct and save the UMC should read and study this article.
    https://juicyecumenism.com/2019/02/27/2019-general-conference/

  41. Comment by William on February 28, 2019 at 6:57 pm

    Too many of our so called leaders in the UMC are working for Satan‼️

  42. Comment by April User on February 28, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    I don’t appreciate the “progressives” intimations that traditionalists don’t care for the LGBT community. What we are doing is the highest form of love and care: telling the truth about the direction they are headed in. CS Lewis said that the most progressive are those that realize they are headed in the wrong direction, turn around, and head in the right direction.

  43. Comment by binkyxz3 on March 4, 2019 at 2:12 am

    Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness.
    — C.S. Lewis

  44. Comment by Robert on March 13, 2019 at 3:45 pm

    Scott Fritzsche said it best.

    The very first day of the GC was a Day of Prayer: “You cannot spend an entire day calling upon the Holy Spirit and then complain that the divine did not show up because you did not get your way. You either trust that somehow the Holy Spirit moved in the General Conference, despite the ugliness, or you do not. If you trust that the Spirit moved, then you must lay down your hubris and abide by the decisions made. If you do not trust that the Spirit moved, then why in the name of all that is holy are we still doing this?” I say, Truth is Compassion.

  45. Comment by diaphone64 on February 28, 2019 at 8:14 pm

    Can someone file a complaint t against her? She doesn’t even have a real doctorate, just two honorary ones.

  46. Comment by David on March 1, 2019 at 8:46 am

    While there is no law about it, persons with honorary doctorates are discouraged from calling themselves “Dr. —.” However, it is permissible to use honorary degree abbreviations after one’s name.

  47. Comment by binkyxz3 on March 4, 2019 at 2:08 am

    If someone sees “Dr.” in writing and addresses that person as “doctor,” what is the proper response?

  48. Comment by Jim on February 28, 2019 at 8:16 pm

    Next they will lobby for the removal of all of the apostle Paul’s epistles from the New Testament.

  49. Comment by B. J. Haines on February 28, 2019 at 8:53 pm

    This is just a microcosm of what is happening in American society at the moment, and it shouldn’t be all that shocking to anyone. When you remove God from our courts, schools, and lives, who do you think will show up to fill the vacuum?
    Our legislators just voted to uphold infanticide as legal (including all of the declared D. presidential candidates). Just like the idolators used to sacrifice children to Moloch, we’re lighting up a building in New York and gleefully firing off confetti canons in celebration. I can’t think of anything more disgusting, and the fact that the United Methodist Women have supported an abortionist operation that believes in terminating pregnancies “at any time, and for any reason,” (including the fetus being the ‘wrong’ gender) makes me certain that John Wesley has been spinning in his grave over what his Church has devolved into, never mind the rest the LGBTQ issue.
    The Lord has spoken over the GC issues, but nobody’s paying attention because they’re too busy focusing on their ‘wants’ over God’s commands.
    People: there’s nothing “progressive” about living like is 1999 (B.C., that is).

  50. Comment by David on March 1, 2019 at 11:12 am

    I would say that the medical profession generally opposes abortion based on gender selection except for those rare cases where a male would be subject to a genetic disease and a female not. China and India have thrown off their gender ratios very badly due to aborting females. There are now many Chinese men who can never find partners on this account.

  51. Comment by Jim on March 1, 2019 at 12:39 pm

    Well said B.J.!

  52. Comment by Bob on February 28, 2019 at 9:51 pm

    This is appalling, though not unexpected. We watched our own beloved UMC church family be changed from a conservative congregation to a bastion of liberalism, and it was all done in planned steps. From the bringing in of liberal pastors (“the Bible is not to be taken literally”) to the assigning of Bishop Oliveto to our conference (“don’t make an idol of Jesus, who was a flawed man”). Most of the conservatives – including ourselves – have already abandoned ship. The big whine, “We’re promoting inclusivity and we’re hurting our LGBTQetc. brothers and sisters; we want to include ALL viewpoints” was exposed for the lie it is when a fellow church member said to our faces, “This church will be better off when the last conservative has left the building.” How is that inclusive? How is that not hurtful? I guess inclusivity only goes in one direction.
    We are so sad for this once-Biblical denomination; will it rise from the ashes? We have found solice and a solid Biblical foundation in an Anglican Church (which formed when the Epis-copal church abandoned the Bible. Still, it will hurt when we see the building (built mainly by the conservatives) go with the
    usurpers when they “gracefully exit” the denomination.

