Jesus was a refugee, at least in a sense. This was not a controversial statement until the last few decades when illegal immigrants began pouring across the American border with a growing number taking advantage of amnesty laws to extend their stay. The left, seeking to allow the illegal immigrants to stay, claimed not only that they were refugees, but Jesus was too and scripture says to take care of the refugee.
When they hear 'Jesus was a refugee' many Christians reply, "He wasn't a refugee. They had to go to Bethlehem for the census." They just remember Joseph "being warned in a dream" and leaving in the middle of the night. They forget the part about them fleeing to Egypt.
I'm glad I left the UMC years ago. They're an embarassment.
Having grown up in the Methodist church the government of the Methodist church has always lived in a different universe than the membership. When they started accepting gay folks into the ministry I was long gone into the LCMS Lutheran church. The minuet I heard what Methodist Church was doing I knew
it would split. The congregation that I grew up in took there building and property and just became a Community Church. My Mom was not happy she said,"I have been a Methodist all my life". That is not a problem now she is with Jesus. Dan
Their timing is terrible as woke is increasingly recognized as a campus injected parasitic mind virus exploited by the globalist corporatist Uniparty that wants to open the borders and remake the US into a collectivist ATM for the rest of the world. They are trying to appeal to something that is dying.
Amen Erick, I grew up in the UMC my father was a Pastor in the UMC and i have been so dismayed at the direction that denomination has taken since the 90's when i left with half of our entire church to start a new one. So sad to the see the decline in all major denominations in the US.
Fact is, almost all of the Methodist Church's growth in the United States has come from the South for about 30 years now. But the church is based out of California. I do expect to see at some point an organized push from Methodist churches in the South to break away. You can push your own doctrine all you want, as long as you control and have the money to do so. The Methodist church does not. When I was a young man, my wife and I felt more comfortable in the Methodist Church and brought our boys up in. In short - we loved it. Short version - both boys grown, are both at non-denominational churches. We left a few years back and still struggle to find the right church home. But will not go back to the Methodist Church with how it sits today. Which is quite sad.
I have found Methodists to be extremely community-minded and missional. Most churches have food pantries, meals, and various other local efforts to help the poor regardless of denominational affiliation.
The fact that someone doesn’t care for a particular ad campaign to raise the name of Jesus doesn’t necessarily make it “silly.”
Many people who don’t like a particular style of evangelism are the same ones who don’t do it at all. It’s possible to both conduct evangelism and feed the poor, not either or.
I’ll put it this way: I’d rather have “silly” ads about Jesus aimed at secular audiences than an appeal for believers to buy an evangelist a new jet so he can fly around to win souls.
There’s a lot more to it that just this “silly” ad campaign. My Methodist church split from the UMC in February, 2022, and we are now Global Methodists.
Thank you. We are huge NFL fans, and seeing these ads left bad taste in our mouths. Well put Erick. He got me when He took my place after my sins nailed Him to a cross. Let's just play football.
I've lived it. I am a United Methodist. I have watched the leadership of the North Georgia conference ignore and eschew the Book of Discipline, the voices of the congregations, and the votes from the majority of Methodists. It is NOT just the African conferences. It's not. However, that doesn't matter. UM leadership has planted their flag with the woke politics of the world. The problem is, the Traditionalists created a plan that would have let everyone go their own ways to continue spreading the gospel, because that's what the Progressives said they wanted. They said Traditionalists were "Hurting our message of love in Jesus Christ." So, we said, "Okay, here is a way we can separate in grace so you can go spread the gospel in your way, and we'll do it in our way." Accept once again, you will be made to care. Leadership of the UMC at first accepted this but ultimately is sabotaging it so it won't pass. Because, they know it will and then they'll have their financial arm cut off because all the tithers are in the Traditionalist camp. They cannot let us go our own way with an equal division of assets and liabilities because they have watched memberships decline. They already know what will happen. Enter the Global Methodist Church. Look into that. It is the new Methodist denomination founded by Traditionalists for bible-believing people who just want to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to a wounded and hurting world. Sorry for the TL:DR there.
I dare say Jody Ray and some others would agree with you. The way “Bishop Sue” handled him was dead wrong and she failed to follow the Methodist Book of Discipline - I saw that and I’m not even a Methodist! Then I saw her association with Oliveto in CA, and understood the “why.”
Absolutely agree. I attended Mt. Bethel for about 6 months and that man's preaching is inspired. Anyone who has been watching this from the inside has seen the stumbling blocks UM leadership has intentionally put in front of the Traditionalists.
I attend Bethlehem Global Methodist Church: the oldest continuously-organized Methodist Church in Georgia. We left the UMC in February, 2022. We are located near GA 72 in Elbert Co., GA: “Come see us!”
I would love to join a GMC. However, that is not my path. God has me where I am in the midst of a progressive church whose leadership hasn't even brought up the subject. I bet most of the membership that remains doesn't even know the window is nearly closed for disaffiliation let alone that it is an option. Some might even not know there is a controversy at all. They will wonder why their church has to close its doors one day.
I understand. Many of my fellow Methodists out in Elbert Co. had no idea what is going on because their progressive ministers deliberately failed to keep them informed.
"...they have planted a flag in a culture war issue that will immediately turn off some people." Saw the commercial and that's exactly how I responded.
Well put!
A good read.
Wow!
