- Jun 26, 2004
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Are there any? I've never had a discussion with a conservative Methodist.
Check out Good News. Most people would probably classify this publication as being conservative, yet it is published by people who are all United Methodists. The organization is certainly seen as the bane of "liberals" (depending on how you define "liberal") in the United Methodist Church.
I think a good test of whether, as a Methodist, you're liberal or conservative, read anything by Jim Winkler or Jim Wallis and see if you agree with them.
God forbid!!
I tend to be rather confused as to what is to be a theologically conservative Christian. I believe the authority of the bible and believe it to be divine inspired. However I believe scripture must be clearly understood through its genre of writing and its historical context. I also believe there are some theological issues where it is perfectly fine to admit you do not know and will require further study. I try with great diligence to understand scripture based on its original intent and I seek guidance on the understanding of scripture by well respected theologians. I tend to call myself a traditional christian because I believe in preserving the historical traditions of Christianity and Methodism while also holding traditional orthodox theology guided by the teachings of Wesley and other Methodist preachers.
That's not the same language as our Discipline, but it is pretty much the same position that our Discipline has taken on the issue. I recognize you will hear other voices in the United Methodist Church, but to date however loud they are, right or wrong, they are actually in the minority.By conservative, I mean, I oppose homosexual behavior, for example, as God forbids it, but am not so uneducated as to call tempation a sin, or to assume a Christian thus tempted but who does not act on it is a weak Christian simply for being tempted.
Again, the United Methodist Church and you might be closer than you realize. Our discipline specifically says: "our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life makes us reluctant to approve abortion." And in fact the only time we justify abortion is in cases of "tragic conflicts of life with life." Some people interpret that very broadly, but the words themselves I believe imply here what is specifically spelled out elsewhere, "we oppose the use of late-term abortion known as dilation and extraction (partial-birth abortion) and call for the end of this practice except when the physical life of the mother is in danger and no other medical procedure is available, or in the case of severe fetal anomalies incompatible wtih life." But given that abortion is, despite our view, a reality in our society, we then seek to be in ministry with women who have made or are considering that choice.I'm conservative in that I don't believe in abortion. But I do believe that church should be a safe place for people to go, not the often threatening place it is become.
I think I would call the views expressed in this paragraph more libertarian than conservative in nature.But I do think that churches should pay taxes instead of selling out to the world for a buck by agreeing not to speak out on some things. I think that churches that engage in building programs for the 501(c)3's own benefit should be taxed like any business. I don't believe that any government has any authority to regulate real Christian evangelism or to prohibit the display of religious things on public property. I'm not going to put something on public property in defiance of the erroneous court rulings, but I will share my faith wherever, whenever, with asking permission and without apology - even if it should defy some government edict at some point.
Stay orthodox in your theology.
Contrary to United Methodist teaching, the Bible alone is the source of authority.
One bit of advise a college prof once gave me about something else I've applied to my own Bible study: "Never read [the Bible] for what you think it says, want it to say, or have been told it says. Read it for what it really says."
God will guide you.
Hmm... I don't know of too many Methodist who do not believe in the authority and sufficiency of the bible.
Why are so many Methodists liberal?