John 3:17

Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. NRSV

OR

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. KJV

John 3:16 is fine, we see it all the time on signs at football games. I wonder why we don't see signs with John 3:17.

Sometimes one verse Christianity can be quite annoying. I really don't know how we can get the full message without including the surrounding verses. I think a lot of bad theology comes from people not reading the entire pericope.

From Wikpedia

A pericope (pur-IC-op-ee) (Greek περικοπη, "a cutting-out") in rhetoric is a set of verses which form one coherent unit or thought, thus forming a short passage suitable for public reading from a text, now usually of sacred scripture.

http://hoosierpastor.blogspot.com/

Hoosier Pastor wrote about the appointment system and I would like to address some things that I really like about our Methodist system of Itenerancy.

Actually, if it were not for our itinerant system I might not be a Methodist today.

Although I had visited Methodist churches a bit, I did not become a Methodist until I walked into a UMC 25 years ago and the senior pastor was a white woman and the associate pastor was an elderly black man. That combination of pastoral leadership was what impressed me enough that within a few weeks I joined the church (re-affirmation of faith). I had been Misery Synod Lutheran and then Unity School of Christianity.

In systems that hire pastors many churches choose pastors that fit what THEY want. Many churches would not choose a pastor of another race or a female pastor. In our appointive system that is not an option. A church can request a pastor with certain gifts but those gifts can not include "must be male" or "must be young" or "must be white".

I have seen our appointive process cause members of the churches to stretch and grow. Often the congregations actually grow as well. I no of no congregational system that has such diverse congregations as the UMC.

My mother is a member of a predominately black congregation that has a white pastor. I am a member of a predominately white congregation that has a white female senior pastor and a black female associate pastor. I know of a church that was all white and all older that was shrinking and now is diversifying and growing under the leadership of a black female elder.

Our itinerant system also allows us to have a diversity of style and idea and opinion among our leadership so that we as Methodists tend to have a more broad faith than those churches that have ONE leader and ONE opinion.

I am proud to be a part of a denomination that within my community there are Charismatic congregations, Black, White, Korean AND Blended Congregations. High Church, Low Church, Contemporary. You can find it ALL in one town. I the larger towns I also do not see why some churches feel that they have to have a contemporary service AND a Traditional service AND a blended service... There is a UMC every couple of miles.

If we would stop worrying about what our congregational neighbors were doing we could better live up to our slogan.

Our Hears, Our Minds, and Our Doors are always open.

Also from Adherants.com

a couple of "not Methodists"

People who were not Methodists:
Wright Brothers - Orville and Wilbur Wright, inventors of the airplane, were not Methodists, but have sometimes been mistakenly claimed as such.
James Dobson - conservative author, activist, host of radio show "Focus on the Family" (he is actually a member of the Church of the Nazarene, which is an offshoot of Methodism)

I think the Wright Brothers were Evangelical United Bretheran which merged with the Methodist Church to become the United Methodist Church in 1968.

Boy am I glad to find out that James Dobson is NOT one of us!

Famous Methodists

The following list of famous Methodists is from adherents.com

This batch is all politicians.

- James Knox Polk - 11th U.S. President
- Ulysses S Grant - 18th U.S. President
- Rutherford B. Hayes - 19th U.S. President
- William McKinley - 25th U.S. President
- George W. Bush - 43rd U.S. President (convert from Episcopal Church)

- Boris Trajkovski - president of Macedonia -
Chiang Ching-Kuo - President of Taiwan (1978-88) -
Chiang Kai-Shek - head of Chinese Nationalist forces and President of the Republic of Church (Taiwan)
- Abel Muzorewa - former president of Zimbabwe (former Methodist bishop) - Taufa'ahau Tupou IV - king of Tonga
- Oliver Tambo - African National Congress (ANC) President in South Africa (1969-91)
- Lester Bowles Pearson - Prime Minister of Canada (1963-68)

Some of the aforementioned I am quite proud to share the Methodist faith with, others I would just as soon send for their letter of transfer. As a rule I generally think that it is a wonderful thing that within the UMC there are Charismatics and Evangelicals, Progressives, Traditionalists and a whole variety of other types.

