Podcasts about traditional plan

Our Guest: Deidra WashingtonOther Guests: Mike WashingtonEpisode Description: Having a plan for pregnancy and parenting comes in handy. But what happens when things move differently than expected and you have to make adjustments? Deidra Washington and her husband Mike know all about scrapping plan A and finding the beauty in plan B. In this episode, the Florida-based mother and father of two girls get real with Kimberly about facing fears, ditching tradition, and loving hard for the next generation. Grab your tissues because you might find yourself getting teary-eyed listening to this couple's story of teamwork, family, love, and future-building. Catch up on episode extras from seasons 1 and 2 on BIRTHRIGHT'S YOUTUBE PAGE!Subscribe to be notified of new episode releases every Wednesday! Love Birthright? Leave a rating and review.Get full episode details and transcripts on www.BirthrightPodcast.com Join the movement for equity in birth and breastfeeding by supporting our Patreon account. As a member, you'll get access to exclusive bonus content, Birthright swag, and more! Follow Kimberly Seals Allers on Twitter on Instagram: @iamKSealsAllersBirthright is funded by the California Health Care Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David and TJ sit down with Rev. Tyler Sit of New City Church in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA. Tyler represents a “Side A” pastoral perspective as an ordained minister for the United Methodist Church in the US. In this wide-ranging conversation, David and TJ to seek to understand Tyler's perspective, his understanding of Side B, and his take on Side A hermeneutics, particularly those centered in liberation theologies. Tyler was an excellent conversation partner in this. We encourage our listeners to listen closely to understand one Side A perspective more carefully, and consider how a Side B perspective might engage similar folks. (Note: We often use the terms “Side A” and “Side B” as shorthand. "Side A" generally affirms God can bless same-sex marriage and sexual relationships. “Side B” recognizes people experience same-sex sexual attraction while upholding the historic Christian sexual ethic of marriage between a man and a woman, and sex within marriage.) Check out our response to Rev. Tyler Sit and other Side A guests in episode #23 - ⁠Side B Response to Side A: Our 2022 Guests ⁠ __________ Timestamps 02:19 - Tyler's story: “I want to see God” 07:18 - Tyler's story: Coming out, pursuing ministry 11:18 - The United Methodist Church's approach to homosexuality 13:45 - Tyler's story: Pursuing ordination, LGBT campus ministry 19:42 - Tyler's story: Encountering other Christian perspectives in seminary 21:50 - Tyler on constructs for sexuality 25:51 - Methodist positions and tensions over the last (many) years 33:15 - A hermeneutic of loving God, neighbor, self 36:00 - Q: Why is the traditional/non-affirming perspective not persuasive to you? (Liberation theology, purity culture) 45:27 - Q: Why does the church need queer voices? 50:24 - Liberation theology: How does “the coming age” relate to sexuality right now? 52:39 - Suffering in the Christian life 1:03:30 - Early Christianity persecution and family models 1:07:34 - Where we diverge on humans' design, power, and authority 1:22:26 - David's experience with Tyler's church, plus our initial experiences with community, coming out 1:30:35 - The use of tradition, authority, and “orthophilia” 1:34:45 - Differing ideological frameworks: “Empire” vs. “the world” 1:39:23 - Christendom, justice movements, and our relationship to the state 1:42:58 - Freedom and oppression, God as a parent, and centers of identity 1:48:46 - Benediction __________ Links and References Tyler Sit's website: www.tylersit.com/about-tyler An article on the United Methodist's “Traditional Plan”. The Romans passage mentioned in our conversation is Romans 1:16-32. — Below are some links that may help make this conversation accessible to global listeners (inclusion does not imply endorsement, of course): The Boy Scouts of America (Wikipedia), Westboro Baptist Church (Wikipedia), ROTC program (Wikipedia), Hillel House (Wikipedia), Candler School of Theology, About Taizé prayer. Share feedback or questions by sending us a voice message at https://anchor.fm/communion-shalom or emailing us at davidfrank.mn@gmail.com

Q&A series part-61| Podcast Episode No #125 of YouTheReal Show, in today's episode we are going to answers Keshav- what is better, term plan and traditional plan| To know all information listen to this podcast episode till the end . I hope you find value out of it. Thank you & I am greatful for your time. Keep asking the question it'll really helpful for all YouTheReal family members. You can send me your question on Instagram and Facebook by below link ⤵️ ⤵️ I love to hear you INSTAGRAM : - https://www.instagram.com/youthereal007/ , Facebook:- https://m.facebook.com/pg/YouTheReaL.info/reviews/?ref=page_internal&msite_tab_async=1 , Who is AmitRaj Sharma? A helping man who is behind YouTheReal and working happily continuously since class 6th and always love to help people with his Real Life Solution & Realistic Motivational approach (startups, Sales Training for Products & services, individual personality growth, Insurance & Financial Planning) as per person NEED And Never afraid of failure & because he strongly believes in Learn & Grow. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/youthereal/message

