Mike S
Member
The General Conference of the United Methodist Church is being held right now in Tampa, Florida. The General Conference is the worldwide gathering held every four years to discuss issues relevent to the church, and is the only organization to speak with authority for the UMC on theological issues. Among the issues being addressed are the position on homosexuality, same sex marriages, and ordination of openly gay clergy. Liberal factions from the United States want to change the church's position to be openly accepting of homosexuality in all areas, but conservatives seem to be holding the line for traditional Christian beliefs rejecting homosexuality. This can be attributed in large measure to the changing demographics of the church. Membership in the United Methodist Church is declining in the liberal congregations of the United States, and increasing in the conservative congregations in Africa and Asia, where the church is seeing strong growth. In a few years the average Methodist will look a lot less like a middle-aged white man in Indiana, and a lot more like a young black woman in Nigeria.
Conservatives keeping UMC in line with Bible - http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=1588588
As the United Methodist Church holds its General Conference in Tampa, where it is determining official church policy for the next four years for the 12-million-member denomination, one lifelong Methodist says conservatives seem to have the "upper hand."</STORYLEAD>
<STORYBODY>Mark Tooley of The Institute on Religion & Democracy (IRD) tells OneNewsNow the major controversy has been the same as in the past four decades: homosexuality, homosexual clergy, and performing homosexual union ceremonies.
"But the conservative side of the church seems so far to have the upper hand, in that the legislative committees have all rejected attempts to liberalize the church's teachings on homosexuality and marriage and sexual ethics," he accounts, "even though historically, liberals have won in the legislative committees and conservatives had to overturn those committees in the main plenary sessions."
Tooley goes on to detail that four open slots that had previously been held by three liberals and one evangelical are now held by three evangelicals and one liberal. Two of those four are from Africa, which Tooley considers to be significant, considering there were previously none on the judicial council. According to the IRD president, the 300-member delegation from Africa has kept the denomination in line with the Bible.
The General Conference will vote on whether to accept the committee reports later this week. A vote on the church's homosexual policies could come as early as Wednesday.
Conservatives keeping UMC in line with Bible - http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=1588588
As the United Methodist Church holds its General Conference in Tampa, where it is determining official church policy for the next four years for the 12-million-member denomination, one lifelong Methodist says conservatives seem to have the "upper hand."</STORYLEAD>
<STORYBODY>Mark Tooley of The Institute on Religion & Democracy (IRD) tells OneNewsNow the major controversy has been the same as in the past four decades: homosexuality, homosexual clergy, and performing homosexual union ceremonies.
"But the conservative side of the church seems so far to have the upper hand, in that the legislative committees have all rejected attempts to liberalize the church's teachings on homosexuality and marriage and sexual ethics," he accounts, "even though historically, liberals have won in the legislative committees and conservatives had to overturn those committees in the main plenary sessions."
Tooley goes on to detail that four open slots that had previously been held by three liberals and one evangelical are now held by three evangelicals and one liberal. Two of those four are from Africa, which Tooley considers to be significant, considering there were previously none on the judicial council. According to the IRD president, the 300-member delegation from Africa has kept the denomination in line with the Bible.
The General Conference will vote on whether to accept the committee reports later this week. A vote on the church's homosexual policies could come as early as Wednesday.