  53. Comment by April User on March 1, 2019 at 11:38 am

    Our journey sounds like your. My husband and I left the UMC 5 years ago (he is a UMC elder) and began attending an ACNA church in Montana where we lived. He is now seeking ordination within that denomination. We love the liturgy for many reasons but in the context of what is happening societally and within the church, the prayers and liturgy are not shaped by the newest social fad of the month. The liturgy is set and speaks to the condition of the individual and the Church – not to global warming, identity politics, etc. It keeps our focus where it must be.

  54. Comment by John M. Stephenson on February 28, 2019 at 9:56 pm

    What follows is my e-mail to that agency in response to Ms. Henry-Crowe’s press release:

    While I can appreciate Ms. Hill-Crowe’s disappointment in her favored plan being defeated by the delegates to General Conference 2019, her inflammatory statements make it totally unacceptable that she continue in her position as the director of a denomination-wide Board. She is certainly entitled to her opinions, but she is completely out of line using her position and the resources of her denomination-wide organization to condemn the sincere beliefs of a clear majority of the UMC delegates. If she has any sense of honor, she will stand by her convictions and resign her position rather than continuing to accept a salary and funding from those for whom she obviously loathes. If she does not resign, she is but a cynical hypocrite. I am appalled by her lack of neutrality and disdain for the majority of UMC members worldwide whose apportionments are funding her salary and the agency she leads. Put your principals where your heart and words are and do the honorable thing and RESIGN NOW!

    John M. Stephenson

  55. Comment by Andrew Hughes on February 28, 2019 at 9:59 pm

    Open that poor ladies eyes Lord!

  56. Comment by Jill Kimbrough on February 28, 2019 at 10:12 pm

    At what point will people realize that the sovereign, holy God of the universe ordained this vote and that He will not be mocked by “woke” people who think they know better than the One who designed us. I am over these people who would lead many astray. Praising God for saving the UMC from attack within the church. And so sorry it has come to this.

  57. Comment by Licensed Local Pastor on March 1, 2019 at 8:29 am

    But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

  58. Comment by William on March 1, 2019 at 9:43 am

    Dear Susan Henry-Crowe,

    RESIGN today and prove to the rest of us Methodists, who pay your salary, that you actually stand on what you say. If you stay in the UMC, with which you so adamantly disagree, then the rhetoric you’re speaking is just that — empty rhetoric and a display ZERO integrity. As a third grader knows — you’re taking full advantage of the generosity of the UMC while knowing full well you would be terminated in a secular organization.

    Do the right thing — RESIGN.

  59. Comment by David on March 1, 2019 at 10:36 am

    In 2014, the Pew Research people did a survey of US UMC members. The findings at that time are much at variance to the recent GC. Same sex marriage was favored by 49% vs. 43%. Homosexuals should be accepted was approved by 60% vs. 32%. Most abortions should be legal was 58% vs. 38%. Unless there was a great change in the past 5 years, it would seems that the will of the majority of members is not reflected in church policy.

  60. Comment by Ommer Everson on March 1, 2019 at 11:09 am

    The UMC, however, is even more Republican than the rest of the country (54 percent Republican vs. 35 percent Democrat). The overall average probably got pulled to the left by Methodists who are part of historically black Protestant traditions, who were overwhelmingly likely to identify as Democrats. Strong majorities of all Methodists are likely to describe themselves as conservative or moderate, rather than liberal.

  61. Comment by Jeffrey Walton on March 1, 2019 at 11:11 am

    A valid point, David: but the Pew survey is of U.S. members. The UMC is a global church, with approximately 43 percent of members overseas. In the denomination’s polity, their voices matter, too.

  62. Comment by William on March 1, 2019 at 11:27 am

    Thanks be to our overseas “missionaries” who are returning the favor and helping right this adrift ship. Citing these American polls is the height of arrogance and colonial minded ignorance, maybe even racist. The Great Commission is not an American invention. Progressives need to learn that they are NOT always right and that everyone who disagrees with them is not always wrong.

  63. Comment by Palamas on March 1, 2019 at 1:11 pm

    Just like your remarks above about the US Senate and Electoral College, it appears you know nothing about the actual structure of the UMC, its global nature, or the purpose of the General Conference. Either that, or your a xenophobic racist who wants nothing to do with your African brothers and sisters.

