United Methodists Mixing Christianity, Other Religions

As many wonder what theological boundaries, if any, the United Methodist Church truly has, it is worth noting how some liberal United Methodists have gone beyond even progressive Christianity to mix their spirituality with other religions.

Of course, there is value in learning about other religions and seeking good relations with their adherents.

But it is ignorant, at best, to act like Christianity and other religions do not have important, irreconcilable differences in their core beliefs.

United Methodists cross the line into syncretism when they intentionally mix the spirituality of other religions, distinct from Christianity, into their own.

This is what has long been done or encouraged by some liberal United Methodist congregations and officials, even in relatively conservative regions. This is a natural result of many United Methodists genuinely believing, in the words of a recent column for the popular liberal United Methodist website, UM Insight, that “other faiths may be as good for others as ours is for us.” In embracing the marketing slogan of “open hearts, open minds, open doors,” the UMC has become rather extreme in refusing to draw clear, consistent doctrinal boundaries.

This article non-comprehensively provides some examples.

In New England, at least two congregations—the United Church of Winchester and the Federated Church of Marlborough—identify themselves as jointly affiliated with the UMC, the ultra-progressive United Church of Christ (UCC), and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Interestingly, on the UMC side, last year’s New England Conference Journal at one point (pages 125-126) lists these congregations as only jointly affiliated with the UCC. But these congregation’s own online self-descriptions proudly tout their formal affiliation with Unitarian Universalism.

The UUA is a non-Christian religion, historically rooted in rejecting both the divinity of Jesus Christ (Unitarianism) and clear biblical teaching about salvation (Universalism). Today, it is perhaps best known for its left-wing social-justice activism and belief in the equal validity of different religions, with the UUA including self-identified atheists, Buddhists, and pagans, as well as “Christian UUs.”

The United Church of Winchester’s three-way federation of Methodists, Congregationalists, and Unitarian Universalists began in 1931.

Once denominational leaders cross the line of allowing any of their congregations to have such a formalized union with Unitarian Universalism—as New England United Methodist leaders evidently have done across decades—then they have treated both the divinity of Jesus Christ and basic biblical Christian teaching about salvation as “non-essential issues” for the church’s mission.

The California-Pacific Conference’s Church in Ocean Park, in Santa Monica, California, touts itself as “A Faith Community That Honors All Faiths And Welcomes All People,” which is “Hosted by the United Methodist Church.” The separate statement about honoring “all faiths” indicates that the welcome goes beyond loving various people, and that this welcome is not necessarily into exclusively Christian discipleship.

Indeed, the congregation elsewhere describes itself as “a caring interfaith Congregation.”

Its pastor, the Rev. Janet Gollery McKeithen, declares that this “interfaith community dedicated to social justice” is for “for people of many different faith traditions,” even-handedly welcoming those “dedicated to one religion” alongside those “jump from one to the other” and those who “combine one with another.” McKeithen, a longtime United Methodist pastor and past honoree of the regional Methodist Federation for Social Action, describes herself as “a Christian who resonates with Native American spirituality, and a sprinkling of Buddhist teachings.”

United Methodist mixing with other religions is not limited to the coasts. In the heartland, we have noted a United Methodist seminary celebrating one of its graduates leading an Iowa United Methodist congregation in which “people identify as Catholic, Methodist, Buddhists, Unitarians, agnostics and spiritual seekers.”

Someone shared with me a flyer recently mailed out by a United Methodist congregation in even the relatively conservative Indiana Conference, announcing that the congregation “will be partnering with First Presbyterian, the Unitarian congregation, the Hindu temple, and other interfaith partners to put on the first fully inter-faith Peace Camp” for children aged 5—12.

With United Methodists partnering with leaders of other religions, this “fully inter-faith” summer camp is unlikely to have the same encouragement towards deciding to follow Jesus one may expect at usual church camps. Indeed, the most spiritual activity listed in the flyer for this camp, hosted at the Unitarian Universalist congregation, is “Mindfulness Practices.”

