Yes, I Am a Bible-Believing Christian.

That’s why I don’t believe that dividing the church is a good idea.  Here are some biblical passages that underscore the importance of unity in the church:  John 17:20-23 ‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all…

Adam Hamilton’s Response to "Three Buckets, Calmly Considered"

After publishing some thoughts this morning on Adam Hamilton’s recent post, “Homosexuality, the Bible, and the United Methodist Church,” I received a note from Rev. Hamilton. (Apparently he had tried to leave a comment, but they didn’t come through. C’mon, Blogger! Don’t make me switch to WordPress!) He offered this gracious response to my comments. I…

Bishop McLee, Human Sexuality, and Basic Christian Doctrine

Let me be clear: I think honest conversation is righteous and healthy—even indispensable—within the Body of Christ. One of our goals at United is to help students have real conversations with people with whom they disagree. Part of our problem in the UMC is that political posturing has replaced intellectual virtue, and when that happens, the road…

In What Lies Our Unity?

I’m not so much making a point with this post as asking a question. I have been in dialogue with a friend who asked: Is the unity of which we speak in the UMC a baseless unity? In other words, what is the common thread that runs through the UMC and holds us together? Our…

Do you believe in the demonic?

The Synoptic Gospels are full of stories in which Jesus casts out demons. In Mark’s gospel, healing and exorcism are Jesus’ main activities. In the early church, exorcism was part of the pre-baptismal ritual. Throughout much of the world today, exorcism is a common part of Christian practice. Even in the United Methodist Church, our…

Does God Actually Do Anything?

I recently went to a theological lecture. At least, it was ostensibly theological. The lecturer was discussing a variety of social problems, and, in the end, I suppose the point was that we have to do something about these problems. I optimistically filled in the narrative gaps that I was experiencing, hoping what was meant…

We All Need To Worship

Some recent opinions in the blogosphere notwithstanding, corporate worship is one of the most important ways in which we come to know and love God more fully. From its earliest days, the Christian faith involved both individual and corporate experience. In baptism we become part of something much larger than ourselves, the communion of saints,…

UMC.org: How About Some Evangelism?

The mission of The United Methodist Church is to make disciplines of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Ok. So far, so good. One would expect, then, the public website of the UMC to serve this end of making disciples. As I look at the UMC.org website, though, I see the following: A…