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Recent content by Nik Onder

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    Appointment Season

    Just out of curiosity...I know from the several Catholic churches I was familiar with growing up, they always had a house on site or nearby the church grounds that the pastor would live in during his appointment. Does the UMC assist clergy in anyway with housing?
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    Women in ministry question

    This is what I found about CoG-Anderson on wiki: "While having some characteristics of a denomination, the Church of God considers itself Non-denominational Christianity. One of its more distinctive features is that there is no formal membership, since the movement believes that true biblical...
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    Newer 'member' of the Methodist Church - Conflicted about church's conflict over gay marriage

    This was another great point I meant to comment on earlier. My wife's family has a long history, as far back as anyone can remember really, of being solidly Methodist. And despite the fact that I come from a different background, this tradition is being carried on with our children. While my...
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    Newer 'member' of the Methodist Church - Conflicted about church's conflict over gay marriage

    From what I can tell, the poster didn't specify which side of the issue she stands on. This is a good point, though. As someone who has, admittedly out of frustration, considered seeking alternative churches with a more liberal stance on the issue from time to time, it occurs to me that if you...
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    UMC's first openly gay bishop

    For what it's worth, as a seeker looking in, there is nothing going on here that is compelling a rationally minded agnostic to want anything to do with the church. I was raised Catholic, have lived most of my life agnostic and since I have had children have recently felt called to raise them in...
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    Methodist Jokes

    Knee jerk mental response while watching Star Wars: "The Force be with you..." "And also with you."
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    Have a ? about Methodist...

    The jump from RCC to UMC is not really as profound as you might think. If that is where you feel you are being called, just try it out and see what you think. God will not strike you down immediately as some kind of heretic, trust me! Honestly, the more I have studied mainline and other...
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    Communion too rushed?

    Agreed. It's a bit of a curiosity that the socially liberal, millennials, college-educated crowd, etc., prefer a liturgically conservative church, while political and social conservatives tend to delight in the oohs and aahs of the high-tech, sensationalized, contemporary mega-church experience.
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    Different Beliefs

    Why on earth did God send his Son in the first place? As a sacrifice for the sin of mankind!...I literally can't understand the exclusionary ideas some people willfully force on themselves. It seems obvious that such a system is meant to willfully subject everyone to the judgemental gaze of...
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    Different Beliefs

    This is a great example of the beauty of Wesley's Quadrilateral. Taken in the context of scripture alone, anyone could warp a defense of American slavery using scriptural literalism (or pretty much anything else, as history has shown, and thus why experience is important). By utilizing...
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    Dating with Different Denominations

    The ELCA is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is the largest Lutheran body in the country, so statistically the one your boyfriend most likely attends. The ELCA is actually in full communion with the UMC (United Methodist Church), which means on most practical levels, their...
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    Dating with Different Denominations

    I'm a little confused...many Methodists are increasingly serving Communion as often as weekly and as far as I know all baptize infants, so I'm not really understanding why that's a problem. If he's ELCA, as far as I know they have more in common than not with Methodists, so I wouldn't think it...
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    Catholic priest wearing UMC insignia?

    Coming from my own perspective, having grown up Roman Catholic as well, I have to admit until very recently I just assumed that all protestant denominations were happy-clappy, alter-calling, slain in the spirit, mega-church rock show spectacles. When I brought up the idea of taking our kids to...
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    Catholic priest wearing UMC insignia?

    Yeah, I had thought about it but, like I said above, I thought it might come across as offensive, or in the least nosey or superficial. Having only fairly recently returned to church in any fashion, and only very recently becoming educated about the UMC, my question was more or less to confirm...
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    Catholic priest wearing UMC insignia?

    Yeah, it is about as close as you could want it to be. Pretty sure that is a chasuble produced for UM use. It had occurred to me that maybe, as you state, he purchased it without knowing the significance of the logo. Probably the best explanation. That seems a bit odd, though, that anyone could...