Author: Dale McConkey
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781732660700
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
The United Methodist Church is facing the biggest crisis of its 50-year history. At the center of the controversy is a debate over the church

Author: Leander Whitcomb Munhall
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Methodism
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description

Author: Rob Renfroe
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 150186386X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 105

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Book Description
The authors set out to address the division within The United Methodist Church and contend that remaining united is hurting the church and the proclamation of the gospel. Recognizing that conservative and progressive Methodists are sincere in their beliefs, the authors doubt that one side will convince the other to change their minds. They therefore suggest that a fair and amicable separation is the best course of action. "The United Methodist Church is at a crossroads. We are a divided church and the truth is we are a hurting church. Some of us believe that our differences are so great and the ongoing battle so destructive that it’s time to part ways. For over four decades conservative and progressive United Methodists have expended enormous emotional, financial and spiritual resources to gain the upper hand in a denomination that has declined every year since its founding in 1968. Surely our efforts and our finances would be better devoted to evangelism, discipleship and missions. For the sake of the lost and the poor, shouldn’t we set each other free to pursue what we believe to be God’s calling upon our lives and our ministries?" (From the Introduction)

Author: Jim Wallis
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062914782
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 329

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Book Description
Writing in response to our current “constitutional crisis,” New York Times bestselling author and Christian activist Jim Wallis urges America to return to the tenets of Jesus once again as the means to save us from the polarizing bitterness and anger of our tribal nation. In Christ in Crisis Jim Wallis provides a path of spiritual healing and solidarity to help us heal the divide separating Americans today. Building on “Reclaiming Jesus”—the declaration he and other church leaders wrote in May 2018 to address America’s current crisis—Wallis argues that Christians have become disconnected from Jesus and need to revisit their spiritual foundations. By pointing to eight questions Jesus asked or is asked, Wallis provides a means to measure whether we are truly aligned with the moral and spiritual foundations of our Christian faith. “Christians have often remembered, re-discovered, and returned to their obedient discipleship of Jesus Christ—both personal and public—in times of trouble. It’s called coming home,” Wallis reminds us. While he addresses the dividing lines and dangers facing our nation, the religious and cultural commentator’s focus isn’t politics; it’s faith. As he has done throughout his career, Wallis offers comfort, empathy, and a practical roadmap. Christ in Crisis is a constructive field guide for all those involved in resistance and renewal initiatives in faith communities in the post-2016 political context.

Author: Nancy Tatom Ammerman
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 9780813515571
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 410

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Book Description
Since 1979 Southern Baptists have been noisily struggling to agree on symbols, beliefs, and practices as they attempt to make sense of their changing social world. Nancy Ammerman has carefully documented their struggle. She tells the story of the Baptist reversal from a moderate to a fundamentalist outlook and speculates on the future of the denomination. Ammerman places change among the Southern Baptists in the context of the cultural and economic changes that have transformed the South from its rural past into an urbanizing, culturally diverse region. Not only did the South change; Southern Baptists did as well. Reflecting this diversity, the Southern Baptist bureaucracy was relatively progressive. During the 1960s and 1970s, moderate sentiments prevailed, while fundamentalists remained on the margins. These two were, however, becoming increasingly divergent in what they considered important about being a Baptist, in their views about the Bible, in their attitudes on the origination of women, on Christian morals, and on national politics. Late in the 1970s, a fundamentalist coalition emerged, followed by unsuccessful efforts by moderates to oppose it. The battles escalated until 1985, when 45,000 Baptists gathered in Dallas to decide between contending presidential candidates. That dramatic event illustrated the extent to which organized political resources were determining the course of the conflict. Ammerman studies these strategies and resources as well. Examining how this tension affected Baptists, Ammerman begins with case studies of the change it is producing in Baptist agencies. But she also brings us back to the local churches and individual believers who are renegotiating their relationships within their denomination. She asks whether the denomination's polity can accommodate an increasingly diverse group of Baptists, of whether the only way dissidents can have a voice is through schism.

Author: Dr. Jason E. Vickers
Publisher: Kingswood Books
ISBN: 1426746105
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 431

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Book Description
In 1968, the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) churches merged to form The United Methodist Church. More than forty years later, many United Methodists know very little about the history, doctrine, and polity of the EUB. To be sure, there are vestiges of the EUB, most notably the Confession of Faith, in the United Methodist Book of Discipline, but there is much more to be profitably explored. For example, the EUB represents a strand of German Pietism that developed an emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church that, with the exception of Wesley, Fletcher and the early Methodists, was unparalleled in the history of Protestantism. This book makes accessible to clergy and laity alike the considerable riches of the EUB tradition with a view toward the renewal of United Methodism today.

