In November the Arkansas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church failed to ratify the disafilation requests of three local congregations. This has resulted in the split of one of the churches and lawsuits being filed in the others. In this video we take a deeper look at what is going on in Arkansas.

Show Notes:

Ready to Harvest Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjydU...

3 Church Disaffiliations Blocked Article:

https://www.umnews.org/en/news/3-chur...

Bishop Gary E Mueller Statement:

https://arumc.org/2022/12/information...

12 Judges Recuse Themselves Article:

https://www.christianpost.com/news/12...

Cabot United Methodist Gift Article:

https://arumc.org/2023/01/cabot-unite....

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Odell Horne, Jr. has been a thought leader in The United Methodist Church for some time, particularly through United Methodist Men. He is a member of the North Georgia Annual Conference. He is particularly concerned with issues of racism, multiculturalism, neocolonialism, and ethnocentricism. He is a free thinker and has a passion for truth. I had been wanting his perspective on a number of things for some time, so this interview is more spread out than my usual ones. Enjoy taking some time to learn from a great mind (his, not mine)!

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Odell Horne, Jr. has been a thought leader in The United Methodist Church for some time, particularly through United Methodist Men. He is a member of the North Georgia Annual Conference. He is particularly concerned with issues of racism, multiculturalism, neocolonialism, and ethnocentricism. He is a free thinker and has a passion for truth. I had been wanting his perspective on a number of things for some time, so this interview is more spread out than my usual ones. Enjoy taking some time to learn from a great mind (his, not mine)!

** At around 1:21:30 Odell wants the audience to be aware that he misspoke by saying that Hitler came back with Churchill to defeat Mussolini, when what he meant to say was that Haile Selassie came back with Churchill.

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Rev. Dr. Vilanculos is the Rector of the United Methodist University in Mozambique. He has worked closely with denominational authorities for some time, and is one of the minds behind the Christmas Covenant. Over the course of two different conversations, he and I explore the dynamics at play in southeastern Africa in the UMC and how it is that a better future might be leveraged in the present for the denomination as a whole.

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Collins as a missionary for the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) of The United Methodist Church. He is from Cameroon, but he serves within the Democratic Republic of Congo alongside area bishops to serve local populations in the name of Jesus. He is educated in many fields, and his perspective is one informed by academia and work within the institution of the UMC. Take some time to learn from this man who has given his life in service of the United Methodist denomination.

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So far, the series has focused on official caucus group leaders. Absalom is our first average pastor to offer his thoughts about the dynamics in Africa, specifically in Nigeria, and how it is that the particularity of his context fits into the larger picture of the United Methodist denomination. Absalom is a plainspoken gentleman who was a great joy to visit with. Consider his insights.

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The third resolution deals directly with the dynamics of sexually nonconforming persons in the UMC. It seeks to undo the "harmful" language of 2019 and instantiate a western liberal sexual ethic in our jurisdiction despite the clear language of the General Conference. This episode examines the text and presents the different ideologies undergirding it. I talk about integrity, Cultural Marxism, identity, and other fun stuff like that.

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This one has implications regarding the ending or reinstitution of racism in the UMC, depending on how you look at it. It also deals with the phenomenon of using nice language to cover over a not-nice goal. I spend some time explaining the Connectional Table and the Christmas Covenant, as both of those bodies are referenced several times in the document. Enjoy!

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If you believe that resolutions reflect the general sentiment of a body, as they are designed to be, then it would be wise to consider the language adopted by the jurisdictions of The United Methodist Church when determining if this organization will continue to be friendly to conservatives who maintain a traditional biblical theology. Take a few minutes to read the text of the first of three resolutions adopted by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference a couple weeks ago.

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Jeffrey was able to visit with Mr. Mafunda for the better part of an hour about some of the same dynamics that he addressed with Rev. Dr. Kulah and Rev. Emmanuel. Mafunda has a different country of origin, sits in a different social location, has a real world job outside of ministry, and was able to offer an earnest assessment of his own theology in the midst of other Africans and their particular theological traditions. Consider his words in contrast to what has been offered thus far. Though he and Kulah would agree about much, Mafunda offers a good deal of analysis and reflection that hadn't yet been offered, including an especially engaging portion on what offerings the African Methodists have to Americans that is currently not appreciated. Enjoy!

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