What is a Methodist? By Thomas Lambrecht I have argued before that a consistent Methodist identity has been blurred and obscured in The United Methodist Church. What it means to be United Methodist varies from church to church and conference to conference. A wide latitude in what we believe, even
Of Borrowed Lawnmowers and United Methodist Clergy Status By Bob Phillips A man went to his neighbor’s house and asked to borrow his lawnmower. The neighbor said no. The man politely asked why, since it was sitting unused in the garage. The neighbor replied, “Well, I have to shave.” Puzzled,
First Wave of GMC Conferences Launched By Chassity Neckers Bishop Mark Webb of the newly-formed Global Methodist Church recently wrote about being in an airport and seeing a book entitled The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing. He didn’t buy the book (so it’s not
Editor’s note: In honor of the passing of Bishop Sundo Kim (1930-2022) last fall, we are pleased to feature our 1991 cover story on him and the remarkable Kwanglim Methodist Church in Seoul, South Korea — one of the largest Methodist congregations in the world. At Good News, we considered
By Timothy Keller (1950-2023) In honor of the passing of the Rev. Timothy Keller, longtime pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, we are reposting an excerpt from his book Every Good Endeavor (written with Katherine Leary Alsdorf) that served as the cover story of the September/October 2013
Are All Divisions of the Devil? By Rob Renfroe I don’t mind people thinking differently than I do. I often learn from such people, and I regularly benefit from considering opinions different than my own. But I admit I am upset when influential leaders express views that seem shallow and
Two Churches, Two Faiths By Rob Renfroe In last week’s Perspective I wrote about a professor at a United Methodist seminary whose lengthy article stated that the death of Jesus does not save us. In fact, Professor Miguel De La Torre wrote that such a belief disenfranchises the marginalized and threatens women. The response
Same-Sex Wedding Prompts Bishop to Act By Thomas Lambrecht Bishop Sharma Lewis (Mississippi) has responded to two clergy persons who performed a same-sex wedding in January. The Revs. Elizabeth Davidson and Paige Swaim-Pressley officiated at the wedding ceremony of a “non-binary” couple in Tupelo, Mississippi. The term “non-binary” means that