Author: John Wesley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : God
Languages : en
Pages : 92

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Book Description

Author: Karen P. Oliveto
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1501858920
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 167

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Book Description
As John Wesley discovered his true spiritual identity, he experienced a strangely warmed heart. Through poignant stories and well-reasoned principles, Karen Oliveto discloses why and how spiritual renewal and a personal call to ministry emerge in the strangely warmed hearts of lesbian and gay Christians. In The United Methodist Church (and other Christian denominations), it is difficult or impossible for lesbian, gay, transsexual, and bisexual clergy or laity to become a visible and outward channel for God’s saving grace. This book traces the history of the church’s struggle with homosexuality, highlighting critical incidents in the culture and church polity which shape the church’s response. The issues are deeply rooted in the way God’s people understand scriptures, which are interpreted as a means of grace for some and as a rule-book for others. This book includes first-person narratives of LGBTQ persons faithfully serving in a denomination that denies their calls and—in some cases—their presence. These stories will show how the coming out process is deeply spiritual as one grows into an authentic, God-created and graced self. “You are the one who created my innermost parts; you knit me together while I was still in my mother’s womb. I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart. Your works are wonderful—I know that very well.” Psalm 139:13-14 (CEB) “Our Strangely Warmed Hearts is a breath of fresh air in the study of the United Methodist struggle and intense debate regarding human sexuality. Karen Oliveto lives in faithful witness and serves people with the heart of Christian leadership."—Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church. “Karen Oliveto offers a compelling window into the steadfast faith and the resilience of the LGBTQ Christian movement in the United States. After offering an extraordinary history of the LGBTQ equality movement in our society and in The United Methodist Church, she rightly asks, 'Is there any other group that we would marginalize in this way?' I wholeheartedly recommend Karen Oliveto's new book to everyone who is affected by the debate over the sacred worth and place of LGBTQ people in our lives and churches. This book inspires hope.” —Michael J. Adee, Ph.D., Director, Global Faith and Justice Project, San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Anselmo, CA “Bishop Oliveto's story mirrors the experience of many LGBTQ ministers who are serving the Body of Christ openly, and not in the shadows. The integrity, courage, and deep faith of God’s LGBTQ people who are called into ministry have enriched the church and encouraged the outsiders who were always welcome at Jesus' table.”–Andy Lang, Executive Director, Open and Affirming Coalition, United Church of Christ “I loved it! It drew me in immediately and kept me strapped in on what I knew would be a roller coaster of painful history, sprinkled triumphs, and then stories that broke my heart, gave me cheer, and brought tears to my eyes. Bishop Oliveto takes readers on a fascinating trip through LGBTQ history, and into the often contentious collision with mainstream religion…and then brings it all together through the personal stories that make our past and present come alive! I applaud Bishop Oliveto’s book and will highly recommend it to the faithful and faith curious of all religions.”–The Reverend Marian Edmonds-Allen, Executive Director, Parity "[Bishop Karen Oliveto] is sharing the love of Jesus, and meeting people where they are, no matter who they are, and no matter what they think about her. She loves them." —Kent Ingram, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Author: Mark Stamm
Publisher: Upper Room Books
ISBN: 0881777706
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 34

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Book Description
A resource for both newcomers to the United Methodist Church and those who have been members for decades, Our Membership Vows is a wonderful reflection on the vows each member takes upon joining the church. Members make covenant to uphold the vows, and each one is discussed in this easy-to-read booklet. A great gift idea for churches to give to new members.

Author: Jeremy Steele
Publisher: Beaming Books
ISBN: 1506448313
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 166

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Book Description
How can I be certain I'll go to heaven? Why are there so many kinds of Christianity? What does the Bible say about drugs and alcohol? Pastor Jeremy Steele has spent his career answering teens' questions about faith, life, and the world--and All the Best Questions! brings all the toughest questions he's gotten together in one book...with some answers, too. From theology to science, All the Best Questions! will help young people get answers to the questions they're afraid to ask--and give them the tools they need to wrestle with their own answers. Includes a Group Guide in the back for those who want to use the book for youth group or small group study.