Methodists steer towards pro-life views because of globalization and younger clergy

[prisonchaplain]

I found this article surprising and encouraging. For conservative groups like mine, that have roots in Methodism, we grew up with warnings about not veering into liberalism "like the Methodists."  Now we are hearing that Methodists are becoming more Evangelical (read: conservative) because of influence from non-U.S. churches and the young.  Wow, and praise God!

 

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2016/05/23/methodist-surprise-portland/84766604/

Edited May 24, 2016 by prisonchaplain
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[Guest MormonGator]

9 minutes ago, prisonchaplain said:

I found this article surprising and encouraging. For conservative groups like mine, that have roots in Methodism, we grew up with warnings about not veering into liberalism "like the Methodists."  Now we are hearing that Methodists are becoming more Evangelical (read: conservative) because of influence from non-U.S. churches and the young.  Wow, and praise God!

 

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2016/05/23/methodist-surprise-portland/84766604/

 A lot of the theologically liberal churches are dying slow deaths. 

[prisonchaplain]

True. However, it looks like it is the young and the non-American that is saving the Methodists.  Similarly, my church's U.S. growth is largely due to Hispanic churches. Our overseas growth is much faster than in the U.S. 

[Just_A_Guy]

I think a number of churches (including Mormonism, to an extent) are experiencing this regardless of whether the church is traditionally conservative or liberal--significant growth in Africa, while membership stagnates or decreases throughout the first world. 

The liberal churches, to my mind, will make a particularly interesting case study; because progressives have spent half a centural flagellating themselves over racism and imperialism.  Will they accept the new diversity within their faiths?  Or will they try to stamp out heterodoxy by becoming the sort of ideological colonialists they once professed to abhor by railing against Africans and their "primitive" views?  As that great philosopher Ray Barone once said:  "Well, the shoe's on the other foot now! Uncomfortable and smelly, is it not?"

Of course, a cynic might suggest that certain elements of the American cultural elite believe they can avoid the problem and keep those African (and, for that matter, near Eastern) Christians from getting too uppity, by giving Islamic extremists more-or-less free rein over the continent.  Such a cynic might suggest, further, that this has been a fundamental principle of American foreign policy over the past half a decade . . .

Edited May 24, 2016 by Just_A_Guy

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Just_A_Guy said:

I think a number of churches (including Mormonism, to an extent) are experiencing this regardless of whether the church is traditionally conservative or liberal--significant growth in Africa, while membership stagnates or decreases throughout the first world. 

We have a difference between organized churches and "evangelically free" churches here.  Otherwise called "top-down" churches, we have a leadership that decides church policy.  They declare the doctrine.  The lay membership then needs to confirm that doctrine through the Holy Ghost.  

Other organizations will have a doctrine or set of beliefs that is made up of majority rule.  Almost anything can change if you just get enough of the base to change their ideas.

That is why having a living prophet is so vitally important.  Samuel had a big problem with almost an entire people who had gone apostate.  Even then, they got their earthly king.