  64. Comment by David on March 1, 2019 at 2:37 pm

    I fail to see how it is racist to quote a survey of US UMC members. My point is that the church does not reflect the American positions. The structure of the church is of no concern here.

  65. Comment by Palamas on March 1, 2019 at 2:43 pm

    Must be difficult to be that obtuse. You complained about the result of the GC because it supposedly doesn’t reflect American opinion, and then when it’s pointed out that the GC is world-wide, you simply repeat your previous assertion. Here’s another way to put it: who cares what the American church BY ITSELF thinks? The church is global. If you don’t like the results that obtain from that, go find yourself a church that reflects only liberal American opinion.

  66. Comment by William on March 1, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    And, the church does not conduct public opinion polls in order to establish beliefs and doctrine. What liberals fail to grasp is the Bible. It is a significant stumbling block to them since it often stands in the way of their agendas. They just can’t comprehend how someone can believe the Bible and so order their faith and life accordingly as best they can while resisting the culture and public opinion polls to do their thinking for them.

  67. Comment by pouncer on March 2, 2019 at 9:36 pm

    With regard to the Pew survey of U.S.-resident Methodists, it seems a curious omission that the question was not asked, or the result not reported, regarding whether or not “homosexuals should be ACCEPTED”, that “homosexuals should be promoted into positions of leadership and authority such as pastor, bishop, or district superintendent” ?

    I would be willing to gamble (though gambling is still regarded, by the Book of Discipline, as UNacceptable) that even those who “accept” homosexuals in general are not willing to “submit” to homosexual leadership.

  68. Comment by An Arkansas Traditionalist on March 1, 2019 at 10:41 am

    I have two different thoughts: First, that conference was covered in prayer, and many times as I watched the live video stream the Holy Spirit was called upon to come by people on both sides of the issues at hand. Why are we not hearing anyone say the Spirit moved in this outcome? Second, it occurs to me that in spite the easing of the ability to leave the denomination with property, that the church’s out of compliance with the discipline are not going to do that. I’ve decided that it is validation they are looking for, and will not be satisfied unless they can overturn the vote or drag down the denomination.

  69. Comment by David on March 1, 2019 at 12:51 pm

    Did the Spirit move in the GC that supported abortion rights?

  70. Comment by Ommer Everson on March 1, 2019 at 11:07 am

    It is time for a hostile takeover.

  71. Comment by Mark E. Roberts on March 1, 2019 at 11:28 am

    I am relatively new to UMC, belonging to a wonderfully evangelical UMC congregation in Tulsa, OK.
    Forgive my importunity, but what will it take to cause the hierarchy of the church to mirror the church itself, following this 2019 Special Conference?
    Can we be led by bishops opposed to the voice of the church in conference and, for that matter, the managerial class of whom Henry-Crowe appears to be one?
    This Conference seems to me to have said we stand with the 2,000+-year consensual, ecumenical, and global Christian interpretation of Scripture regarding God’s gracious purposes expressed in and through human sexuality.
    This Conference voted for a warm and generous global orthodoxy. Isn’t it time to insist that all the church’s officers submit or move on?

  72. Comment by Mike on March 1, 2019 at 2:22 pm

    When Bishops and Annual Conferences fail to follow the BOD, it will be time for local churches to exercise their most important leverage: withhold apportionment money.

    Local churches often don’t realize how much leverage they have – and this includes influencing the appointment of their pastor (if they want to keep their pastor). They DO have the power to stop the Bishop/Cabinet from punishing them or their pastor with an appointment change. Too many churches don’t realize this, but they CAN make the Bishop back down; they CAN affect change.

  73. Comment by William on March 1, 2019 at 5:13 pm

    Well, that’s what the liberals have been doing these past few decades — resisting, defying, refusing, and bullying. Time to turn the tables and refuse to adhere to their tactics. It would be refreshing if some people were “run off” through appointments withholding, refusing to accept an appointment, or stop paying a pastor who was pushing an agenda contrary to church UMC doctrine. Liberals practice resistance. Traditionalists can do so with integrity now with the BOD to back them up.

  74. Comment by Donald on March 2, 2019 at 5:31 am

    We saw – and continue to see – the same hypocrisy and lack of honor in the PCUSA leadership. These national office folk in the mainline denominations and regional leaders / bishops will not stop. Other than the Ultimate Boundry we all eventually face, the only other option is for sufficient people of faith to ultimately rise far enough in leadership to supplant them.

