The Underground -- 70 Methodist ministers sign statement pledging to wed same-sex couples |
- 70 Methodist ministers sign statement pledging to wed same-sex couples
- Southern Baptist Convention elects African-American to second-top position
- Former Mormon compares LDS faith versus Christianity in her new book
- Keeping the Faith: A Place Without Fear
| 70 Methodist ministers sign statement pledging to wed same-sex couples Posted: 15 Jun 2011 09:59 AM PDT
Some 70 clergy members of a mainstream Christian denomination said recently in a statement at the church’s annual convention in Minnesota that they are ready to marry same-sex couples, despite the fact that it is illegal in the state, and prohibited by the church. The 70 members of the United Methodist clergy signed a statement entitled, Equality for All in Christian Marriage. The statement said that signatories will bless same-sex couples. The statement said, “We joyfully affirm that we will offer the grace of the Church’s blessing to any prepared couple desiring Christian marriage,” The Christian Post reported. The statement was presented during the 2011 Minnesota Annual Conference and was read to the clergy last Wednesday by Rev. Bruce Robbins, who leads the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church. The statement added, “We are convinced by the witness of others and are compelled by Spirit and conscience to act. We thank the many United Methodists who have already called for full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the life of the Church.” Initially, the statement was signed by 40 members of the clergy, but as the day wore on after its presentation, the number rose to 70. There are 365 Methodist churches in Minnesota, and the number of pastors who are signing the pledge is continuing to increase, acccording to the Minnesota Independent. The statement continues, “We repent that it has taken us so long to act. We realize that our church’s discriminatory policies tarnish the witness of the Church to the world, and we are [in] complicity. We value our covenant relationships and ask everyone to hold the divided community of the United Methodist Church in prayer.” The statement was also an invitation to all clergy to become signatories. Methodist clergy, as of now, are not allowed to perform blessings for same-sex couples. Anti-gay marriage amendment The statement was issued partly in response to a pending anti-gay marriage amendment that is slated to be voted upon in the 2012 ballot, Minnesota Independent reported. Robbins said, “With the possibility of a constitutional amendment in the state of Minnesota (defining marriage as limited to heterosexual couples), this seems important,” according to Minnesota Independent. Chargeable offense Bishop Sally Dyck told The Christian Post that while a statement that is issued in support of same-sex marriage is permissible, it is not acceptable to officiate at a same-sex union and to do so is an offense. Church law says, “Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.” The penalty for doing so may be revocation of clergy credentials and of conference membership according to the 2008 Book of Discipline. |
| Southern Baptist Convention elects African-American to second-top position Posted: 15 Jun 2011 08:27 AM PDT
The Southern Baptist Convention chose Fred Luter to serve as first vice president last Tuesday during its annual convention held in Phoenix. Luter, 54, had previously served, since 1986, as the head pastor of an SBC church in New Orleans. With his current post, it is hoped by some SBC leaders that this will eventually lead to Luter’s becoming president in the 2012 convention, which will be held in New Orleans. Decline in membership The SBC has been experiencing a decline in membership and church attendance that has been ongoing in the past four years. In the Phoenix convention, delegates are expected to address this issue and come up with a plan to diversify the majority-white church membership. One way of addressing the decline in baptism rates and membership will be to boost the election of minorities to leadership positions in the nomination. Plans are also afoot to invite more church members of minority ethnicity to address the SBC’s annual meeting, and to recruit more minorities as members of staff to its mission boards and seminaries. Frank Page, president of the Executive Committee said the SBC needs to accumulate “measurable information” to better evaluate its progress in forwarding ethnic relations. Page told the audience of 4,000 at the Phoenix Convention Center, “I believe we are living in a day and time where there will be increased ethnic involvement and increased sensitivity to ethnic diversity within our convention.” Danger of being exclusive Russell Begaye of the SBC Home Mission Board echoed Page’s sentiment in a report he presented to the Hispanic Southern Baptist Fellowship ConferenceJune 8 in New Orleans. In his report, The Ethnic Millenium, Begaye said the SBC faces the danger of becoming “more white” and “more exclusive” if it doesn’t change its present course. Begaye cited 1990 U.S. Census records that show that one out of every four Americans is a minority, whether Hispanic, Asian, African or Native American in ancestry. Begaye noted that the new immigrants do not fit stereotypes of being unruly, welfare dependent and uneducated. Instead, they are “more diverse and educated,” and cumulatively pay taxes annually of $100 billion, BP reported. Despite these, the SBC remains predominantly white, and is encumbered further by a five percent downward rate in baptisms in 2010, and a 0.15 percent membership drop for the fourth year in a row. In the last 10 years, despite the overall decline, half of the new churches started were either predominantly ethnic or African-American. Furthermore, the number of churches with primarily minority membership has been raised from 13 percent in 1998 to 18.5 percent in 2008. |
| Former Mormon compares LDS faith versus Christianity in her new book Posted: 15 Jun 2011 08:27 AM PDT