Q&A series Part 62| Podcast Episode #78 of AmitRaj Sharma Show| aaj ke Episode me hum answer karnege Shreeman keshav- term plan aur traditional plan me se Kya bahetar hai| Shreeman Visvarajsinh - Kya LIC se tax savings hogi agar Han to kis trah se| Sabhi jankari ke liye episode ko ant tak sune . Asha karta hu apko apne samay ka mulya prapt hoga. AP apne Question mujhe inche diye hue links pe share kr sakte Hain. Instagram : - https://www.instagram.com/youthereal007/ , AUR FACEBOOK पर APNE QUESTIONS/ प्रशन जरूर भेझे https://m.facebook.com/pg/YouTheReaL.info/reviews/?ref=page_internal&msite_tab_async=1 v धन्यवाद

Bering Church blessed the union of more than 40 same-gender couples Sunday in an act of “sacred protest” against the “Traditional Plan” that was adopted narrowly by delegates at the February 2019 Special General Conference of the United Methodist denomination and went into effect January 1, 2020.Bering Church unequivocally denounces the “Traditional Plan” and the portions of the Book of Discipline that discriminate against LGBTQAI+ persons, couples and families. Bering stands with ALL LGBTQAI+ couples, affirming and celebrating their love for one another as sacred in the sight of God, and blessing the relationships of those who were able to attend on Sunday, January 12, 2020.Support the show (http://beringchurch.org/give/)

Since the Traditional Plan passed in the special session of the General Conference of 2019, there have been many questions as to the future of the UMC as well as our mission at Shepherd as an open and affirming congregation. In this town hall meeting, Pastor Karl lays out the history of this debate, some possible scenarios for the upcoming 2020 General Conference, and what all this means for Shepherd in MV and RSM. 

The founder of The Methodist Reclamation Project Rev. Chris Tiedeman is Rev. Dr. Brad Miller’s guest on Episode 019 of the United Methodist People Podcast.   The Methodist Reclamation Project is a facebook group presence founded to respond to the decision of the 2019 General Conference to advocate a progressive/centrist viewpoint on the matters facing the UMC.   Chris is the pastor or Christ UMC-Wabash, Indiana.    In this in-depth interview, Chris tells Brad about coming to the church when he was dating the daughter of a UMC pastor while they both were in a high school drama production of “The Beverly Hillbillies.”  He described how the openness of the UMC spoke to him and nurtured his faith eventually leading him into pastoral ministry.  He is known among other things as the “Ukulele Pastor” for playing and singing with his “Uke” in the community.   He and some colleagues created the Methodist Reclamation Project to speak to effect change to save what can be of the United Methodist Movement.  He looks to affect the best future of the UMC moving forward.   He spoke to Brad about his role as a “Grandpa Millennial” and his concerns about how the UMC has struggled to meet the needs of millennial and how passionate he is about this.  This includes his willingness to work through with others what Methodism will become in the aftermath of the 2019 General Conference decision to implement the Traditional Plan.   Chris spoke from the heart to Brad about the “gutted” feeling he had about the pain many people associated with the LGBTQ community are experiencing now and how his compelled to take action in response to that.  This action included stepping up as a candidate for the General and Jurisdictional Conference.  (Note: Chris was elected as a delegate to the North Central Jurisdictional Conference by the Indiana Annual Conference)   Chris describes his present attitude about the church as “fraught but hopeful” which he describes as being encouraged by the movement of centrist/progressive UMC people in an anxious time and a defining moment in the church.   His desire, he tells Brad, is to focus on Jesus and move beyond any distraction to this focus.  He describes himself as a “Jesus Person” teaching others in the UMC that the need to be Jesus to others an outpost of the Gospel.   You will want to listen and learn from Chris Tiedeman the founder of The Methodist Reclamation Project on Episode 019 of the United Methodist People Podcast with Rev. Dr. Brad Miller.   The purpose of the United Methodist People Podcast is to strengthen the connection in the UMC through conversation and commentary.   Rev. Dr. Brad Miller June 2019   https://www.facebook.com/groups/386132275301092/

