BONUS BLOG: sorting out some United Methodist truth

Online friend and highly respected colleague, Dennis Miller – – –

I appreciated listening to Adam Hamilton yesterday in Reynoldsburg, Ohio speak about the future of the United Methodist Church. Most of you know that Adam is the senior pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City, the largest United Methodist Church in the United States and among the most influential churches in mainline Christianity. Over the years, he has spoken at Ginghamsburg UMC several times.

In yesterday’s presentation, he shared this graph of recent United Methodist disaffiliations and spoke of the false information of some regarding how our doctrinal standards and theological task from the current Discipline are going to change.

He said, “Recently I received a note from a lay person saying: “Pastor Adam, I was told that when the new conservative Methodist denomination forms, United Methodists will change their doctrines and abandon our historic beliefs in things like the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, the Virgin Birth, and the Resurrection. Is that true?” The answer is an unequivocal no – this is not true.

I’ve spoken with thousands of United Methodists across the denomination, from our largest churches to our smallest, conservatives who plan to remain United Methodists, centrists, and progressives too. None of those I’ve spoken to wish to change our theological convictions or doctrinal standards.

Like me, most are United Methodists because of these convictions. And if someone sought to change our adherence to the historic essentials of the faith, I’d be among the first to leave. Our doctrinal convictions and foundational beliefs really matter.

Every year, for thirty-two years, I’ve concluded my Easter sermon the same way: “People ask me from time to time, ‘You seem like a reasonably intelligent person. You don’t really believe this stuff about Jesus dying for us and rising from the dead do you? You are too smart for that, aren’t you?’” I’m glad to be in conversation with people who share their doubts, but here’s the answer I always give: “I not only believe it, I’m counting on it.”

I’m counting on the Good News of Jesus described in the New Testament, summarized in the Creeds, and expressed in the Doctrinal Standards of the United Methodist Church.”

I would agree! When I heard this yesterday, I joked with my wife Rachel, “How true, nobody who is simply wearing a new denominational badge can outflank Dennis Miller on the right when it comes to Jesus, the historic orthodox faith and our Wesleyan understanding of grace, scriptural holiness and sanctification.”

As senior pastor, we will continue at Ginghamsburg to be proud United Methodists and stand on these historic doctrinal convictions as we in the words of John Wesley, “Offer Them Christ!”

—- How do you respond?