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Archive for June, 2009

In Mississippi Conference, testimony from lesbian couple stirs controversy

Posted in Bishops, Book of Discipline, Doctrine, Holiness, Social Issues, United Methodist Church, tagged , , on June 29, 2009 | 15 Comments »

A lesbian couple invited to address the 2009 session of the Mississippi Annual Conference suggested that the United Methodist Church is wrong in refusing to affirm and celebrate homosexual relationships. One of the women, Dr. Connie Campbell, a faculty member at UM-affiliated Millsaps College, told the gathering, “We have no doubt that God embraces who [...]

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Bill Bouknight: Methodists are saying ‘No’ to their leaders

Posted in Book of Discipline, Church Renewal, General Conference, United Methodist Church, United Methodist Men, tagged , on June 25, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Writing in the May/June issue of the We Confess newsletter (PDF), published by the Confessing Movement Within the United Methodist Church, editor Bill Bouknight says early results from the amendment-voting process should be sending a clear signal to denominational leaders. Those leaders are the Council of Bishops, the Connectional Table (47 clergy and laypersons), and [...]

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Bishop James Swanson: ‘Can you trust God with your appointment?’

Posted in Bishops, Doctrine, Sermons, United Methodist Church, tagged , , on June 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

With many clergy wrestling with new appointments and others disillusioned over being reassigned to places that seem unfruitful, here is a timely word from Bishop James Swanson, episcopal leader of the Holston Conference. [A]nytime you find yourself being consumed where you’re only thinking about yourself, you’re in danger. You’re in danger of missing the very [...]

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North Georgia overwhelmingly disapproves restructuring amendments

Posted in Bishops, Book of Discipline, General Conference, North Georgia Conference, Social Issues, United Methodist Church, tagged , , on June 18, 2009 | 1 Comment »

By an average tally of 94% to 6%, delegates to the 2009 session of the North Georgia Annual Conference voted disapproval of five amendments aimed at restructuring the United Methodist Church into “regional” conferences that would have greater national autonomy. Final approval or disapproval of the amendments, all of which received a two-thirds majority endorsement [...]

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Bishop Mike Watson: The life-giving rules of Methodism

Posted in Bishops, North Georgia Conference, Sermons, United Methodist Church, tagged , , on June 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Describing “the Methodist way of living” as being “based on faith not on fear,” presiding Bishop Mike Watson opened the 2009 session North Georgia Annual Conference. He spoke about the three General Rules of the United Methodist Church: “Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God” (the last is literally “attending upon [...]

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A ‘procedural’ argument against Amendment I

Posted in Bishops, Book of Discipline, General Conference, United Methodist Church, tagged , , on June 16, 2009 | 4 Comments »

Others — including Maxie Dunnam, Andrew Thomson (PDF), and Billy Abraham — have put forth well-reasoned policy arguments against Amendment I, the proposed constitutional amendment that would alter Article IV the United Methodist Constitution. To their insightful comments I humbly add the following “procedural” argument against the amendment, related to the problematic manner in which [...]

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An Annual Conference prayer guide

Posted in Prayer, United Methodist Church, tagged , on June 11, 2009 | 1 Comment »

The following prayer points will help you intercede for this year’s gathering of your Annual Conference. Thank God for His faithfulness to us, even though we haven’t always been faithful to Him. (Ps. 100) Pray for God to open hearts and bring unity based on Jesus. (John 17:22-23; Ps. 133) Repent of anything in your [...]

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A conversation with North Georgia Bishop Mike Watson

Posted in Bishops, North Georgia Conference, Stewardship, United Methodist Church, tagged , , on June 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Bishop Mike Watson, episcopal leader of the United Methodism’s largest U.S. Conference, is interviewed in the premiere issue (PDF) of the North Georgia Advocate, now the official newspaper of the North Georgia Conference. (The North Georgia Advocate is the successor to the recently discontinued Wesleyan Christian Advocate.) Bishop Watson was assigned to North Georgia last [...]

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ThinkerTwitter: MethodistThinker adds Twitter feed

Posted in Media, tagged , on June 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

In the right column of this page, just below the list of Today’s Most-Viewed Posts, you will now see a box labeled ThinkerTwitter. It features (primarily) quick summaries of interesting news items, plus links that will take you to additional information. In most cases, items in ThinkerTwitter feed will not be discussed here in the [...]

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Leaders in North Georgia, Holston urge defeat of re-structuring amendments

Posted in Book of Discipline, General Conference, North Georgia Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction, United Methodist Church, tagged , , on June 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Leaders from two Annual Conferences in the Southeastern Jurisdiction — the North Georgia Conference and the Holston Conference (covering parts of Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia) — are urging defeat of proposed constitutional amendments that would restructure the denomination. In North Georgia, a self-described “ad hoc group of very concerned United Methodist[s]” — which includes nearly [...]

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