I do wish that George Bush had stayed an Episcopal. It amazes me how old GW has refused to meet with any mainline or progressive Christian leaders and panders so to the religious right. George W. Bush has not paid a bit of attention to so many basic Methodist principles such as our opposition to the death penalty. He has refused to meet with the bishops concerning the war in Iraq. I am inclined to think that GW would be much more comfortable as a Southern Baptist.

I also think that Bill Clinton was a Southern Baptist in name only. When he was president he mostly attended Foundry United Methodist with his Methodist wife Hillary Clinton.

Just a side note: I didn't ever vote for Bill Clinton becuase I have never knowingly voted for a Southern Baptist. I voted for a lot of write in candidates in Arkansas governor races or skipped it entirely. I voted Green for president against Bill Clinton and Al Gore. If given any option at all, I will avoid voting for any Southern Baptist.

All the people being ejected in the UCC TV ad could land at Quapaw Quarter United Methodist and be welcome.

If the cut and paste HTML works OK it will show below.

Mainline churches should be silent while Religious Right political leaders get to speak their mind? href="Do'>http://ga3.org/campaign/network1?source=blogad">Do you care?

I conducted another wedding Friday night. This one was a simple affair held in my Living Room.

Here We Stand
Calling the United Methodist Church to Embody God's Love and Justice.

I would encourage United Methodists and friends to visit this web page as it is addressing the Judicial Council Decision 1032 which allowed a pastor to deny membership to a gay man.

Eligibility for Church MembershipThe most important paragraph of the Discipline relating to membership in The United Methodist Church is ¶ 4, which is Article IV of the Constitution and is entitled “Inclusiveness of the Church.” It reads in full as follows:

From the Book of Discipline

The United Methodist Church is a part of the church universal, which is one Body in Christ. The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all persons are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members, and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing members in any local church in the connection. In The United Methodist Church no conference or other or-ganizational unit of the Church shall be structured so as to exclude any member or any constituent body of the Church because of race, color, national origin, status or eco-nomic condition.

If you feel so inclined Please sign the petition.

http://www.herewestandumc.org/

Happy Saint Patricks Day!

Habeas Schmabeas

I was listening to This American Life on NPR last night and the show was discussing the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. We have been told by our government that the prisoners there were dangerous terrorists and that they did not have any right to The Geneva Conventions or habeas corpus.

Having listened to the show, I am quite disturbed that the truth has been so hidden from the American public to protect the image of George W. Bush. The vast majority of the prisoners there are non-combatants and are no threat to the United States. I have been uncomfortable with the lack of habeas corpus & Geneva Conventions all along, but sat back on my lazy butt because I actually believed our government when they told us that these people were truely dangerous terrorists.

I am posting this here because I am hoping that this might allow a few people to discover the truth, listen to the show, and put pressure on our government to end this injustice.

You may listen to the show at http://www.thislife.org/

I recently started another blog.
Although I am gay, I do not think that being gay is a major defining factor in my life. I am VERY Methodist. However, I felt that attempting to blog just about things related to being gay and Methodist was a bit limiting.

Plus the template for the other blog seems to be more HTML friendly & has a side bar. I am an HTML beginner & have been having fits getting my tags to do what I want them to do on this one.

Blog Tag... 4 Things

I have been tagged by PamBG
http://pambg.blogspot.com/

Four Jobs I've had (in no particular order)

Dog Groomer
Circuit Rider (local preacher)
Waiter
Human Resources/Training Co-ordinator

Four movies I can watch over and over

Its a Wonderful Life
Never Ending Story
Ice Age
Schrek

Four TV shows I love to watch

Stargate Atlantis
Stargate SG-1
The Weather Channel
Charmed

Four places I’ve been on vacation

The Carribean
London
Padre Island, Texas
West Virginia

Four favourite dishes

Enchiladas
Prime Rib
Turkey Sandwiches With cranberry sauce
almost anything florintine (stuff with spinach)

Four Web sites I visit daily

Beliefnet
google
qqumc.org
umc.org

Four places I’d rather be

In Bed
At Home
At Church
On Vacation

Four bloggers I am tagging

I will decice later

Mondays wedding was on top of the South Mountian in the pavillion at the base of the observation tower. The view was nice, but the wind was strong so it was a bit chilly.

I will post wedding pictures if & when I get them.