Fatigue, Fights, Questionable Biblical Interpretation: A week into General...
I’ve backed away from blogging a bit. Too many emotions hitting, not able to sort it out, too many articles I need to write, too much utter fatigue. But oh so many thoughts!!! So, time to leap in....
View ArticleSlogging through General Conference on our way to implosion
First: you want to know why the UMC is so stuck? Read this piece I wrote for the United Methodist Reporter. We’re a muddy administrative impossibility. As for me, it is Tuesday, late afternoon. Still...
View ArticleTense Atmosphere, Worried Delegates, Blocked Legislation: General Conference
Wednesday morning. Our reporting team is sleeping poorly. Most of us wondering why we signed up for this gig. We came as volunteers. We all love the church. We’re full of opinions about what is...
View ArticleAll hell breaking loose at General Conference
[Note: Keep checking the United Methodist Reporter site for latest news] This morning, after a plea from the highly respected Rev. Adam Hamilton that the Bishops of the UMC do their job and offer some...
View ArticleA Moment of Fun and Silliness at General Conference
We on the UMR team are all tired. We can cry, get snarky or irritated with each other, go off and sulk, or . . .well, let us say that we chose laughter. Don’t miss it. And folks, please have a sense of...
View ArticleTheological Education and the Spread of the Gospel: Antithetical?
This morning at General Conference, we saw a heated debate about providing much, much more money for theological education in Africa. The statement kept coming up about how fast the church is growing...
View ArticleAsk the Thoughtful Pastor: Did the UMC really elect a lesbian Bishop? A...
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: My question: I have been an active member of the United Methodist church for years. I know that the discipline is supposedly BIBLICALLY BASED but the recent appointment in...
View ArticleThe year everything broke
All of us live in the tensions between creation and re-creation. Nothing is stasis or particularly stable or immune from breaking. Last night, the dishwasher broke. (The repair service showed up...
View ArticleOur continued stuckness at General Conference but with glimpses of hope
As those who have been following this saga at the UMC General Conference probably already know, I’m here with the United Methodist Reporter team and most of my stuff is posted there. They found this...
View ArticleDebating the mission statement: a revealing moment at General Conference
At about 5:10 pm on Thursday, May 19, the second to last day before GC 2016 ends, The Rev. Bill Arnold, Chair of the Faith and Order legislative committee brought the report from that committee. The...
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