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Archive for the ‘Ethics’ Category

Half a century later, ‘Green Chri$tma$’ still hits mark

Posted in Ethics, Media, Social Issues, tagged on December 15, 2010 | 4 Comments »

The hyper-commercialization of the Christmas season is nothing new. Fifty-two years ago satirist Stan Freberg produced “Green Chri$tma$,” a memorable indictment of the profit-above-all mindset that seeks to transform the celebration of the Incarnation into an endorsement of everything from soft drinks to soap. “All my life I had been disturbed by advertising’s increasingly blatant [...]

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Methodist study guide on Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ‘appalling’

Posted in Bishops, Ethics, Politics, Social Issues, United Methodist Church, tagged , on November 15, 2010 | 10 Comments »

This post is by the Rev. David Fischler, a church planter in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and the founder of The Reformed Pastor blog. A New Jersey native, David was born of Jewish parents and became a Christian in college after reading the Bible for the first time. He holds degrees from Rutgers University and [...]

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Bill Bouknight: We must speak up for the persecuted church

Posted in Bishops, Ethics, General Conference, Social Issues, United Methodist Church on November 12, 2010 |

This post is by Dr. Bill Bouknight, associate director of the Confessing Movement Within the United Methodist Church. Sunday, Nov. 14, is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This post first appeared in a slightly different form on the Confessing Movement website. Links below have been added by MethodistThinker.com. — Ed. – [...]

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D.C. attorney general urges court to ‘alter and amend’ GBCS ruling

Posted in Book of Discipline, Christian/Methodist History, Ethics, Social Issues, Stewardship, tagged , on November 8, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Arguing that the District of Columbia Superior Court’s ruling “constitute[s] legal error,” the D.C. attorney general has taken the usual step of asking the court (PDF) to “alter and amend” its ruling in a case involving endowment funds held by the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society (GBCS). The attorney general’s office represents [...]

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Party platforms and the United Methodist Church, part two

Posted in Bishops, Book of Discipline, Ethics, General Conference, Politics, Social Issues, Stewardship, United Methodist Church, tagged , on October 25, 2010 | 3 Comments »

This the second of two posts comparing the United Methodist “platform” (i.e. language from the UM Book of Discipline) with the official platforms of both the Democratic and Republican parties. This post focuses on two issues: marriage and national security. As noted in part one, for Christians living in a democratic society, electing government leaders [...]

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Party platforms and the United Methodist Church, part one

Posted in Book of Discipline, Ethics, General Conference, Politics, Social Issues, Stewardship, United Methodist Church, tagged , on October 21, 2010 | 5 Comments »

For Christians living in a democratic society, electing government leaders is a stewardship responsibility, giving followers of Christ an opportunity to influence government in the direction of policies that promote virtue and restrain evil. In deciding how to cast their ballots, Christian voters may wish to reflect on how the positions of the major political [...]

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In GBCS article, UM elder argues against celibacy for single clergy

Posted in Book of Discipline, Ethics, Holiness, Social Issues, United Methodist Church, tagged , on June 30, 2010 | 10 Comments »

For the second time in less than a year, the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society (GBCS), an official agency of the denomination, has published an article arguing that sexual relationships outside the covenant of marriage are not necessarily improper. “An Ordained Single Woman and the Discipline,” published June 7 as part of [...]

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United Methodist Church facing health bill fallout

Posted in Bishops, Book of Discipline, Ethics, General Conference, Politics, Social Issues, United Methodist Church, tagged , on March 31, 2010 | 20 Comments »

In the wake of enactment of costly and controversial health-care legislation that will significantly broaden the federal government’s power over the U.S. health-care system — as well as over states and individuals — United Methodist bishops and other church leaders are attempting to mollify laity and clergy unhappy about the UMC’s role in supporting the [...]

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House Speaker thanks UMC for help in passing health bill

Posted in Book of Discipline, Ethics, General Conference, Politics, Social Issues, United Methodist Church, tagged , , on March 24, 2010 | 20 Comments »

Moments before Sunday night’s passage of a mammoth health-care bill that the New York Times described at the “most sweeping social legislation enacted in decades,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi specifically thanked the United Methodist Church for “endorsing” the controversial bill. [W]e are proud and also humbled today to act with the support of millions of [...]

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Why the United Methodist Church cannot condone homosexuality

Posted in Book of Discipline, Christian/Methodist History, Doctrine, Ethics, General Conference, Holiness, Judicial Council, Social Issues, United Methodist Church, tagged , on March 15, 2010 | 28 Comments »

“The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching. We affirm that God’s grace is available to all.” (¶161F, The Book of Discipline—2008) A recent MethodistThinker post (“Defying denomination, UM church in D.C. offers to perform same-sex weddings”) elicited responses from several readers who argued [...]

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UM pro-life group urges Sen. Ben Nelson: ‘Do no harm’

Posted in Bishops, Book of Discipline, Doctrine, Ethics, Politics, Social Issues, United Methodist Church, tagged , on January 27, 2010 | 3 Comments »

The United Methodist pro-life organization known as Lifewatch is urging Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a United Methodist layman, to reconsider his support of the recently passed Senate health bill, even as passage of a final health bill grows increasingly unlikely in the wake of last week’s U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts. In December, Sen. Nelson [...]

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