More than one million unique visits were made to the Institute on Religion and Democracy blog in 2021, for which we at the IRD are grateful to our readers. Your decision to read and share the 10 articles listed below are what made for a successful year to monitor, report upon, and critique developments in America’s mainline Protestant churches (and beyond!)
Before we receive a deluge of comments, we do not claim that these are the biggest religion stories of 2021, nor are they ranked in order of importance. Rather, these are the 10 most-viewed stories that blog readers gravitated towards and shared with others. Listed in increasing order:
10. Tomato Throwing Methodists and Enabling Bishops
United Methodist tensions, enabling bishops, and bullying of pastors escalated to literal tomato throwing in August. UMAction Director John Lomperis reported on a Florida Wesleyan Covenant Association chapter official – invited to give a presentation at a local church before a divided audience that included some vocal liberals – found his car pelted with tomatoes.
9. Methodist Split Needn’t Wait
IRD President Mark Tooley wrote in August that the United Methodist Council of Bishops could – and should – call an online General Conference to vote specifically on the Separation Protocol. The challenges of ongoing pandemic restrictions, visas for overseas delegates, and a $12 million price tag all make such a meeting unnecessary when there is really only one item to decide upon in a simple up-or-down vote.
8. UMC Bishop’s Spouse “Comes Out” as Transgendered United Methodist Minister
When United Methodist Bishop Peggy Johnson’s husband, Michael “came out” as a transgendered United Methodist minister, UMAction Director John Lomperis wrote that there are lessons for those who mistakenly believe that, after separation, they will no longer have to “deal with” or proactively address homosexuality or transgenderism.
In a multimedia presentation, UMAction Director John Lomperis explained the basic terms of the proposed UMC split, the history leading to it, and the choices ahead for all United Methodists.
6. Yes to Gay Identity, No to Gay Sex? The Concept Shaking the Foundations of the ACNA
Faced with growing pressure within the Anglican Church in North America to affirm the validity of a new “gay-but-celibate” identity movement, bishops advised against the use of terminology like “gay Christian.” Guest contributor Edgar Noble warns that, as a doctrine, “gay-but-celibate” is an ideological gateway drug—an inadvertent portal to heresy, or blasphemy, or ultimately improper sexual acts (IRD also published a response by Pieter Valk).
5. Adam Hamilton on Methodist Future
Adam Hamilton, pastor of the largest congregation in the United Methodist Church, will remain in the post-split UMC that will allow same sex marriage. IRD’s Mark Tooley will be in the new Global Methodist Church affirming traditional teaching. In our most-viewed video interview of 2021, the two spoke about what a future Methodism could look like,
4. LGBT-Affirming Former Assemblies of God Church Exits Campus Months Later
Less than a year after a Texas Assemblies of God church embraced “full affirmation” of same-sex relationships and subsequently separated from the denomination, it also separated from its church campus. IRD’s Jeff Walton reported that few former Evangelical congregations have embraced same-sex marriage, but almost all that have done so saw congregants – and their tithes – quickly diminish.
3. The UMC’s Drag Queen Clergy Candidate
In March a United Methodist District Committee on Ordained Ministry unanimously approved Isaac Simmons (pictured above), an openly gay man and publicly practicing drag queen, as a candidate for ministry. IRD’s Dan Moran wrote about how such cases highlight the rift in beliefs and practices within the UMC.
2. Methodist Bully Bishop Escalates North Georgia Crisis, for “Love”
In what the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper called a “stunning decision” and “an extremely rare move” North Georgia Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson acted to seize control of a prominent evangelical megachurch. IRD’s John Lomperis declared it an “extreme act of Methodist bullying.”
1. Why the United Methodist Church is REALLY Splitting: The Big-Picture History
UMAction Director John Lomperis in January shared a big-picture history on issues underpinning the expected forthcoming split of the United Methodist Church. Based upon a presentation Lomperis made to the Missouri Chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, the article has spread to become a helpful resource to educate laity in local churches. Perhaps most amazing, this item made it into the top ten most-viewed articles each month of 2021.
Comment by Walt Pryor on January 1, 2022 at 12:47 pm
According to the word of God, drag queens are mentally sick and confused people. Can we all agree on that? They must be put of the fellowship of the Church until they repent. Is that too radical for today’s Methodist? That is what the word of God says to do. Do you believe in God?
The leaders of the Methodist pretend every person can be saved but that is not true. We must stand on the Word of God, not our pretentious self-righteous feelings.
The leaders of the Methodist have given away half the Methodist name, money, and property. For what?