We're joined by Gary from Idaho Atheists and talk about the Methodist Church's current issues, a trans man suing a Catholic hospital, South Dakota putting "In God We Trust" in schools, Idaho calling for the end of persecution of Christians, and what it's like to be an atheist in Idaho. Episode 300 - Live April 20 Email us at contact@atheistnomads.com or leave us a voice message at (541) 203-0666 or atheistnomads.com/speakpipeSupport the show at atheistnomads.com/donateSubscribe at atheistnomads.com/subscribe CORRECTION Lee via email NEWS United Methodist Church is having issues after approving the “Traditional Plan” Last month a General Conference session for the United Methodist Church voted by a 6% margin in favor of the “Traditional Plan” over the “One Church” plan. The “One Church” plan would have allowed local jurisdictions to determine their own policies for LGBT members, clergy, and weddings. The “Traditional Plan” does not change the church's doctrine that sex is only allowed within marriage and marriage can only be between one man and one woman, and creates punishments for violations of this doctrine. Now openly gay pastors and bishops are trying to figure out where they fit in their church. Parts of the Traditional Plan have been ruled unconstitutional by the church's judicial counsel. Some parts of the church, such as the US's Western Jurisdiction and the German Jurisdiction are going to be adopting the “One Church” plan. We even saw “One Church” on a reader board at the Methodist church on Ustick in Boise. Catholic Bishops stopped a trans man's surgery after he had been admitted and the IV started August 30, 2017 Oliver Knight, a trans man, was admitted to St Joseph's Hospital in Eureka, CA, the only hospital in the area, for a hysterectomy. He found the check in and surgery prep, quote “extremely uncomfortable and triggering”. Part of why as that he was given a pink gown and when he asked for a blue gown, he was told he needed to wear pink because it's a “female surgery”. Then after the IV was started he had to wait for an hour, at the end of which the surgeon came in and said the Catholic church denied the surgery for ethical reasons and the bishops didn't approve. 15 minutes he was kicked out of the hospital. With the help of the ALCU he is suing them for how he was treated. South Dakota public schools will be required to post “In God We Trust” signs by the start of the next school year South Dakota has passed a law that requires that “In God We Trust” signs be posted in all public schools. Interestingly, there was some controversy, but it's actually still kind of disappointing. The senate version only permitted posting the signs, while the house version required it. The compromise was to require it but for the state to take any and all legal and financial liability. Idaho HR6 calls for the end of religious persecution, but just for Christians The Idaho State House has a resolution that calls for the end of religious persecution for Christians around the world. Boise has set a goal of using only renewable energy by 2040 DISCUSSION - What's it like being an atheist in Idaho? This episode is brought to you by: Jimmy NinetoesDaniel MRebecca PPat Acks from the Humanists of IdahoDarryl GRachel BGeorge GKim BSoJoJenErik from WyomingThe Flying Skeptic And by our $1 patrons and those who want no reward. You can find us online at www.atheistnomads.com, follow us on Twitter @AtheistNomads, like us on Facebook, email us at contact@atheistnomads.com, and leave us a voice mail message at (541) 203-0666. Theme music is provided by Sturdy Fred. DOWNLOAD EPISODE

The Rev. Keith Boyette explains why he and likeminded Methodists believe the vote affirmed a biblical understanding of the place of gay people in the church. Could we see schism in the church's future? 

God’s Commandment to Adam 16And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." v. 16. Literally translated, from any tree of the garden you may eat freely. The Fall – Genesis 3:1-7 v. 1. Satan is present in the Garden as a snake. He is described as “more crafty” – tells the reader, beware his words. Satan said, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” This is an obvious misquoting of God. He said, you may eat of every tree but one. Satan maliciously calls God’s intentions into question. He implies that God has not been generous with them, but restrictive, lording over, controlling them. v. 2. The woman’s first mistake was that she responded to Satan’s character assassination of God. v. 3. Then she adds, “neither shall you touch it.” She also understates the certainty of death. vv. 4-5. Satan’s claims against God. • You will not die – implying that God’s word is not true. • They will gain what belongs to God – Knowledge of good and evil. Satan accuses God of lying and of holding Eve back from something good. Satan told them what they would gain – knowledge of good and evil. Satan implies: God is not good. He is not gracious. He is selfish and deceptive. He is preventing the man and woman from achieving the same position as God. Satan concealed from Eve what they would lose. • They experienced expulsion from the Garden • They were separated from the presence of God. • Their eyes were opened, but it enabled them to see their nakedness. • They were burdened with human guilt and embarrassment. • They became isolated and fearful. • They obtained “wisdom” in exchange for death. Satan challenged the goodness and the truthfulness of God. Satan invited Eve to set herself up as judge over God’s goodness and intentions. “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” – A.W. Tozer If we do not believe the Bible is true, then we cannot believe it is God’s Word. If the Bible does not represent God’s Word, then it is not authoritative. If the Bible is not authoritative, then something or someone else is authoritative. Whoever is most powerful then becomes the authority on morality. I believe that the Bible is true, because I believe that God is true. He is faithful and true in his Word. Not only does God possess and speak truth, he is truth himself. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6 Texas has 2 state conventions, the BGCT and the SBTC. Both are Christian, both are ministry and gospel-focused. Both hold to a traditional, evangelical, biblical view. But one has committed to a view of Biblical Inerrancy that I believe is important. We will discuss more at a business March 24. Last month the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio ran 3 news stories documenting 700 cases of sexual misconduct by 380 pastors, deacons, ministers, youth pastors, teachers and volunteers. The cases spread over 20 years. In February, Pope Francis called for meeting of church leaders to hear cases of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, which has suffered accusations against more than 4,000 priests. On Feb 26, the international General Conference of the United Methodist Church voted to approve a plan about human sexuality. They approved the Traditional Plan, which keeps the current language of a traditional, biblical view of sexuality in the church’s The Book of Discipline.

