
It Was A Sad Day For United Methodism |
|
Speaking Out For A Return To Biblical Authority
http://www.dueber.org/umvoice NOTE: UM Voice is not an official publication of the United Methodist Church. See our Disclaimer below Date: April 23, 2003 #==========================================#
#==========================================# It was a sad day for United Methodism recently as the charges against Bishop Joseph Sprague were dismissed by the College of Bishops of the North Central Jurisdiction. You may recall that last summer Bishop Sprague gave a speech at the Iliff School of Theology where he publicly renounced his belief in every major tenet of Christianity: - The virgin birth - The deity of Christ - The atonement - The bodily resurrection of Jesus And yet, the complaint against Mr. Sprague was not deemed serious enough to warrant anything more than a formal hearing. So once again, the UM hierarchy has utterly failed in its responsibility to defend and uphold the essential pillars of Methodism – not to mention Christianity. Even though the above quote from Thomas Jefferson was made in reference to the judiciary of the United States, it would apply equally well to the judicial hierarchy in our own denomination. As Jefferson put it, the judiciary has the power to “control and fashion their proceedings to its own will.” Indeed. (For the details, see the “UMAction Briefing” on the IRD’s website here: CALL TO ACTION ---------------------------------Per the recommendations in the “Briefing”, I urge you to do the following: (1) Your Annual Conference will soon elect its delegates to the UM 2004 General Conference. Work for election of delegates pledged to strengthen the Book of Discipline to make Bishops accountable for attacking or undermining our church’s Christian faith. Ask help from your Pastor and your church’s Lay Member of Annual Conference. (2) Thank Rev. Tom Lambrecht for his Christian witness. Faith Community UMC, North 1966 Julius Drive, Greenville WI 54942. Fax 920-757-9539. E-mail: revtom5@aol.com. Also, I would add: (3) Call your bishop and express your outrage and disappointment over this failure of the United Methodist church to hold Bishop Sprague accountable. Click here: http://www.umc.org/locator/offices/bishops.htm (4) Pray for revival. It is becoming painfully obvious that nothing short of a new movement of God’s Spirit is going to heal this denomination of the cancer that is killing it from within. (5) Pass this message on to every Bible-believing Methodist that you know. The concerned laity in our denomination can afford to be silent no longer. #==========================================# POINTS OF INTEREST Want more information? Check out some of the sites listed below.
Want to contact your bishop? Go here… http://www.umc.org/locator/offices/bishops.htm #==========================================# NON-UMC-RELATED SITES Want to get a different perspective on the issues facing our culture and our nation? Tired of the media indoctrination being passed off as news? You are not alone! Check out some of the following sites. You can browse their archives, and subscribe to their newsletters.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SUBSCRIPTIONS: To subscribe/unsubscribe, go to http://www.dueber.org/umvoice/subscribe.htm If you don't have Web access, send your name and email address to: umvoice@dueber.org For past issues, visit our archives at http://www.dueber.org/umvoice/archive.htm Tell a friend about UM Voice. It’s free! If they do not have e-mail access, you can print this newsletter and distribute it. (See REPRINT AND FORWARD POLICY below) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: UMVoice is committed to re-establishing traditional, Biblical values as the guiding principles of our government, our culture, and our denomination. There are many other organizations already working towards these same goals, and our intention is to build upon the work they are already doing. The difference is our constituency. While certainly not limited to members of the United Methodist Church, that is our primary audience. Our mission is to inform, engage, and mobilize members of the UMC on issues that affect our denomination as well as our culture. This will enable conservative evangelicals to speak up and stand together on issues that are fundamental to the future of our country and our church. Questions or comments about UM Voice may be directed to http://www.dueber.org/umvoice/comments.htm. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ UM Voice is sponsored by Dueber United Methodist Church in Canton, Ohio. It is an outgrowth of the Dueber Action Committee, a laity-led group dedicated to bringing about reform in the policies and actions of the United Methodist Church. This group has sole responsibility for the content of this letter. UM Voice is a distributor, not a publisher, of information and thus exercises no more editorial control over such information than does a typical public library, bookstore, or newsstand. The views and opinions expressed in such information do not necessarily reflect those of UM Voice, or the Dueber Action Committee. Editor’s Note: Regarding the citation of sources, in an effort to accurately represent opinions and belief systems, UM Voice uses many direct quotes from reliable sources. Except where noted, all material in UM Voice is obtained from other sources. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ REPRINT AND FORWARD POLICY: Subscribers may reprint or forward UM Voice, in whole or part. If forwarding to another publication, please do
so with the appropriate citation [UM Voice] in accordance with "fair use" rules, and our Disclaimer. |