Critical problems now existing in the United Methodist Church did not happen in a short span of time. Actually it has been a
kind of evolutionary process that began in the early years of the 20th Century!
A lot of the theological confusion that is now taking place has it roots in Europe and especially Germany. In the latter years
of the 19th Century there was a fellow by the name of Julius Wellhousen who was considered by many to be a renowned scholar, theologian, etc. Julius began making
his thoughts known. These are best summarized by saying that he no longer believed things that were revealed in the holy Scriptures. To put it crudely, he took the
meat cleaver to the Bible and chopped it to pieces! There was a denial of miracles as recorded in the Bible, etc. There were others besides Julius who took the
position that you cannot believe everything you read in the Bible! A shipload of such theological junk was imported to the United States. There were seminaries
which began to teach this stuff to persons in training to become pastors of churches. And so it came to pass that the theological garbage imported from Europe
began to be spread in some of the churches in the United States!
As the 20th Century got underway a kind of theological war broke out. It sometimes has been referred to as the
Modernist vs. Fundamentalist Controversy or something akin to that! It was a conflict between those who believed the Bible and those who took the position
that some things as reported in the Bible did not really happen and were not actually true! Examples would be the events of creation in early chapters of
Genesis, the judgment of the flood in Noah's time, Red Sea crossing by the Israelites under the leadership of Moses, Jonah swallowed by a great fish,
the virgin birth of Jesus, His sacrificial atonement for the sins of the entire human race, His literal resurrection from the dead and His promised
return to this world at some future point in time as King of kings and Lord of lords! And so the two main positions for those claiming to be Christian was
this: you were either a fundamentalist, a firm believer in what was revealed in the Bible or a modernist, a person who did not literally believe things recorded
in the Bible!
Time marched on through the decades of the 20th Century with one big change in labeling who was who theologically.
The time came when the label, liberal, came to be applied to those who took the view that not everything as recorded in the Bible was to be accepted literally.
It was common to deny miracles as literally taking place. My grandfather, who taught a men's Bible class in a Methodist Church for years, became very upset
when he learned of a Methodist bishop denying the virgin birth of Jesus. This was in the 40's! A person who literally believed the Bible was still at times
referred to as a fundamentalist or possibly some other labels such as Bible believer etc.
Liberalism is much like a cancer out of control. It did increase with more seminaries becoming infected and spreading unbelief
in the Scriptures in the teaching process to students who would become future ministers in churches throughout the country. So the term, liberal, continued to be
applied to church pastors and church leaders who denied portions of the Bible as being literally true as the 20th Century moved along.
The time eventually came when the label was changed to what was likely the belief that it was more sophisticated and conveyed
the idea of moving forward for a greater improvement in the quality of life for the members of the human race. If you were one such person your identity with the
improved label indicated you were involved making the country and the world a much better place in which to live! The new identity of clergy persons was the same
as many in the political realm - they are now known as "progressives!"
But the roots go back to the garbage theology of unbelief in the Scriptures - that has not changed one bit! At the beginning
of this commentary are three words (antinomianism, apostasy, heresy) that clearly define why the United Methodist Church has been in decline for decades. It has
been the infiltration of this pure, unadulterated unbelief and the dissemination of the same to numerous congregations that has caused widespread destruction!
It began as mainly unbelief in many of the events as reported in the Scriptures such as the creation account and then the
various miracles as noted throughout the Scriptures. But this stuff had a kind of evolution process going on as time passed and so now for some time we have
gotten into a war over the issue of human sexuality! That is why the word, antinomian, is appropriate regarding the problem in the United Methodist Church.
It means to be against law and in this case the moral law of God! God has explicitly revealed that homosexuality is an abomination in His special revelation.
In recent decades there are those within the UMC that are saying homosexuality and lesbianism are morally acceptable even to the point of marriage! And at the
present time the denomination has one bishop who is a practicing lesbian who claims to be "married" to her partner! The Judicial Council issued a ruling a while
after the election of the lesbian bishop which stated that the election was illegal. However, the Council does not have the authority to remove a bishop from
office who has been illegally elected! The lesbian can only be removed when charges are filed and a trial is held with a final verdict determined. None of that
is likely to happen since the Council of Bishops has initiated no action and seems to take the position, "She is one of us and doing an excellent job of providing
episcopal leadership!"
The next big event will be the General Conference session which was to be held this past May 2020, but has been postponed due to
the carona virus pandemic. A plan has been proposed for what is described as an amicable separation. That is, those who support same-sex marriage, the performing of
such by clergy, and the ordination of homosexuals for ministry will remain in and retain the name of the United Methodist Church! Those who do not accept the
foregoing, often referred to as traditionalists, will separate, form a separate group and be identified under a new name!
I object to this proposal and anything similar for the main reason that I and other pastors such as I have kept our
ordination vows which included upholding the doctrines of the church, have supported the principles for governing our denomination as spelled out in the Book
of Discipline, and support the full authority of the holy Scriptures in all matters related to our faith and practice of that faith, so why should we be the ones
who leave, and form a new group with a new name? Let the bunch who have broken their vows, violated the laws as spelled out in the Book of Discipline, and
rejected the authority of the Scriptures be the ones who do the exit, form a new group with a new name or join the Metropolitan Church where they will be very
much at home! The three words at the beginning identify clearly who and what they are!
As mentioned, a number claim they are "progressive" clergy in the United Methodist Church. About the wildest claim ever made
by persons claiming to be "progressive" Christian yet at same time denying the basic truth that is at the very heart of our faith was made a few years ago by
two authors in a book they produced. Here is what they said:
"Jesus did not die for your sins, let that be said a thousand times. Jesus did not come from God to rescue fallen, sinful, inadequate, incompetent people like
you and me. That is an image of a God who comes to us from outside to rescue this terrible and fallen creation. That is an idea from which we need to escape."
(from Living the Questions - The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity by David M. Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy on page 114. Harper One 2012).
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being
deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child
thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works. [2 Timothy 3:12-17 (KJV)].
I now rest my case!
Clayton D. Harriger, Retired Elder, W. PA Annual Conference
Former pastor of Gipsy Christian Church in Gipsy PA (Nov. 1999 > Nov. 2019)
February 21, 2020
Updated: June 25, 2020