About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes flashed white like lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with him. They were clothed with heavenly splendor and spoke about Jesus’ departure, which he would achieve in Jerusalem. Peter and those with him were almost overcome by sleep, but they managed to stay awake and saw his glory as well as the two men with him. As the two men were about to leave Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it’s good that we’re here. We should construct three shrines: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—but he didn’t know what he was saying. Peter was still speaking when a cloud overshadowed them. As they entered the cloud, they were overcome with awe. Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my chosen one. Listen to him!” Even as the voice spoke, Jesus was found alone. They were speechless and at the time told no one what they had seen.   Last weekend and the first part of this week was dominated by the United Methodist Church’s General Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, or at least it dominated the attention of those of us who are always tuned into denominational machinations. The United Methodists sent their worldwide cohort of 800 or so delegates to decide on the issue that has beguiled and stressed them over the last 20 years, and most of mainline and progressive Christianity – the place of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and clergy in the church. The United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline lays out the social principles of the church, which forbid things like drinking, gambling, and the practice of homosexuality. LGBTQ+ folks are named as people of sacred worth, but the actual doing of homosexuality, so to speak, is forbidden and is one of the reasons those seeking ordination can be barred from being approved to serve as clergypersons. Now, that is the official position of the church, but various more liberal conferences like the one here that covers Chicago, have basically ignored that official prohibition and ordained LGBTQ+ with a kind of a wink and a nod, and a liberal interpretation of the world “practice.” Of course, if charges are filed by a layperson or another clergyperson against them for their sexual practice, they can be defrocked in a church trial – yes, some churches still do this sort of thing – but in a more liberal conferences that is rare but not unheard of. Clergy are also forbidden to perform same-sex weddings, or even same sex unions, which is why I’ve done a few weddings formembers of Methodist churches as a favor to their not so courageous pastors. Yes, I get my judgmental tone, but at some point you have to do the right thing by the people you pastor – and you may pay the cost for doing that right thing, but no pension, no guaranteed church appointment, nothing is worth not following your own conscience, and doing the just and inclusive thing. Pawning off your ministry towards your church members to me in order to protect yourself, well, it is not a good look, but I helped these clergy out because the couples involved wanted a religious marriage service done by a clergyperson and they deserved to have one.   All of this came to a head this week in St. Louis, with a proposal before the delegates that was called the One Church plan, a plan that was endorsed by the majority of the bishops. This plan would allow the various parts of the church to make their own decisions around the calling of LGBTQ+ clergy and to discern their own positions on the morality or immorality of homosexuality. The more conservative American parts of the Methodist Church, along with the even more international parts of the church, could enforce their own particular rules around this issue, while allowing more progressive parts of the church to finally openly allow the ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy. But it was not to be, because of a very large coalition of conservative international delegates and a small band of conservative American delegates defeated the One Church Plan and brought forth their own plan, called the Traditional Plan. The Traditional plan passed with the help of the conservative those national and international delegates. This conservative plan defined the definition of “practicing homosexual” to make it harder for the few LGBTQ+ to get through the legal loophole of trying to define the word “practicing.” In addition, it created a mandate that any United Methodist clergyperson would be automatically suspended without pay for one year for conducting a same sex service, and would be permanently defrocked if they ever did a second one. In the United States, many United Methodist churches are fairly progressive on the issue of homosexuality itself, but because of the international nature of the church, they will likely never be able to become what we in the United Church of Christ, as well as the Presbyterian Church (USA), and Evangelical Lutheran Church of America have become – welcoming of LGBTQ+ in all parts of the church, including the ordination of openly LGBTQ+ clergy. As a product of a good United Methodist seminary myself, and who has many Methodist clergy friends, I was deeply grieved by all this, and it touched me personally because of my own struggle to be ordained with integrity and wholeness 25 years ago in the Presbyterian Church (USA) when they were not as open as they are now. There was so much pain in the air at this conference that you could almost feel it through the internet streaming video. During the debate, a young gay seminarian named Jeffrey Warren spoke passionately to the Conference, expressing his hurt and warning that the church was about to lose a whole generation under 40 that simply wouldn’t tolerate being members of a church that wouldn’t welcome their gay friends, their lesbian sister, their same-sex parents. In the picture on the first page of the bulletin, you see Bishop Tracey Smith Malone holding Jeffrey’s face in her hands after the passing of the Traditional Plan, trying to comfort him, perhaps reminding him that he is loved by God, loved by her and supported by many others, despite the fact that he will likely never be able to serve as a clergyperson in the United Methodist Church, as it now constituted. The horror of it all for Jeffrey must have been witnessing this series of votes right before his stunned and heartbroken eyes, something that even I didn’t have to experience. You can’t see it in the black and white picture but in the color version you can see the redness around his eyes, likely coming the tears he had just shed.   