The Revs. Martha E. Vink (left) and Alka Lyall lead a Holy Communion service during an Advent gathering in December 2019 at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo. The two are among the collaborators organizing the Liberation Methodist Connexion, a new denomination that held an online launch event on Nov. 29. Photo courtesy of LMX.
In the last three years, 1831 congregations have split from the United Methodist Church over its acceptance and celebration of homosexuality, according to a new report by their General Council on Finance and Administration. These numbers were far lower than most prognosticators anticipated, with some fearing they might lose half their churches.
The congregations that left represents a mere 6% of the 30,000 congregations worldwide.
With a schism seemingly averted, what remains in the UMC is truly a terrible sight to behold. The faithful are all gone, and the remaining 28000 denominations are populated by a bunch of woke pagans with Christian ideations that can’t agree on how badly they hate the bible and the best way to make molest it into affirming the doctrine of demons.
In 2019, conservatives (ish) signaled their intention to leave the denomination over their progressive views of homosexuality, acceptance of other deviant sexual theology, and support for abortion rights. After jumping through a bunch of hoops, they were able to leave while retaining their property and buildings, with most joining the newly minted, more conservative Global Methodist Church.
The churches leaving the conference cite the denomination’s insistence on the ordination of sodomite clergy in defiance of a ban on the blessing of sodomite unions and clergy in the denomination’s book of discipline. These churches are suing because they have a right to secede from the denomination and not forfeit their buildings, as the denomination has failed to apply established discipline procedures in the administration of the denomination. While the UMC is one of the most progressive denominations in the United States today, less progressive churches within the denomination reject sodomy, especially those in rural areas, even though they have acquiesced to worldly pressures on the issues of the ordination of women and the adoption of woke church theology.
In response to the impending break-up within the Florida Conference, UMC Pastor Michael Adam Beck published a piece entitled “The Weaponization of ‘Orthodoxy’”, in which he claims that the concept of orthodoxy is being weaponized against the United Methodist Denomination.
So, when groups break off of Methodism in the name of preserving “orthodox theology”, I always find this intriguing. There has never been a single “orthodox theology” in history…
In reality, the term “orthodoxy” has been weaponized by various extremist camps to discredit groups that don’t agree with them. This is not dissimilar to the conflict Jesus experienced with some of the religious leaders.
To be clear, Beck, a far-left figure in the Florida United Methodist Conference, defends religious pluralism and homosexuality because “orthodox theology” doesn’t exist, because he believes that there has never been a uniformly accepted Christian Theology. Therefore, according to Beck, all Christian theologies must be accepted as equally valid choices. Beck’s interfaith views on evangelism mirror his views on “orthodox theology”.
Beck’s position seems to be in line with the limp-wristed UMC mantra “Open hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors”, a position that has led to the acceptance of nearly every form of sexual perversion and an eagerness for interfaith dialogue that eclipsed and subverted the denomination’s missions and evangelism efforts. What point is there to evangelism if cultural relativism is true and every religion and culture has its own holy ground? The downgrade turned the once powerful denomination into one that is in perpetual decline in the United States.
Ironically, Beck appeals to the theology of Irenaeus in his defense of what is Biblically indefensible.
Irenaeus gave us a grace-centred, holistic, and inclusive vision of human flourishing that has been core to the people called Methodists. The seeds of these ideas were taken up by liberation theologians who recognized how the physical embodiment of God’s justice could free the marginalized and the oppressed while simultaneously threatening the powerful and the comfortable.
Irenaeus’ most prominent work was entitled “Against Heresies” and most certainly doesn’t support the heresies of religious pluralism and liberation theology, as one might surmise from a short glance at the title.
The conservatives within the United Methodist Church (UMC) have had enough of their denomination’s progressive views of homosexuality and acceptance of other deviant sexual theology, announcing the formation of a new denomination set to go live in 2022.
Called the “Global Methodist Church,” its reveal was announced by the Transitional Leadership Council, a 17-member team of theologically conservative Methodists. They explain that:
Alternatively, if it becomes apparent that the leading bishops, centrists, and progressives who covenanted to support the Protocol no longer do so, then the council will consider bringing the new church into existence without delay. Local United Methodist churches, annual conferences, and central conferences will then be able to join the new denomination.
In short, they’re going to try to do it the amicable way, through the official channels, but if the liberals try to make things hard, then they’ll cut their ties then and there. The conservatives planned to split in 2020 and then again 2021, but their conferences were canceled both years due to the threat of COVID-19. The new general conference is set for September 2022.
While the main reason for splitting is the long-fought war within the UMC over homosexuality and the UMC’s acceptance of it, it’s of note that the conservatives within the UMC aren’t particularly conservative either. For years the UMC has supported a woman’s right to choose abortion as an option to be considered. In fact, for over 40 years their Book of Resolutions affirmed the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. They support strict gun control, and even guns being banned altogether. They allow women leadership into the highest level of leadership, condemn capital punishment, and condemn creationism.
With the formation of the new denomination by the conservatives, however, many of the pagans within the UMC that have been given the freedom to let their leaven fizz and ferment for decades have announced the created their own denomination, called The Liberation Methodist Connexion (LMX).
These ragtag reprobates which are headed to hell in a handbasket unless they repent and are saved by a sovereign God, explain on their website:
We are journeying toward a new way of being followers of Christ that refute the imbalance of powers, principalities, and privileges that has plagued Methodism: colonialism, white supremacy, economic injustices, patriarchy, sexism, clericalism, ableism, ageism, transphobia, and heteronormativity. We trust God’s presence and our collaborative labors will guide us toward a new, more liberative way of answering our calling and being in connexion together…
LMX theology is not written in stone because our human understanding continues to evolve as we deepen our personal and collective understandings of God. We have been expanding our methodist theological heritage with various expressions of Liberation theologies, theories, and praxis. [Editor’s note: Literally woke as hell.]