Carma Naylor released recently Volume II of her book, “A Mormon’s Unexpected Journey: Finding the Grace I never Knew,” published by WinePress Publishing. In the second volume, Naylor points out the shortcomings of Mormonism, but at the same time, she appeals to readers of the book to view the LDS with compassion. Naylor also describes the challenges and emotional turmoil she experienced when she decided to let go of her Mormon roots. This was no small feat, as Naylor was raised by a bishop of the Mormon faith. Furthermore, Naylor’s forefathers belonged to the Mormon church since 1856, when her ancestors travelled from Iowa to Utah, enduring extreme cold and hunger, the Mormonism to Grace website said. On her website Naylor described her father as an inspirational leader, adding that he saw visions and learned from spirit guides who claimed to hear God’s voice. He kept, she said, practically every book that the LDS ever published. Naylor embraced the Mormon faith for 40 years, and engaged as a full-time Mormon missionary in New Zealand. She and her husband met when they were students at Brigham Young University, and they married in the Salt Lake Mormon temple, according to her website. Naylor said in her book that she and her husband participated in secret temple rites for 19 years, but she slowly came to see clear inconsistencies in the doctrine of the LDS. Naylor said, “When I attempted to prove that Mormonism was the only true church, I realized that the unique teachings of Mormonism are found in modern-day revelation from Joseph Smith, not the Bible; Bible passages were taken out of context or contradicted by certain LDS teachings.” Naylor was 40 when she became a Christian. The first volume of her book was published in 2006, her website said. Naylor noted, “Mormons need to see that a true Christian relationship with Jesus is better than what their religion offers them.” In her book Naylor advised that Christians “Lead [Mormons] to the cross with love, instead of attacking them and causing them to hold on more tightly to their religion. Ask questions that will get them to read Bible passages. Tell them about your assurance of salvation and what Jesus means to you.” Naylor’s book has been lauded by a number of church leaders, including author and radio speaker Chuck Smith, who founded the worldwide Calvary Chapel movement. Smith said Naylor’s book is “A must read for any who have wondered what Mormonism is about,” according to WinePress Publishing website. Baptist pastor Walter Price, author of God Focus, said, “Carma loves Mormons. Her greatest desire is for each one to hear the truth and to know the Eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, God come in the flesh,” WinePress Publishing Website noted. Naylor currently lives in southern California. She and her husband have eight children and 27 grandchildren, according to her website. |
| Keeping the Faith: A Place Without Fear Posted: 11 Jun 2011 03:01 PM PDT
My son has a frightful disease: Arachibutyrophobia. Though he didn’t know the technical name of the ailment, he properly diagnosed his case. Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Seriously, ground peanuts terrify the boy. I understand my son’s fear. I was a pitiful little thing growing up. The list of things I was afraid of would fill a three-ring binder: The dark; thunder; being abandoned at the baby sitters; roller coasters; animals. An unfamiliar dog once wandered into our yard, and I became so unnerved I tore through the bottom of the screen door to our home to get inside. Psychologists call it panophobia – the fear of everything. Most of my fears were ungrounded. There was really nothing to be scared of, except for my school bus driver, Mr. Otto Walraven. He instilled fear into the bravest soul as he shook a switch the size of a tree limb at us in that large rear view bus mirror. More than once I saw him remove high school juniors and seniors from the bus and throttle them along the side of the road. Old Otto would be in the penitentiary these days, God rest his soul. But if you listen to radio news, catch more than ten minutes of television a day, or subscribe to internet news, you know this world is a terrifyingly dangerous place. The short list of concerns include record gas prices, the ongoing war in the Middle East, nuclear proliferation, economic uncertainty, the threat of terrorist attack, radical religious movements of all stripes, pandemic, and bad spinach. It’s enough to keep you in the bed in the morning. The Apostle Paul, living in fearful days himself, said, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). Here, Paul summarizes the most often repeated command in the Scriptures, “Don’t be afraid.” Over three hundred times in the Hebrew and Christian Testaments the Bible speaks to us with the simple words, “Fear not.” See, the most repeated command is not “Love thy neighbor,” or “Repent of your sins,” or “Do not kill,” as important as these things are. The most repeated instruction is to give no place to your worries. What an appropriate reminder for us today. The spirit God gives us – that is, what furnishes us with breath and life – is not the racing heartbeat of panic. No, we are not enslaved to dread. The spirit given to us, and within us, is one of power, love, and self-discipline. We have been given the power to face each uncertain day; the love to overcome the hatred and bitterness that surround us; and self-discipline when everything else seems so out of control; for our security is not dependent upon the strength of our military or foreign policy. Our future is not guaranteed by the performance of the leading economic indicators. Rising oil prices, inflation, and the never-ending mortgage crisis may cramp our portfolios; and elevated terror threats may cause us to alter our travel plans, but these should not take away our peace of mind. For this peace is a peace that comes from above, and it surpasses all human understanding. Dr. E. Stanley Jones says it far better than I can: “Fear is not my native land. Faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life…In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath. These are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely. We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality.” I’ll choose to live during these perilous days within the reality of God; a place without fear. And I’ll try my best to convince my son that he can safely eat peanut butter. I may have more success with the former than the latter. Ronnie McBrayer is the author of “Leaving Religion, Following Jesus.” He writes and speaks about life, faith, and Christ-centered spirituality. Visit his website at www.ronniemcbrayer.net. |
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