Friends, I want to invite us to consider that such a moment, such a picture, such light in a place filled with darkness, at least for the losers of this fight for justice, that such a moment was a moment of transfiguration. That moment captured by that picture was like the one when God scrubbed off the human veneer of Christ on that high and holy mountain and showed us the fullness of Jesus, that light within him that was white like lightning. Matthew, Mark, and of course, Luke share this story of Jesus shining forth on some mountain, accompanied by his disciples and welcomed there by Elijah and Moses, the latter whose face once shone in this manner hundreds of years earlier. This trio talk of Jesus’ departure, his death, and I suppose his ascension as well, and the disciples bask in this heavenly splendor, and they offer to build a shrine for all three, build some sort of permanency to hold onto this amazing moment. God will speak to them in a cloud, affirming that Jesus is indeed God’s own Child, and the disciples should listen to him. Later, the scene of light and splendor will disappear, and they will make their way down that mountain and being to make their way to Jerusalem, not quite understanding that despite the joy they will surely know along the way, the path is towards Jesus death, his cruel and unfair crucifixion, and that these disciples will be shattered by it all, at least for a while. The disciples and maybe even Jesus, they needed this moment of transfiguration, this reminder that there is light in this world, that underneath everything there is light, light like white lightning, a truth they would need to recall in the coming days and even years as they followed after the way of Jesus their whole lives, until their own deaths, often as martyrs. To witness Bishop Malone hold Jeffrey’s face so tenderly, so gently, it is a transfiguration, a moment when light shines so powerfully and often so unexpectedly, a moment that will need to be recalled in the many dark and difficult times ahead for Jeffrey and so many others in the United Methodist Church. Like with the disciples, a moment like this will be something he will need to remember when the darkness comes crashing down upon him and the people who love like him. We get the transfiguration we need in order to survive moments when there is no light, when the dark is so deep it feels as if you are in the deepest part of the sea, below where no light can make it way through the water above you. Moments of light, moments of tenderness, of kindness, moments of joy that we witness between ourselves or we witness in strangers, and even our enemies, those moments are gifts from God, moments given to us before we head out to our own Jerusalem’s, times before we yet know of our own eventual resurrection. Simply put, underneath it all, there is the light of God’s goodness, beneath it all.   To be clear, transfiguration is not transformation, it is not transformation. The gift of moments when we witness the light pouring into or out of a person, a place, a crowd, a simple flash of divinity given to us just when we needed it, and a memory we can call forth when there is seemingly no light, that is transfiguration, a moment that reveals the world as it really is, as the disciples fully saw Jesus for who he was on that high and holy mountain. Transformation, however, is not just a moment or moments in time, but something longer, something more difficult and yet even more joyous. When we come into our spiritual own, when we decide to do the work of Jesus, and the work of justice in Jesus’ name, that work, that journey is a life-long one. Salvation, or wholeness as the Greek word is probably better translated, wholeness doesn’t happen in one moment, and rarely in moments like the ones we just read about in Luke’s Gospel. No, it happens in the day in and day out choices we make to turn around our lives and go in the right direction, to choose that long obedience in the same direction, as Eugene Peterson puts it, and it is the choice to help the world turn around and go in the right direction. As I said in a sermon a few weeks ago, nothing is harder to change than the human heart, or the soul, if you want to get more spiritual about it and that is why our transformation, our wholeness takes as long as it takes, and likely continues into eternity. And this path into eternity also happens in the world we are co-creating with God if we are to believe the last two chapters of the book of Revelation, where a new heaven and a new earth, a truly transformed earth, one of compassion and justice and love will complete and renew the world we’ve slowly sought to transform. We should to continue to do that work until, as the Shaker song Simple Gifts says, Till by turning, turning we come 'round right. Soul work is hard work, justice work is hard – and the victories in our lives and in the work of justice, they do not come as often as we want, but the whole of those victories and even some of the defeats, do their work of transformation, of setting our souls and the world in the right direction, it does it over the long haul, slowly, but also relentlessly.   There is so much I want to say Jeffrey Warren, the young Methodist whose pleas for inclusion and justice were rejected by a majority of the United Methodist delegates on Tuesday. I would not probably say it to him anytime soon – the pain is to fresh – and I think it would be hard to hear for him. I would speak about the difficult choices we all have to make about whether or not our presence in a community that officially rejects gay people is an act of complicity if one stays any longer. But I would also remind him that there are other places, other denominations, other homes, where God can be met, something I think he already knows of course, – and, like me, he might find himself loving his new home as much the one he left behind so broken-hearted. God finds a way when there seems to be no way. However, I do know, Jeffrey, that whether or not you stay, you will find moments of transfiguration all the time, moments when God shows herself to you so fully that you will find yourself stunned by the glory of the One before you. My friend Mark gave me one of those transfiguration moments this week. Mark is a gay United Methodist clergyperson who came out late in late in his life and career, but who has chosen to remain celibate and to follow the rules put before him in the Book of Discipline. Mark gave an interview to a local TV station about the recent decision made at the General Conference. Here is a Facebook post he made after seeing himself during his TV interview the night before. I was privileged to be interviewed by WOOD TV yesterday. It was aired last night, Wednesday, Feb 27th. I watched it and was horrified by what I saw myself say. I spoke out of fear when I said that I would not perform same gender wedding ceremonies. I abandon that fear, I repent of that stance. I WILL PERFORM SAME GENDER WEDDING CEREMONIES! Who am I do deny the unconditional love of God that can flow through me, God's called conduit of grace, justice, peace, and love. I cried when I read those words, after being a witness to so much of Mark’s personal struggle, and his commitment to integrity and honoring the vows he made at his ordination decades earlier. But here he is, putting his career, perhaps some of his pension, his health insurance, on the line only a few years from his retirement. Our transformation can take a very long, long, time but it comes, always it comes. Now, I invite you to turn back to the front of your bulletin, and look at Bishop Malone with her hands holding Jeffrey’s face, and I want you to imagine the Bishop being the very presence of God, the one who is nothing but light, nothing but goodness, nothing but compassion, telling Jeffrey, tenderly, “I love you, I love you, you are one of My Beloved, you are my child.” The transfigurations in our lives, in the greater world, are glimpses of God shining forth, reminders to us of the God who is Love, a reminder that underneath the surface of everything, good and bad, of every joy and heartbreak, there is God, who is draped in light, in goodness itself, a reminder that, as writer of the Gospel of John says in his first chapter says, that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness could not, would not, and will not ever extinguish the light. Amen.

