Institute on Religion & Democracy Press Release
Contact: Jeff Walton: (202)413-5639, jwalton@TheIRD.org
Leaders of the United Methodist Church, gathered in five locations across the country this week for jurisdictional conferences to elect new bishops to steer America’s second-largest Protestant denomination.
These meetings made clear the denomination’s dramatically liberal new direction:
- The denomination is further liberalizing in what its top leaders believe and teach about Jesus Christ. Newly elected Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai in the North Central Jurisdiction recently declared that in the UMC, “it is not important that we agree on who Christ is.” Newly elected Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank openly “calls for heretics … to lead the church forward.”
- Showing the new normal, a second openly partnered, gay activist bishop, Cedric Bridgeforth, was elected in the Western Jurisdiction, and a third came historically close to being elected in the Northeast, openly breaking longstanding rules banning “self-avowed, practicing homosexual” clergy. The growing caucus of gay activist bishops will increasingly redefine the denomination. But these gay activist bishops’ lavish, six-figure salaries are subsidized annually by apportionments taken from United Methodist offering plates across the country. Western Jurisdiction leaders electing such morally and legally unqualified bishops do not even pay entirely for their own choices.
- Litmus tests prevented any of the thirteen newly elected bishops from being a theological traditionalist who believes in historic, biblical Methodist doctrine about marriage being a covenant of one man and one woman. These liberal new bishops will replace several retired theologically conservative and moderate U.S. bishops.
- The formerly conservative-leaning Southeastern Jurisdiction elected liberal leader Tom Berlin as bishop. At the 2019 General Conference, Berlin notoriously characterized the denomination upholding traditional Christian values on marriage and sex as a sickening “virus” like Ebola. Since then, he was a leader in extracting deeply painful concessions from conservative United Methodists in exchange for a mutually acceptable separation plan. Then after those concessions were secure, he cynically betrayed his end of the bargain.
Furthermore, jurisdictional conferences across America, even in previously conservative Southern regions, adopted resolutions calling for effectively purging conservatives from denominational leadership (under the misleading pretext of denominational loyalty) and pushing immediate, de facto policy changes to disregard longstanding rules prohibiting same-sex weddings.
IRD UMAction Director John Lomperis commented:
“This is no longer your parents’ United Methodist Church. Left-wing radicalism and rude intolerance of moderate and conservative church members are now increasingly dominant.
“These decisions show that widespread claims that conservatives are ‘welcome to stay’ really mean that liberal leaders want to take our money, but not hear our input—taxation without representation.
“These shifts will encourage more congregations to join the growing exodus from the UMC into the new Global Methodist Church.”
(NOTE: This statement has been updated.)
Comment by Gary Bebop on November 5, 2022 at 5:10 pm
There’s some consolation in the liberal sect having gone Full Monty. What were those conjectures of sudden, supervening transformation that Traditionalists hoped would spare them the wrath of imminent purge? Will Traditionalists continue to support their woke local churches with QCDs? Ironically, all of us are losing interest in the headline drama of “What next?”
Comment by Anthony on November 5, 2022 at 6:39 pm
If liberals can rip pages out of the Book of Discipline and go forward as if they were never there, it is now time, likewise, for traditionalists to rip the trust clause and 2553 pages out and LEAVE as if those pages were never there either.
Comment by Sandy Sue Page on November 5, 2022 at 9:55 pm
How in the name of God can you lead your congregations and teach the Bible when you allow this to happen? I just dropped my membership! You all are hypocrites! May God have Mercy on all your SOULS
Comment by George on November 6, 2022 at 8:22 am
This story continues to unfold. Soon the number of liberal bishops will be overwhelming.
Wait and see. The abortion issue will take center stage and overnight the book of discipline will reflect only the liberal agenda. There are other issues too. The new book of discipline will take on a political agenda in almost all matters. Just how liberal the UMC will become is the unknown but, rest assured it will be a liberal church.
If your church is struggling to make a decision or has elected to stay in the UMC fold, think of it as a house fire. Get out before it’s too late. Better to lose your belongings than to lose your life.
Comment by Ted on November 6, 2022 at 6:14 pm
Jesus was not a”conservative!”
Jesus was not a “liberal!”
Jesus was not a “moderate!”
And we now see the real issue at the heart of the “conservative” agenda in this quote: “liberal leaders want to take our money, but not hear our input—taxation without representation.”
I’ve seen the liberal, moderate, & conservative soldiers up close for the last 36 years & have one question.