Back in the mid-aughts, the Austin American-Statesman reported that even in Texas, “a witch leading worship isn’t scandalous” and “isn’t even that unusual” at Trinity UMC in Austin, as it has “hosted American Indian shamans, Buddhist priests and other faith leaders, including Wiccans, before” and “even practice[s] their own pagan-inspired rituals at services.” In 2015, Trinity became a union church with the UCC, while remaining part of the UMC’s Rio Texas Conference. Today, this United Methodist congregation touts its continued commitment to its “founding principle” of “Creation Spirituality,” which it describes as drawing inspiration from a range of religions, even-handedly grouping Jesus Christ alongside Buddha and other “mystics,” and emphasizing “original blessing” (apparently replacing Christian doctrine on original sin). The limited “Community Links” section of its website touts two liberal United Methodist caucuses along with a local Buddhist group and local self-described “Pagans and Witches.”

In Western Pennsylvania, by far the most conservative-leaning conference in either northern jurisdiction, a leading liberal congregation has been First UMC of Pittsburgh. Among the groups this congregation lets use its building – and who the congregation calls “partners in ministry” – is one named “OWL Tribal Goddess.” Following the link given by First UMC takes you to a Facebook page that includes alternative-spirituality language and a record of this group having had a “Winter Solstice Ecstatic Dance” at the church.

For these United Methodists’ own faith journeys, they, too, promote “creation spirituality,” which can include “an aging Christian learning Buddhist meditation.” Among their “spiritual formation opportunities” this year was “Buddhism for Lent”! This included not only basic information, but also “consider[ing] how Buddhist practice might be incorporated into Christian spirituality.” It was co-facilitated by the Rev. RoBear Bob Wilson, First UMC’s previous pastor.

Buddhism is not the only other religion embraced by liberal United Methodists here. The Facebook page of the Western Pennsylvania Conference’s Committee on Native American Ministries (a.k.a. CONAM)—an official ministry of this United Methodist conference!—last month featured a re-post by Wilson promoting a fundraiser encouraging direct financial support of the “Caney Indigenous Spiritual Circle” (here is a screen shot). A website of the Caney Indigenous Spiritual Circle reports that this group, also known as “the Mother Earth Church of the Grand Caney, Taino Religion, Taino Spirituality,” is “devoted to the path of shamanic enlightenment as it was trailblazed by ancient mystics and wise elders of the Taino Native people in the Caribbean islands over four thousand years ago.” (See also this similar website.)

Partnership between this official UMC team and these devotees of pre-Christian Native spirituality is not new. In September 2019, the Western Pennsylvania UMC Conference promoted and its CONAM planned to sponsor a “Fall Equinox Celebration” to be held at this same First UMC. The official description made clear that this would be an actual “ceremony,” led by representatives of the same Taino religious group, of “[p]articipat[ing] in the story of the life/harvest time death of Yoka Hu as he is offered by Mother Earth to energize all life as in his death he releases solar energy.”

While that event was canceled over objections, in March 2021, CONAM sponsored the production of a video of a Taino Full Moon Ceremony, held and recorded in the sanctuary of this same First UMC (apparently right in front of its altar). CONAM hosted a video premier of this event on its YouTube channel on Palm Sunday. Wilson (who chaired CONAM in both 2019 and 2021 and gave introductory remarks in the video) announced that this was “a collaboration” between CONAM and the Caney Indigenous Spiritual Circle. Supposedly no United Methodists directly participated in the ceremony, and disclaimer text in the “educational” video claimed that it was “not an actual ceremony being performed.” But the latter claim strains credibility, as the video recorded adherents of this religion reciting words and performing actions of the ceremony.

CONAM eventually took down its posting of this video, many weeks after Palm Sunday. But I have posted their video below, so that you can view for yourself how this event was “sponsored by” an official committee of one of the relatively most conservative American United Methodist annual conferences (see the 38:10 mark), filmed by Michael Dodin and Tim Coles (see 38:14)—who are currently listed as staffers of First UMC Pittsburgh—and held within the “sacred space” of First UMC. Note especially the “medicine wheel” altar (explained here) including multiple carved religious figurines (i.e., idols), participants “open[ing] up those channels within our body” for releasing negative spiritual energies and bringing in positive spiritual energies “through those portals within ourselves” (see 7:54), and the songs of praise, reverence, and supplication offered to multiple “sacred divinities” (beginning at 10:51):

(This CONAM-sponsored video has also been saved on YouTube.)

