Adam Hamilton pastors the largest church in The United Methodist Church, Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS. He has spoken several times on the floor of General Conference, and he has filmed segments representing the denomination's position on theological issues. He is very much in the mainstream with respect to the average UM pastor's theology.

In this segment, I sit down with TJ and our mutual friend Robby to go through clips of Hamilton's preaching that TJ had selected. This would be categorized as a reaction video. Robby brings his own flair to the conversation, marked with spiritual insights that neither one of us would have. We hope you enjoy!

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As the church in America continues to wonder at the sudden and rapid decline of church involvement, different theories and explanations are being put forth. In this segment, I go through a piece written by Jake Meador, published in The Atlantic (see link below), it is posited that American public life has culturally excluded the distinctly Christian way of life. I go through a couple tweets and then get into the article. This is not meant to be particular to a Methodist audience. Rather, I hope it is relevant to Christians of different traditions as we try to work out what it is that we can do in the present moment to beat back the gates of hell. I hope this is helpful to you.

Links:

Atlantic Article:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/07/christian-church-communitiy-participation-drop/674843/

The Great Dechurching:

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Dechurching-Leaving-Going-Bring/dp/0310147433

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Yesterday I posted a comparative analysis of the FAQ submitted by the Oklahoma Conference of the UMC and the answer First Church OKC issued. It was okay. What I should've done is what I did today, which was walk through the text of Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons' ruling pertaining to the whole trial. She was much better than I have been at being simultaneously insightful and amusing. So in this piece, I correct some unintentional misinformation I gave yesterday up front, then I walk through her ruling with minimal commentary because it really isn't needed. I hope you enjoy it, that you learn, and if you're part of the Oklahoma delegation this Saturday, that you come to understand why all this was necessary.

As a reminder, if you want to see any of the documents pertaining to the First Church OKC case, you can find EVERYTHING at https://www.firstchurchokc.com/legal-faq-court-document

If you are a voting delegate this Saturday, let me know, publicly hear or privately at [email protected] what it is that you need to know before you vote. I want to make sure everyone gets answers to their questions before the day of.

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Affairs with First (UM) Church of Oklahoma City have resulted in an emergency specially called conference of the Oklahoma Annual Conference. The Conference is bristling in response to a ruling from a state judge, which mandated that the hold such a meeting to mirror the same dynamics of the April conference. This means they had to invite back delegates from 55 churches who had already left the conference months ago, including me. In this segment, I read over the FAQ they issued, compare it to an answer from First Church, and do my own analysis. The first block is my legal analysis thanks to a lawyer taking pity on me. The middle block is the document. The last block is my moral analysis. I’m hoping that delegates who don’t really know what is going on will take the time to learn what both sides are saying and consider the veracity and weight of each party.

Links:

Conference FAQ - https://okumc-email.brtapp.com/files/files_library/faqs+regarding+the+litigation+brought+by+first+umc.pdf

First Church’s FAQ Page - https://www.firstchurchokc.com/legal-faq-court-document

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Recently a United Methodist Church in Birmingham Alabama decided to use more "inclusive" language when saying the Lords Prayer. When confronted by a member of another church, the pastor (Stephanie York-Arnold), explained why they chose to do so, and later produced a video to explain to everyone. In this video we examine that explanation and breakdown the issues from a conservative perspective.

Original Video Link:

https://vimeo.com/user1891267

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In just over a year the GMC has grown to over 3100 congregations and 3400 clergy. A recent article by Rev. Keith Boyette examines this growth and the hopes for the GMC, in this video Jeffrey breaks down the article and gives his own reflections on the development within the Global Methodist Church.

Show Notes:

Watch Us Grow Article:

https://globalmethodist.org/watch-us-grow/

Interview With Jeff Pospisil:

https://youtu.be/TUidMSvODcU

Interview With Bishop Scott Jones:

https://youtu.be/eBmU7F40a-o

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Mississippi and many other UMC annual conferences are increasingly using Paragraph 2549.3.b to supplement or replace Paragraph 2553. Some, including Mississippi, are so bold as to say that they will use it to extend the ability of local churches to disaffiliate. In this segment, I cover the intersection points I'm aware of and speak to the likelihood that this is a promise that can be kept, speaking also to people weighing 2553 vs 2549. Enjoy!

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Bishop Forrest Stith published a lengthy article leveling the charge of systemic racism against those who have disaffiliated from The United Methodist Church. What is to be said about such accusations? Is there any merit in the accusation? I submit that Stith presents false information to promote racial hatred and separation, that the institution of the UMC might continue to benefit from black people who would otherwise separate themselves.

Links:

'NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: SOUTHEASTERN QUEENS; Pastor's Removal Fuels Tension Among Factions at a Church' - https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/11/nyregion/neighborhood-report-southeastern-queens-pastor-s-removal-fuels-tension-among.html

"Can These Bones Live? Thoughts on Methodist and Disaffiliation" - https://www.bwcumc.org/news-and-views/can-these-bones-live-thoughts-on-methodism-and-disaffiliation/

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Part 3, the final part, of our coverage of the Easter Pennsylvania Annual Conference that happened earlier this year. We discuss a few more clips of the issues that happened in this contentious meeting and hope it helps us reflect on how those who have left the UMC should act in their new denominations.

Show Notes:

Day Three Live Stream:

https://www.youtube.com/live/iIJ6gi-mWaI?feature=share

Joe DiPaolo Article:

https://peopleneedjesus.net/2023/06/09/methodist-meltdown-in-miniature-a-review-of-the-2023-eastern-pa-session/comment-page-1/

Bitter Medicine Playlist:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0r8SkZ2E5KrUXDr8kHbBWil7wPNs-H4O

https://www.epaumc.org/news/epa-looks-to-possibility-future-despite-loss-of-some-churches/

https://www.epaumc.org/2023-annual-conference/2023-post-ac-faqs/

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was formed in 1988 as the largest Lutheran denomination in the US and one of our nation's mainline denominations. It suffered a split, similar to the UMC, in response to the theological drift that they experienced before the Methodists.

In this conversation, Rev. Wheeler details how it is that he experienced the time of theological corruption and decay, as well as what lessons he learned as he finds himself outside of the conflict today. Methodists would do well to learn lessons from other traditions, as we can often be too close to our own circumstances to see them for what they are.

Articles

"ELCA Hits Bottom" by Robert Benne - https://www.firstthings.com/article/2018/10/elca-hits-bottom

"Always Declining: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Stillborn Quarter Century of Existence" - https://juicyecumenism.com/2013/08/14/always-declining-the-evangelical-lutheran-church-in-americas-stillborn-quarter-century-of-existence/

"'Seven Sisters' of Mainline Protestantism Still Bleed Members" - https://juicyecumenism.com/2019/09/25/mainline-protestantism-decline-continues/

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