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Why Little Will Change At the UMC General Conference

May 18, 2016 B. John 387 Views 0 Comments BoD, Book of Discipline, christian, Christianity, GC, General Conference, Methodist Church, Orthodoxy, Portland, UMC

As some of you may know, the United Methodist Church is holding their quadrennial General Conference in Portland, Oregon this week. As has been the case for the past several General Conference’s (GC), a major topic is the full inclusion of LGBT people (or as the conservatives call us, “the self-avowed practicing homosexuals”) in the life of the church. My prediction is that little will change in regard to those issues.

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In A Mirror Dimly-Response to a Series by Bishop Michael Lowry-Part 4

May 7, 2016September 29, 2018 B. John 373 Views 0 Comments bishop, Central Texas Conference, General Conference, J. Michael Lowry, Orthodoxy, UMC, United Methodist Church

This is a short conclusion to Bishop Lowry’s series. He claims, “signs of new life all around.” This is his clinging to the belief that it will be the orthodox church (his definition of orthodoxy) that survives and thrives, all evidence to the contrary.

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In A Mirror Dimly-Response to a Series by Bishop Michael Lowry-Part 2

May 4, 2016May 7, 2016 B. John 352 Views 0 Comments bishop, Central Texas Conference, Christian Orthodoxy Conference, General Conference, J. Michael Lowry, The Discipline, UMC, United Methodist Church

United Methodist Bishop, J. Michael Lowry of the Central Texas Conference, recently addressed a gathering of the United Methodist Scholars for Christian Orthodoxy Conference at Armstrong Chapel United Methodist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has put his address, “In a Mirror Dimly”: The Future of the United Methodist Church”© on his website as a four part posting. This is Part 2 of a four part series.

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In A Mirror Dimly-Response to Series by Bishop Michael Lowry-Part 1

May 4, 2016May 7, 2016 B. John 545 Views 0 Comments bishop, Central Texas Conference, Christian Orthodoxy Conference, Evangelical, General Conference, J. Michael Lowry, Mike Lowry, Orthodoxy, UMC, United Methodist Church

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An Open Letter to the UMC General Conference Commission

May 13, 2015May 14, 2015 B. John 437 Views 1 Comment GC, General Conference, Robert Mugabe, UMC, United Methodist Church, Zimbabwe

It seems the Commission on the General Conference for the United Methodist Church, meeting last month, decided to hold the first quadrennial General Conferences outside the United States . The original choice had the GC going to Zimbabwe in 2024, and the Philippines in 2028. Fortunately, an ever-present advocate for LGBT people within the Church was there, and raised a few concerns, including the fact that Amnesty International has declared Zimbabwe one of the most dangerous countries for LGBT people. The years were switched.

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The Discomfort of Faith-My Experience at the Methodist General Conference

May 19, 2012May 25, 2012 B. John 423 Views 0 Comments Africa, African, bigotry, bishop, Church, Faith, General Conference, homophobia, Martin Luther King, Methodist Federation for Social Action, Reconciling Ministries Network

I’ve been thinking back over the time I got spend recently at the quadrennial General Conference of the United Methodist Church held here in Tampa this year. It was a big event, and it was a mess from a church polity standpoint. Like Congress, little of great substance was accomplished, and few longstanding issues were resolved, but that may be a good thing. Here, I reflect on the experience.