In response to specific questions about First UMC’s approach to other religions—particularly in light of “Buddhism for Lent,” partnering with the “OWL Goddess” group, and offering to host the September 2019 Equinox ceremony—senior pastor Tracy Cox sent this general statement:

“First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh is a Christ centered community. As part of the body of Christ with servant hearts, we embrace, revere, and celebrate diversity—yes, even religious diversity—as the thread God uses to weave the universe. We respond to a rapidly changing world and culture as we cross the boundaries of generations, races, sexual orientation, gender differences, and even faiths, to be in ministry for and with all people, regardless of their spiritual path, co-creating with God and others the kindom [sic] of God. As followers of Jesus, we encourage all whom we encounter to recognize and participate in the aura of God’s grace.”

In response to similar questions, Wilson affirmed Cox’s statement, adding that he has “great confidence in the commitment and leadership of the present staff as well as in the faithfulness and commitment of the congregation.”

Sometimes, United Methodists’ adoption of other religions’ spirituality has been welcomed at the highest levels of denominational leadership.

In the mid-1990s, Wellsprings, an official journal for United Methodist clergywomen issued by the UMC’s Division on Ordained Ministry in Nashville, published two articles, one by a United Methodist pastor, celebrating “croning” rituals for older women. The Confessing Movement, among others, critiqued such rituals and their Wiccan/witchcraft influences, citing testimonies from former neo-pagans and noting the wider context of goddess worship then infiltrating some segments of United Methodism and other mainline denominations. Rev. Karen Booth offered detailed, line-by-line critiques of the Wellsprings articles, and reported that United Methodist Bishop Susan Morrison refused to confirm or deny if she had personally participated in a croning ritual.

In October 1998, the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), the UMC’s official missions agency, hosted a speech by Dr. Wesley Ariarajah, a former World Council of Churches official and then a professor at the UMC’s Drew Theological School. As recalled in chapter 9 of IRD President Mark Tooley’s Taking Back the United Methodist Church, Ariarajah’s speech was warmly received by GBGM leaders (with some exceptions), even though he “openly questioned the need for evangelism and personal conversion,” and lamented how missionaries had feared “universalism and syncretism.”

In February 2002, the “Kairos Comotion” conference in Madison, Wisconsin, co-chaired by United Methodist minister Amy DeLong, attacked traditional Christian faith and openly drew inspiration from Zen Buddhist and Chinook as well as Christian religiosity. Speakers included United Methodist bishops Sharon Zimmerman Rader and Judy Craig, and arch-revisionist Episcopal Church Bishop John Shelby Spong.

In 2003, the American Humanist Association (AHA) issued a “Humanist Manifesto” outlining its atheistic worldview and values. Among the public endorsers was the now-late Dr. John Swomley, then Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics of the UMC’s St. Paul School of Theology. Swomley had previously written at least two articles for The Humanist (see here and here), the AHA’s magazine. Despite the apparent influence of atheism on his worldview, this longtime prominent leader in training United Methodist ministers remained a United Methodist clergyman in good standing until his 2010 death.

Last fall, Matt Jameson provided extensive documentation on how United Methodist seminaries, generously funded by the apportionments taken from United Methodist offering plates, openly promote the practice and spread of such other religions as Islam, Unitarian Universalism, neo-paganism, and humanism.

The United Methodists now moving into the Global Methodist Church tend to see all of the above as crossing clear lines of faithfulness. After all, Scripture is hardly silent on all people’s need for salvation through Jesus Christ, or about placing polytheistic idols within space devoted to sacred worship of the one true God.

The problem is not that all or even most liberal United Methodists personally go so far in practicing the spirituality of other religions as in these examples. Rather, the problem is the UMC’s lack of clear doctrinal boundaries, so that such embracing of other religions’ spiritualities is acceptable for United Methodist congregations and even prominent denominational officials.

Some in the UMC’s newly dominant liberal faction find this openness refreshing. Other liberal United Methodist leaders may not be personally comfortable with all of the examples above, but show much more intolerance against those who do not support non-celibate gay ministers, or who explore their congregations’ explicit “right” under the Discipline to disaffiliate from the UMC. I am hard-pressed to think of a single active bishop or large-church pastor remaining in the UMC, leader in any of the liberal or supposedly “centrist” caucuses, or United Methodist official who describes themselves as “theologically traditionalist except on sexuality” who has demonstrated the courage and conviction to clearly, publicly say that any of the United Methodist syncretism noted above crosses a line and deserves accountability.

These differing United Methodist approaches to other religions show how our split is about far more than homosexuality.