On the final weekend of February, leaders of the United Methodist Church (UMC) convened to vote on whether or not the United States’ second-largest Protestant denomination will allow same-sex marriage and ordained LGBT clergy. Listen as Chap Temple, head clergy delegate from the Texas Annual Conference, discusses the issue and the outcome.

For generations, U.S. churches sent missionaries around the world, preaching the Gospel and planting churches in places such as Africa, South America, and Asia. Today, many of the millions of Christians and churches that resulted from those missionary efforts are more biblically faithful than their American forebears. This is especially true of certain denominations and certain issues. These daughter-churches overseas, traditional as they are, remain in communion with their now-liberal mother-churches. Which poses a serious challenge. Actually, it would be accurate to say that the central concern of many in these mother churches today is advancing sexual heresy—especially LGBT theology. And it would be accurate to say that the churches they helped to plant, praise God, aren't budging. Many mainline denominations stateside have exerted tremendous pressure on churches overseas to give up the 2,000-year-old understanding of the Bible and morality for thae new sexual heresy. In doing so, they've been guilty co-conspirators with progressive governmental activists of a kind of ideological colonialism. And then, they act surprised when their actions create serious tensions and even splits in their denominations. The tensions in one of the largest Protestant communions in the world, the United Methodist Church, has taken center stage this past week. So far, over 12 million Methodists—almost half of whom live outside the U.S.—have managed to hold together through years of often heated deliberation over sexuality and other issues. That may now change. This week, over 800 delegates of the UMC General Conference convened in St. Louis to decide—among other things—whether to reaffirm the denomination's historical stance on sexuality or to split over the issue. In the end, the Conference rejected two plans that would have accommodated sexual heresy at various levels and instead approved what is called “The Traditional Plan.” By doing so, the UMC chose to uphold marriage as between one man and one woman, and to strengthen disciplinary measures against churches that have departed from historic, biblical teaching on sexuality. Before the convention, many liberal churches threatened to leave the denomination if it took this path. We shall now see whether the Methodists are facing an Atlantic-sized split. Thanks mostly to African Methodists, the UMC's Book of Discipline already defines homosexual behavior as “incompatible with Christian teaching” and forbids openly gay clergy and same-sex “marriages.” That hasn't stopped many American Methodists from pursuing and blessing LGBT relationships and activity, anyway. Despite what you might hear, there is no question about who left who in this situation. Methodism's biblically-minded founder, John Wesley, called Christians to holiness, but his liberal heirs fly rainbow flags, elect openly lesbian bishops, and  bless abortion clinics. And,despite what you might hear, there is no question about where the future of Methodism lies. As NPR reports, membership in U.S. Methodist churches fell by 300,000 between 2014 and 2016. By contrast, the denomination is growing globally. Whether or not Methodism stays united, the future clearly belongs to the traditionalists. Still, if liberal churches leave the denomination, it will cost the faithful churches abroad a great deal of financial support. Even so, don't expect the international churches to cave to the promise of money. Speaking at a breakfast on Saturday, Dr. Jerry Kulah, Dean of theology at the United Methodist University in Liberia, responded to this sort of threat in no uncertain terms: “Africans are not children in need of western enlightenment when it comes to the church's sexual ethics,” he said. “We do not need to hear a progressive U.S. bishop lecture us about our need to ‘grow up.'” He concluded: “…the vast majority of African United Methodists will never, ever trade Jesus and the truth of the Bible for money.” We need to pray for Christians like Dr. Kulah and the faithful members in all denominations who are feeling the pressure of sexual colonialism. Because as important as church unity is, the truth matters far more.     http://www.breakpoint.org/2019/02/breakpoint-divided-methodists/

