Andy Bryan recently wrote and shared this publicly —-

There is no theological controversy in the United Methodist Church, in spite of what you may have heard. There is, rather, theological diversity in the United Methodist Church, and there always has been.

Those who are leaving value theological conformity, as is made clear in the new Book of Discipline of the new Global Methodist Church. I do not say this disparigingly. Some people value conformity above diversity, and that’s okay.

And it totally makes sense that people who want theological conformity would want to leave the UMC. That’s not what we’re about. We’re about unity within diversity, not conformity.

What doesn’t make sense is contriving an artificial controversy as a straw man reason to disaffiliate from a denomination whose diversity makes you uncomfortable. It’s heartbreaking and baffling, and it needs to stop.