When will we stop pretending that there is actual true righteousness in the liberals, moderates & conservatives & do more confessing of our collective and individual sins?
That’s a much better platform of public discourse than this non-sense.
Comment by Bill on November 6, 2022 at 6:54 pm
It shouldn’t be missed that the Southeastern Jurisdiction included elements of pagan worship during the conference, including the display of “dreamcatchers” from Native American animistic religion. Syncretism was the sign of ancient Israel and look where that led…
Comment by David Gingrich on November 7, 2022 at 7:03 am
The Traditionalists negotiated a very poor deal. I have supported the Good News movement for years even though I saw it as completely top-down. John Wesley’s church is disappearing. Shame on the leaders on both sides who allowed this to happen.
Comment by Wayne on November 7, 2022 at 8:09 am
Bill, you have nailed it!! Jeremiah blamed the Priests on Israel’s sin because they said we are all on different paths to the same God. Syncretism has been a disease for years. It is now taking the UMC down.
Comment by Kevin Hinds on November 7, 2022 at 11:37 am
Wouldn’t the book of discipline be an actual legal contract that regulates the churches and the bishops in their conduct within the methodist church. And if one has willingly broken said contract shouldn’t they be the ones punished not the ones holding true to the binding contract. Churches that leave need to sue in group they shouldn’t be the ones that pay.
Comment by George on November 7, 2022 at 11:51 am
The denomination, like others, has become an “abomination.” Biblical and world history demonstrate there’s no turning back from this slippery slope leading to destruction. God’s people must turn aside and depart from them. Let them go. The Leftist Mental Disorder that drives them suppresses rational reasoning and elevates emotional anger and is itself driven by the Power of Sin” and all of leads back to Satan himself. Let them go and turn aside. When this happens, much of the money goes with “conservatives” – those with respect for scripture, reason and tradition. The UMC will wither. Satan brings death and death brings destruction. They can’t be reasoned with…let them go
Comment by Rev. Dr. Lee D Cary (ret. UM clergy) on November 7, 2022 at 7:29 pm
“These meetings made clear the denomination’s dramatically liberal new direction:”
And therein is an explanation of what has happened. Nothing “new” about it.
The liberal direction of the UMC emerged several decades ago. Non-progressives (labeled by the progressives as “traditionalists) assumed an eventual comity agreement would secure continuing union in the United MC.
Traditionist clergy and laity assumed all would end well.
Lacking reflection on the 20th Century, they were, and many remain, naive. Only now beginning to understand what they were up against.
Comment by David Miller on November 7, 2022 at 9:42 pm
Beyond Liberalism and Progressivism have the UMC leadership transitioned to apostasy or heresy? Does this threaten the salvation of all who tolerate or affirm this move?
Comment by Lee Cary on November 8, 2022 at 10:40 am
To respond to your question Mr. Miller: “…have the UMC leadership transitioned to apostacy or heresy?” I suggest the answer is yes – both.
Theologically, the UMC “leadership” has moved deeper into the Land of Innocuity, bordering on the Land of Nod, where they will continue to glorify themselves as they parade with shepherd’s crooks in hand, clothed in colorful robes, substituting “Bishop” for their given first names.
And so it goes.
Comment by Sal Buonocore on November 8, 2022 at 11:07 am
Why are local churches not in litigation against the denomination (except for Florida)? Thousands of churches who have been held hostage are disaffiliating across the U.S. and they are paying millions of dollars to the UMC as a ransom in order to be free.
The denomination has broken our contract (the Discipline) and in breach of contract are we not free from our contractual obligations. We should be allowed to leave with our finances, with our facilities and not pay anything to the UMC regardless of paragraph 2553 (or whatever the number is) becasue the denomination has not upheld our contractatial agreement.
Comment by Dan on November 18, 2022 at 4:57 pm
As media pundits are fond of commenting – “they are now saying the quiet part out loud.”
Look to the UMC seminaries for the poisoning of the minds of pastors in training. The pastors fed this apostasy decades ago are now the bishops leading the entire UMC into heresy and apostasy. Jeremiah was indeed correct about the role of the priesthood in corrupting the nation!
Comment by Alita N Chappell on December 5, 2022 at 1:44 pm
Oh George on 11/7/22 I couldn’t have said it any better. My little one room church that has a service once a month is now thrown into this mess. My ancestors are all in the cemetery to the left of the church. Had this been stopped in the very beginning, UMC might have survived but you’re right. Let them go. Their ideology is in too deep. Let them go. Pray for their souls. Let them go.