In this special episode, Rev. Todd discusses the lament he has regarding the United Methodist Church’s decision to pass the so-called “Traditional Plan”, and he also shares the hope he has in movement of the Holy Spirit within the United Methodist Church. EPISODE NOTES: For more information on the different plans that were presented at the Special Session of General Conference 2019, please check out the following the United Methodist Church web site. Closing music: Amazing Grace (arr. Roger Summers, recorded by Appalachian Virtual Ensemble). If you like this arrangement or are looking for sacred and simple arrangements of well-known hymns, check out https://www.jwpepper.com/Sudden-Substitute/10016379.item#/submit Sign up for bi-weekly devotions at Life-Giving Water. Subscribe to Life-Giving Water Messages, also on iTunes and Google Play Music. Subscribe to the Party on Johncast, co-hosted by Rev. Sal Seirmarco and Rev. Todd Lattig.

For the past four days, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church has been reexamining its doctrines on human sexuality. From Christianity Today’s report from yesterday: The United Methodist Church (UMC) voted Tuesday to maintain its traditional stance against same-sex marriage and non-celibate gay clergy, bolstered by a growing conservative contingent from Africa. The denomination’s “Traditional Plan” passed, with 438 votes in favor and 384 against (53% to 47%), in the final hours of a special UMC conference held this week in St. Louis to address the issue of human sexuality. While this decision will likely have broad global consequences, it is also one that has been heavily impacted by the denomination’s large international presence. The UMC has about 7 million lay members in the US and 5.5 million overseas, and they operate in more than 130 countries. But the denomination's broad reach isn’t anything new. “It’s inherently a global movement,” said J. Steven O’Malley, a professor of Methodist Holiness history at Asbury Theological Seminary, who recently spent the year working on a project called “The Origin of the Wesleyan Theological Vision for Christian Globalization and the Pursuit of Pentecost in Early Pietist Revivalism.” O’Malley joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli to discuss what was at stake at the most recent UMC meeting, how the denomination came together 50 years ago, and how it ended up around the world.

In this episode I reflect on the endorsement of the Traditional Plan by the United Methodist Church. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/exvangelicalpod/support

In an effort to provide honest conversations from the 2019 Special General Conference, the Crackers & Grape Juice team invited supporters of all of the plans being considered by the United Methodist Church’s governing body to explain why the plan they support is the correct plan.Mark Tooley explains why the Traditional Plan from the Commission on the Way Forward is the best plan to help the United Methodist Church move forward in this ongoing conversation about human sexuality.Mark Tooley is an American Methodist layman and writer. He is a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church, who became president of the Washington-D.C. based Institute on Religion and Democracy, in 2009, a conservative religious think tank noted for its opposition to religious and social liberalism.

In an effort to provide honest conversations from the 2019 Special General Conference, the Crackers & Grape Juice team invited supporters of all of the plans being considered by the United Methodist Church’s governing body to explain why the plan they support is the correct plan.Mark Tooley explains why the Traditional Plan from the Commission on the Way Forward is the best plan to help the United Methodist Church move forward in this ongoing conversation about human sexuality.Mark Tooley is an American Methodist layman and writer. He is a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church, who became president of the Washington-D.C. based Institute on Religion and Democracy, in 2009, a conservative religious think tank noted for its opposition to religious and social liberalism.

This lesson communicates and shares some perspective on what to expect from the “Commission on a Way Forward” that will be the subject of the 2019 General Conference in February. This conference meeting will focus on moving the church past a longstanding struggle with issues around homosexuality. The class discusses the three plans -- One Church Plan, Traditional Plan and the Correctional Conference Plan.