  75. Comment by Terry on March 2, 2019 at 3:09 pm

    Could it be that loving a sinner means beginning to try to see that person as God sees them and intends them to be, then doing what is possible to enable them to become that person?

  76. Comment by An Arkansas Traditionalist on March 3, 2019 at 6:45 am

    Yes, I agree with this. But, if the person tasked with spiritual guidance is practicing the same sin or endorsing it, doesn’t that send a wrong message and lead even those who might not be otherwise inclined into the sin as well? The first argument is is it a sin, or not. If it is not, there is not argument. The world tells us, it is not. The second argument is why do we recognize some sins and not others?

  77. Comment by Lee D. Cary on March 2, 2019 at 10:47 pm

    The era of the bureaucratic, hierarchical protestant denominations is nearing its denouement. Among the Seven Sisters, the UMC will eventually be the last to succumb to the modernists of progressive theology.

    This need not to be mourned, but recognized solemnly as the end of an era, with something better ahead for Christendom.

  78. Comment by Harold Gielow on March 3, 2019 at 9:40 am

    I also sent an email calling on the Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe to resign. I agree that a complaint should be filed.

  79. Comment by Beth Corbin on March 4, 2019 at 9:34 pm

    I applaud the Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe for her courage in speaking truth to power. God is love, and God loves my wonderful wife and me. Only someone with no knowledge of the true meaning of God’s love would discriminate against me because of who I love. There has been a concerted effort to drive a wedge between people of faith, that is not based on religion, but a cruel political agenda. Jesus would not discriminate, so why is the church listening to the voice of evil?

  80. Comment by Wayne on March 7, 2019 at 11:46 pm

    What so called “truth to power” did she speak of? That is such an overused Oprah-inspired expression that doesn’t mean too much anymore. Is this power from God and His Word or is it secular humanistic in nature?

  81. Comment by John Limbaugh on March 7, 2019 at 1:15 pm

    Dr. Crowe is a disingenuous secular motivated representative of the church. I fail to see much spirituality in her argument. She speaks of disunity. But who in the General Conferences use marches, signs petitions specifically saying they will not follow the Church discipline, who blatantly violate specific sections of Church discipline and use whatever other disunifying and disruptive tools than representatives of the LGBTQ+ UMC movement participants. Signing petitions, even after our most recent February Specially called GC is a sign of disunity. It is obvious that She speaks of the unforgivable sin in 1 Cor. 12 that would more rightly be attributed to the LGBTQ+ movement. She might also refer to 2 Peter 2: 1-3. She does not represent the United Methodist Church, criticising the acts of the supreme legislative body of the church and should rightly be advised to resign or made to resign as part of the business of the 2020 General Conference. What the LGBTQ+ movement is asking is for the church to violate UMC Doctrine which includes among other things the acceptance of the Old and New Testament books and by that inclusion the prohibitions and proscription of homosexual behavior that occurs in a number of places in the Bible. The LGBTQ+ position in the UMC derives from the movement pushed by that group outside the church. There is nothing in the Bible that permits it. Any position taken by these people (LGBTQ+) is a blatant non-doctrinal position within the UMC and by their position false teaching. It is the LGBTQ+ position which is causing division within the UMC, not any position taken by the so-called traditionalists. .

  82. Comment by Joe on March 8, 2019 at 1:26 pm

    The General Board of Church and Society has been an embarrassment for a long, long time. Far from a big tent, they are a radical leftist organization that most conferences and churches have quietly ignored for decades. Close it down. It is ridiculous.

  83. Comment by Robert on March 13, 2019 at 4:03 pm

    Scott Fritzsche said it best,

    The very first day of GC was a Day of Prayer: “You cannot spend an entire day calling upon the Holy Spirit and then complain that the divine did not show up because you did not get your way. You either trust that somehow the Holy Spirit moved in the General Conference, despite the ugliness, or you do not. If you trust that the Spirit moved, then you must lay down your hubris and abide by the decisions made. If you do not trust that the Spirit moved, then why in the name of all that is holy are we still doing this?” I say, “Truth is Compassion.”

  84. Comment by DeWayne on March 16, 2019 at 4:49 pm

    It used to be “love the sinner, hate the sin,” but now it’s “love the sin to prove you love the sinner.”

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