When they hear 'Jesus was a refugee' many Christians reply, "He wasn't a refugee. They had to go to Bethlehem for the census." They just remember Joseph "being warned in a dream" and leaving in the middle of the night. They forget the part about them fleeing to Egypt.
I'm glad I left the UMC years ago. They're an embarassment.
Having grown up in the Methodist church the government of the Methodist church has always lived in a different universe than the membership. When they started accepting gay folks into the ministry I was long gone into the LCMS Lutheran church. The minuet I heard what Methodist Church was doing I knew
it would split. The congregation that I grew up in took there building and property and just became a Community Church. My Mom was not happy she said,"I have been a Methodist all my life". That is not a problem now she is with Jesus. Dan
Let's not forget, that Jesus also went back to his country once the threat of death was over and when God commanded Joseph to return.
Their timing is terrible as woke is increasingly recognized as a campus injected parasitic mind virus exploited by the globalist corporatist Uniparty that wants to open the borders and remake the US into a collectivist ATM for the rest of the world. They are trying to appeal to something that is dying.
Amen Erick, I grew up in the UMC my father was a Pastor in the UMC and i have been so dismayed at the direction that denomination has taken since the 90's when i left with half of our entire church to start a new one. So sad to the see the decline in all major denominations in the US.
As a life-long Methodist I couldn’t agree with you more.
Fact is, almost all of the Methodist Church's growth in the United States has come from the South for about 30 years now. But the church is based out of California. I do expect to see at some point an organized push from Methodist churches in the South to break away. You can push your own doctrine all you want, as long as you control and have the money to do so. The Methodist church does not. When I was a young man, my wife and I felt more comfortable in the Methodist Church and brought our boys up in. In short - we loved it. Short version - both boys grown, are both at non-denominational churches. We left a few years back and still struggle to find the right church home. But will not go back to the Methodist Church with how it sits today. Which is quite sad.
They have already broken away. 215 in the southeast. 45 in Georgia alone including the largest Mt Bethel.
I have found Methodists to be extremely community-minded and missional. Most churches have food pantries, meals, and various other local efforts to help the poor regardless of denominational affiliation.
The fact that someone doesn’t care for a particular ad campaign to raise the name of Jesus doesn’t necessarily make it “silly.”
Many people who don’t like a particular style of evangelism are the same ones who don’t do it at all. It’s possible to both conduct evangelism and feed the poor, not either or.
I’ll put it this way: I’d rather have “silly” ads about Jesus aimed at secular audiences than an appeal for believers to buy an evangelist a new jet so he can fly around to win souls.
There’s a lot more to it that just this “silly” ad campaign. My Methodist church split from the UMC in February, 2022, and we are now Global Methodists.
Thank you. We are huge NFL fans, and seeing these ads left bad taste in our mouths. Well put Erick. He got me when He took my place after my sins nailed Him to a cross. Let's just play football.
I've lived it. I am a United Methodist. I have watched the leadership of the North Georgia conference ignore and eschew the Book of Discipline, the voices of the congregations, and the votes from the majority of Methodists. It is NOT just the African conferences. It's not. However, that doesn't matter. UM leadership has planted their flag with the woke politics of the world. The problem is, the Traditionalists created a plan that would have let everyone go their own ways to continue spreading the gospel, because that's what the Progressives said they wanted. They said Traditionalists were "Hurting our message of love in Jesus Christ." So, we said, "Okay, here is a way we can separate in grace so you can go spread the gospel in your way, and we'll do it in our way." Accept once again, you will be made to care. Leadership of the UMC at first accepted this but ultimately is sabotaging it so it won't pass. Because, they know it will and then they'll have their financial arm cut off because all the tithers are in the Traditionalist camp. They cannot let us go our own way with an equal division of assets and liabilities because they have watched memberships decline. They already know what will happen. Enter the Global Methodist Church. Look into that. It is the new Methodist denomination founded by Traditionalists for bible-believing people who just want to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to a wounded and hurting world. Sorry for the TL:DR there.
I dare say Jody Ray and some others would agree with you. The way “Bishop Sue” handled him was dead wrong and she failed to follow the Methodist Book of Discipline - I saw that and I’m not even a Methodist! Then I saw her association with Oliveto in CA, and understood the “why.”
Absolutely agree. I attended Mt. Bethel for about 6 months and that man's preaching is inspired. Anyone who has been watching this from the inside has seen the stumbling blocks UM leadership has intentionally put in front of the Traditionalists.
I attend Bethlehem Global Methodist Church: the oldest continuously-organized Methodist Church in Georgia. We left the UMC in February, 2022. We are located near GA 72 in Elbert Co., GA: “Come see us!”
I would love to join a GMC. However, that is not my path. God has me where I am in the midst of a progressive church whose leadership hasn't even brought up the subject. I bet most of the membership that remains doesn't even know the window is nearly closed for disaffiliation let alone that it is an option. Some might even not know there is a controversy at all. They will wonder why their church has to close its doors one day.
I understand. Many of my fellow Methodists out in Elbert Co. had no idea what is going on because their progressive ministers deliberately failed to keep them informed.
Those who play politics in church get what they deserve. The faithful will receive from God and the culturally malleable and worldly will be cut off.
"...they have planted a flag in a culture war issue that will immediately turn off some people." Saw the commercial and that's exactly how I responded.
As a recovering United Methodist I “get you” Erick. Good grief what a waste of tithes 🤦🏻♀️
Over 2,000 churches have left the UMC. Many are now part of the Global Methodist Church.
I blame Christian Pastors for the mess we’re in.