The purpose of the United Methodist people podcast is to strengthen the connection in the United Methodist Church through conversation and commentary as a means to achieve the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ of the transformation of the world. In Episode 014 of the United Methodist People Podcast with Rev. Dr. Brad Miller conversation and commentary were at hand as Brad hosted a lively discussion with three other elders on the topic of The Way Forward, particularly The One Church Plan which will be presented to the 2019 General Conference.   Brad was joined by Rev. Jerry Rairdon, Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Noblesville Indiana and founder of Uniting Methodist Indiana, Rev. Jill Moffat Howard, Pastor of Rosedale Hills United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana who is an alternate delegate to the 2019 General Conference from the Indiana Annual Conference and Rev. Dr. Mark Holland Executive Director of MainstreamUMC.com from Kansas City, Kansas. The focus of the roundtable conversation was the impasse in the United Methodist Church over matters of human sexuality which led to the creation of The Commission on the Way Forward who will bring three proposals to the floor of the February 2019  General Conference.   Mark and Jerry lead groups which are strong advocates of The One Church Plan over the other two proposals which are the Traditional Plan and the Conference Plan.   The conversation began by lifting up what is joyful and good about United Methodist Church which included comments about missions, creative outreach and innovative worship and a renewed openness to try new approaches to ministry.  The conversation then shifted to what breaks the heart of the panelist which included grave concerns about a breakup in the church, animosity even hatred among folks on different sides of the issues at hand and missed opportunities for mission and ministry in a church bogged down by dissent.   An overriding question for the panel was "what kind of church do we want to be moving forward?" That is if this splits church what’s next for the UMC? There was a conversation on the how part of the conflict in the UMC centers on how some see the UMC as a descriptive church and others see the UMC as a prescriptive church. It was generally agreed that a strength of the UMC is our diversity and that a schism in the church would be exclusionary of many and is not the best way for the UNC to be a witness to the world. The panel was generally in agreement that The One Church Plan provides the best opportunity for the UMC to move forward as one church not divided by schism. Great concern was expressed about the complexities of the “Conference Plan" and the harsh restrictive nature of many aspects of the “Traditional Plan.” The One Church Plan presented the church as a Big Tent which has room under its roof for many different expressions of faith based on grace, tolerance, and love of one another within the body of the UMC.   The panel was in agreement that the mission of the church is at stake and that The One Church Plan gives the UMC the best opportunity to reach present and younger generations of people far from God and far from the church. The One Church Plan is best suited for the UMC to live out our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The conversation concluded with the statement the gospel is bigger than the church on these matters and it is felt that there is momentum for The One Church Plan as the time of General Conference approaches. This was an important conversation between those deeply engaged in the process of understanding The Way Forward and coming to terms with the implications that the decisions made at General Conference will have on the very nature of the United Methodist Church.   Those who are likewise invested will find great value in the roundtable conversation in Episode 014 of the United Methodist People Podcast with Rev. Dr. Brad Miller. Rev. Dr. Brad Miller is a long time Elder in the Indiana Conference UMC with experience in radio broadcasting and podcasting who believes deeply in the power of conversation and commentary to strengthen the connection in the United Methodist Church.   Rev. Dr. Brad Miller October 2018  

The director of MainstreamUMC.com, Rev. Dr. Mark Holland is Rev. Dr. Brad Miller’s guest on Episode 013 of the United Methodist People Podcast.   Mainstream UMC is an advocacy group which supports the adoption of The One Church Plan prepared by the Commission no the Way Forward and affirmed by the Bishops of the UMC.   Mark talks to Brad about his faith journey as a third generation United Methodist Pastor serving in Kansas City, Kansas for the majority of his pastoral ministry.  Mark also had the rather unique experience of serving as the Mayor of Kansas City, Kansas concurrent to his pastorate at Trinity UMC in Kansas City.   Mark is taking a sabbatical year to concentrate on efforts to influence on delegates to the 2019 General Conference supporting The One Church Plan.   Mark describes the difference between the One Church plan and the Traditional Plan and argues that the One Church Plan is preferable.   He speaks to Brad about the following:   Comparing the UMC to a dinner plate which can be chipped and still be useful or shattered and destroyed. Affirming the courage of UMC bishops to address the impasse over humans sexuality by creating the commission on the way forward. Noting that if family’s and local churches can model unity-why can’t the denomination. That under the one church plan churches and clergy can be conservative or be progressive but can be the best they can be and still work diligently to make disciple of Jesus Christ Creating a church by choice. His contention that this is a “gut check time” for the UMC to determine if we as a church are willing to live as one family for whom we disagree with members of our family.   Episode 013 of the United Methodist People Podcast is a must listen to those wanting to understand the nature of the Way Forward process and the benefits of the One Church Plan.   The purpose of the United Methodist People Podcast is to stenghenthening the connection in the United Methodist Church through conversation and commentary as a means to achieve our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.   Rev. Dr. Brad Miller is a long-time elder in the Indiana Annual Conference and has been podcasting since 2012.   Rev. Dr. Brad Miller September 2018   https://mainstreamumc.com/advisory-board/mark-holland/   facebook.com/unitedmethodistpodcast